Conference misery::feline_v1

    Could you spell out the awful "S" word for me?
    
    Edd 

    Sorry I shave been corrected. I was guessing at the correct spelling
    of cystitis, but have been kindly corrected. The 'S' word should
    be a 'C'.
    
    nw

    Can't you feed him more of the canned food?  That's what my guys,
    who also had that trouble get.  They also get various goodies from
    time to time (canned chicken, Coffeemate(sigh), and other things
    that appeal to them), but not dry food.
    

    Two of my cats are prone to getting cystitis. They are on C/D
    diet - could that possibly be what your cat is on rather
    than "S/D" or is that Science Diet? C/D is purchased 
    from your vet and it is for cats who would otherwise get cysts.
    C/D makes a dry cat food as well as moist. Science Diet is also 
    good for cats with this problem. There are several other brands 
    as well which have been mentioned in other note but which I am 
    sure will be repeated in answer to your note.          
    
    I would try to keep him on the diet as long as possible. I didn't
    the first time my male got cystitis, and it reoccurred. And this
    condition can be fatal to a male in a short period of time - 
    within 24 hours when severe. A female can go for a much longer
    period of time but nevertheless must be treated. To do the best
    for your cat, try stricking to the proper diet. All of
    my cats (7) enjoy the C/D dry but more so -  the Science Diet.
    You can leave the dry food out for free feeding - it won't
    hurt him, and he'll be happy - just as long as it is 
    specific dry food.             
    
    Also there is a list of commercial cat foods which are good
    for cats with cystitis. I have that list at home and I will
    gladly enter it tomorrow. It is fairly extensive, and along
    with what you can get from the vets, and what the other noters
    will suggest,  your cat should do just fine. Mine do.
    
    I give mine Laxatone for hair balls following the directions
    on the box. My mother gives her cat vaseline, a little less than
    1/2 teaspoon about twice a week. It works for all 8 of them.
    

    
    I would definitely check with your vet before putting your cat
    on any kind of dry food, even that like C/D dry which is supposed
    to be not as bad in terms of cystitis as other dry foods.  My vet
    says all dry foods are a no-no for cats prone to cystitis.
    
    Cystitis can be fatal to both male and female cats quite quickly
    if there is enough blockage of the urinary tract so that the bladder
    ruptures.  (cystitis = inflammation of the urinary tract or bladder,
    is not anything to do with the formation of cysts.)
    

    Hi,
    
    I am new to the company, working as a temp, and I was thrilled
    to find out there are so many cat lovers here.
    
    In response to your question about giving vaseline to your cat,
    I have heard of it, but have never tried it.  I have found that
    butter rubbed on the cat's nose works fairly well.  The best
    alternative I have found to the tube of medicine is to give
    the cat a little piece of fat (from meat, chicken, etc.) once
    or twice a week.  This cleans out the furballs as it goes 
    through their system.  Let me know if it works.
    

    Re: .6
    
    on the nose?  I guess you're careful not to clog the nostrils?  I
    dab some Laxatone on Sweetie's paw, where he can easily lick it
    off.

    regarding the c/d diet:
    
    I had my heart broken twice by this deadly disease...so I was cautious
    with Tucker from day one (I swore I would not take a white male
    from this litter no matter what, since I'd had a deaf white male
    persian before and both he and another family cat died of FUS, but
    Tucker charmed his way into my life!)
    
    My vet explained that the cd food does something in it that does
    work to prevent FUS but mostly it keeps the ash level low so that
    a cat prone to FUS isn't as likely to get it.  I feed my cats a
    big tablespoon full of the moist (mixing in LOTS of water) in the
    am & pm and they have dry cd available at all times.  Since I started
    this regimine I haven't had any problems with either of them.
    
    A word of warning (sorry this is so long)
    
    I took Tucker off cd back in '84 for some stupid reason and I paid
    a dear price for it.  He got so sick and lost so much weight and
    cost hundreds of dollars to nurse him back to health from FUS.
    Well, he's alive and healthy now and will remain on cd FOREVER!!!
    
    Sue & Tucker (no more traveling around the country...please) 
        & Sadie (I'll go anywhere and try anything!)
    

    RE: .8
    
    Another thing that CD does it is makes the cat's urine slightly
    more acidic. That is one of the differences between it and the
    pet store low-ash food.
              
    BTW, a side effect of feeding your cats CD is that it gives them
    fantasticly shinny coats!!
    
    Deb

    Alex-II is on a strict C/D diet, but the vet indicated that both the
    wet and dry were equally effective in helping to prevent FUS.  As an
    added measure of prevention, I also give him a vitamin C tablet every
    morning to help keep his urine acidic.  This helps to keep the crystals
    that may cause blockage to stay in solution in the urine and be
    excreted. 
    
    As for vaseline, if your cat will eat it willingly, it's great for
    preventing hairballs.  Towards the end of Alex-I's life, his stