UTI...third time in a year! HELP ;(

[rubyraquelita]

Hi everyone,

My 1.5 years old female cat Mimi has no tail and is incontinent for pee and poo. I rescued her and apparently in the past she had been hit by a car. I did´t express her before because I had no idea how to do it. She got a severe UTI last November. The sympton was lots of blood in the urine which smelled like rotten fish. Although she is eating CD Hills from that time, she got another UTI in February. That time, she almost died.
After that I decided to learn or learn how to express her and I did. Unfortunately I am the only one in the family that knows how to do it. I went on a 2 week trip and my parents where taking her to the vet each other day to get her expressed. Apparently this was not enough. As soon as I got back and expressed her notice the same rotten fish strong smell on the pee. The pee was dark as well but not bloddy. She was not very happy as usual. She was kind of quiet. Also, for some reason she gets some dark spots on her nose when she gets the UTI and she got them as well. After 2 days, I expressed her and bloody urine came out. I took her to the vet, they put her an antibiotic (inyection that lasts for 15 days and that was used the last time as well). Now she is at home, depressed, doesn´t want to move. She is eating extremely little amounts of food. I have to force her to have some water with a syringe. I expressed her and it is less bloody but she is sleeping all day long, cold and in pain.
My questions:
- Will I hurt her if I express her in this conditions?
- How long should I wait for her to recover before taking her back to the vet?
- How many times in a life spam can a cat have a UTI? I am so worried about this. This is the third time in 7 months.
- How long can a cat live with this condition?
- What extra care should I have with her in order to prevent this to happen again!

Thanks a lot.
;( A sad mom.

[CarolC]

My questions:
- Will I hurt her if I express her in this conditions?
It won't hurt her in the sense of injuring her, I don't know if it will be uncomfortable for her or not, but you have to do it and be as thorough as usual so she can get over this infection.
- How long should I wait for her to recover before taking her back to the vet?
Well, you might ask the vet when he wants to see her again. I am pretty concerned about her not drinking. You are right to give her water with a syringe, but I remember reading once that it is hard to get enough water into a cat with a syringe, and that's true. It is super important that she has plenty of fluids to keep flowing through her system washing out that infection. The best thing would be to get her some sub-q fluids. You may have experience with this last time she was sick, it is where the vet puts some sterile fluids under her skin with an IV or big syringe, and she absorbs them that way instead of by mouth. They can give fluids at the weekend/emergency vet. Even though you are giving her water by a syringe, there is a good chance she is dehydrated just because it's hard to get enough into them that way. For that reason you may want to see the vet either tonight or tomorrow morning. It almost sounds like she needs to be hospitalized for a few days, it's hard to tell.
I'm a little concerned that you say she is cold and not wanting to eat. How many days has she been on the antibiotic? Normally you don't need to return to the vet while they are on medication unless you have reason to think the antibiotic isn't working, or she is having side effects from the antibiotic. However, I have a big question about your vet. It seems like the vet should have noticed she was getting a UTI from the odor when your parents took her in to be expressed the last time, why didn't the vet put her on antibiotics at that time? Also, they recommend expressing every 8 hours, in some cases you can get away with 2 times a day, but the vet should know full good and well that every other day isn't going to keep her healthy, didn't he explain that to your family? I can understand your parents would not know this, but I think the vet should have advised them. This UTI could probably have been prevented if he'd just told your folks to take her in morning and evening.
- How many times in a life spam can a cat have a UTI? I am so worried about this. This is the third time in 7 months.
It's hard to say, I suppose it depends partly on how bad the infection is, but I don't think she'll continue to get them this often, it is more likely to happen when you are learning to care for your pet.
- How long can a cat live with this condition?
I'm not sure what the max is but I can think Diana's cat has been paralyzed 9 years, and janew expressed her cat, Finney, for 13 years.

http://handicappedpet.net/helppets/view ... ars#p80250

- What extra care should I have with her in order to prevent this to happen again!
Basically, (speaking for myself as well as you) we just need to be sure we express every 8 hours, and if we are going on vacation, find someone else who is competent to express on the same schedule, or take the pet with us. Some people here have hired a vet tech to care for their pet while they are gone. The vet tech can earn a little extra money, and you'll know you have someone who is competent. If you ever begin to notice signs of an infection again, get her on medication right away. Some people get their pet's urine tested on a regular basis whether they notice any sign of infection or not. I am really sorry you came home to find she had an infection, but better days are coming.

Also, as an afterthought, I'm not familiar with an antibiotic for UTI that is an injection that lasts 15 days, maybe somebody else here is. I usually have to give my dog tablets twice a day for 10 days or a week. Did the vet actually test her urine? You want to be sure she doesn't have crystals or stones. The odor you describe sounds like UTI but I would want to be sure that is what is causing the bleeding.


Thanks a lot.
;( A sad mom.

[cricketsmom]

I agree with Carol. I don't believe you or your parents were instructed on how often to express your kitty. I express my cat Cricket at least twice per day.
Sounds like your kitty is not feeling well at all right now. The laying around and not drinking are red flags to me. I would recommend taking her to a veterinarian very soon and possibly being hospitalized. I also gently recommend trying a different vet. The injection you mentioned, if it's the one I'm thinking of, is mainly for skin infections like abscesses. You need an aggressive round of antibiotics given by mouth such as Clavamox drops. One of my cats once needed a four week regimen of oral antibiotics for a recurring UTI. Also, review with a vet your expressing technique to make sure you're getting all the urine out each time.

[critters]

Koi, my worst spinal cord injured boy, has gotten Convenia injections for UTI. Ideally your family should learn to express as well, and maybe they will now. It'll save a LOT of trouble in the long run!!

[rubyraquelita]

Thank you so much for your replies. Because of your answers is that today in the morning I decided to take her back to the vet. Yes, I found out that the name is Convenia, the one you mention Critters and it does work for that. Apparently it works slowly though since it is released little by little in the body.

She is on IV fluids now. Last night she vomited which scared me a lot because she was not drinking and then in the vomit she lost lots of fluids. The worse part is that today the vet tried to express her and the pee was not coming out, he is a perfect expresser and nothing...after a little bit and some prayers in the middle, pee came out, but not with much pressure as always. Pee doesn´t smell anymore and it is clear, which is good. But the doctor said tomorrow she will get blood and urine test to know if she is developing kidney stones. And if she does, she needs surgery. I am devastated. She had a terrible life when I rescued her, then I think she is happy at home with all the love and everything but she doesn't like me expressing her everyday, putting her on diapers, I think she feels I torture her and I love her so so much. We play lots of course and have lots of purr time, but she gets sick and not she is hospitalized feeling just so bad. If she does have the stones, she will have to go to surgery which must be an extreme torture. I just want to know tomorrow the results and I will pray for stones not to be the reason for the loss in pee pressure.

And if she does have the stones, then, that CD Hills super expensive food is a scam! She is eating it since the last UTI because it cares of the UT. Anyway, I just need to wait.

I might also have to add that I am in Lima, Peru. A country not very familiar with giving a chance to handicapped pets. It is getting bigger, especially with the wheelchairs. However, I don't know of anyone else putting diapers on a cat. So, I found these vets which are very good, but of course, not that experienced with a cat with recurring UTI.

I feel happy to know that she could live many years with me expressing her and indeed, the whole family is now committed to learn! However, with kidney stones I don't know how bad can be the future for her :*( Sad Sunday.

[CarolC]

Hi rubyraquelita,

I didn't realize you were in Lima, I thought you were in the US or Canada. I am in Texas so I am in the same time zone as you are. I understand what you mean about the vets just beginning to treat paralyzed pets, it was that way here only a few years ago, things have really changed in the past 5 years. You are in the position that a lot of people on this message board have been in, where you are the one educating the local vet or you are learning together. Thank goodness your vet is good at expressing, there have been people here who had vets who were not good at it. I am very glad her urine is clearing up. Thanks to you and critters for explaining about Convenia.

Here is some information on expressing in English or Spanish (your mom/dad might prefer Spanish). I would recommend reading the part about dogs as well as cats, it is all useful. There are videos at the end. They show a lot of different methods of expressing both dogs and cats.

http://www.handicappedpets.com/mediawiki/index.php?title=Express_a_dog_or_cat
http://www.handicappedpets.com/mediawiki/index.php?title=Vaciar_a_un_perro_o_a_un_gato

I am glad your cat got IV fluids, that is even better than sub-q. I don't know what to think about the low urine pressure during expressing. When your vet mentioned it, I hope he was talking about bladder stones and not kidney stones. Do you remember if he said bladder stones or kidney stones? I had a cat with kidney stones and a stone blocked the ureter. They were able to unblock the ureter with fluids, but a week later it blocked again and she had to have surgery. It is an extremely delicate surgery and it was done by a specialist, but the surgery failed and my cat did not survive. Many vets will not even do surgery for a blocked ureter, it is too delicate and requires special training and special equipment. I spent a huge amount of money on it, too. (She was a healthy cat, not paralyzed, I think her diet was the problem.) Bladder stones are a better problem to have. They can cause a blockage of the urethra but it is more treatable. I hope your vet meant she might have bladder stones. Here is some information on bladder stones. I hope she does not need any surgery. I know how hard it is to have them in the hospital. I visited my cat every day (twice a day most days) and the vet staff were also nice to her (she was a very sweet cat).

http://www.winnfelinehealth.org/pages/b ... ct_web.pdf

As far as I know, Science Diet c/d is good. I have used c/d for my cats and my brother also uses it for his cats. Stones can be caused by infection, so if she got stones while eating c/d, it may be because of infection. I think they can also be caused by sediment left in the bladder from incomplete expressing, so possibly they started during a previous infection, or before you started expressing her, or during the 2 weeks you were gone when she was being taken to the vet every other day by your parents. Maybe the stones would have become a problem sooner if you had not been giving her the c/d diet. I don't know, I am only guessing. I hope you get some good news tomorrow, I will be thinking of you.

[rubyraquelita]

Thanks a lot for everything! Seriously, without the support of all of you was going to be walking blind in this hard issue. And thanks for the links! My family are very excited about learning. We are all committed which makes things way easier!
Well, SHE HAS NO STONES! Of any kind, no formation of crystals or anything! Which is good news. Today I went to see her and she ate. She likes the A/D Hills, which is for dogs and cats in recovery. She pooped a lot since yesterday. I don't know how she managed to have so so much poop inside of her if she was not eating. Anyway, I brought her home. The bad part is that I expressed her at home and she peed bloody urine again and it was kind of a dense pee. After she ate, drank some water. I expressed her and more bloody urine again. I just called the doctor and he said that sometimes when they are getting better they blood that was sticked to the bladder walls starts falling out. I am not sure about that. So since I have the feeling that last time she recovered better because at the beginning she has IV fluids and antibiotic and after that she got the Convenia shot. And now she only got the shot, the doctor told me I can complement with Cipro. So I just did. I just gave her 1/6 of a tablet and I will do it every 12 hrs. She is eating which makes me happy. She is more awake, she is purring. She is very weak though. I have to just heat her wheat pillow (I don't know if you know this pillows with wheat inside that you heat up on the microwave) and place her below blanket on her bed. She feels like in heaven because she starst sleeping immediately over that with her nose very red which means she is warm. Do you think I am doing ok giving her cipro on top of the convenia? How many bloddy days should I wait until I get her back... The vet said don't bring her back unless she doesn't eat. And he told me to be patient. I think he hates me now >)

[CarolC]

That is great that she has no stones! Yay!!! I am so glad. I tried to look up Convenia but it was not in my medication book. How is she doing now? The only thing I know is, UTIs can be caused by different varieties of bacteria, so sometimes a medication works for one UTI but not another. Sometimes the veterinarian will prescribe an antibiotic that normally works for an infection. If the antibiotic does not cure the infection, then it may require a longer treatment with the same antibiotic, or a different antibiotic. Sometimes the only way to find the correct antibiotic is to do a urine culture, where they collect a urine sample and send it to a laboratory and allow the bacteria to grow in it so they can analyze what kind of bacteria it is. Then they know which antibiotic will work. I was interested in the vet's explanation that the thick urine might be caused by blood that had been stuck to the bladder wall coming loose. I've never heard that before. How is her urine now?

[rubyraquelita]

HIIII! I am so glad! Mimi es doing GREAT! The explanation of the blood stack on the walls of the bladder seems logical now. Because it was that way. Like it was flushing out. Even there were some little blood chunks coming out. On Monday she peed with that for like 3 times. At about 6pm, pee started coming cleaner and now it is so clear! No smell. She got back ger crazy attitude: miawing all day long, hunting whatever possible, scratching the sofa, jumping around, etc. I am so happy she is back to normal! Still she is resting a lot after playing. Now it is the winter, so I am heating up a wheat bag and she fells asleep immediately. She loves it because it is very warm.

About the culture. Last time she got one. This time, she didn´t. I think they just assumed it was the same strain. But I guess the best is to do it since the strain can vary, ha?

So, in summary. She started with smelly urine on Wednesday (well, that is when I came back and noticed that, it could have been before). On Friday she peed with blood for the first time and she got Convenia. She didn´t eat on Saturday, she was very depressed but she stopped peeing blood. On Sunday morning she got IV fluids and got hospitalized until Monday afternoon. By then, she was eating and peeing normal. However she peed blood again at home, according to the doctor that was blood stucked to the bladder walls. She continued acting normal, eating, drinking and after 3 or 4 bloddy pees, she started peeing normal. Now she is herself again!

Thanks a lot for everything. Without this forum I would have been walking in this by myself. Thanks for all of you support and advise.

Mimi and I are very grateful!

[cricketsmom]

I am so happy to hear this good news!

[CarolC]

Ohhh, there's your baby girl. Bless her heart. She looks so loveable. She is a lucky cat to have you caring for her, and I am so very glad she is feeling better.

[rubyraquelita]

Thank you all of you! Really, I feel that I was not alone in this one with all of you replies, comments, help, questions...everything was so helpful. Now I know more about UTI and I feel glad for that. And I have learnt something else. When she gets constipated, it is not easy for her to be expressed. I just feel a huge ball in her stomach, but I guess it is poo. I just gave her laxatone, so she can poop and let me express her well....I don´t like that! That is my only concern now. Hopefully later she will poop lots. So, also, I know that it doesn´t mean that she has stones when the pee doesn´t come out easily...it might be because of the poop.
As we say in Spanish. She is so ¨engreída¨ now! I dont know the words in English (between spoiled and needy). She even changed her miauw now for one that reads something like, mom, I was ill, I am delicate, love meee please mom, I am your baby.
I love her
Thanks a loooot, you are awesome!
R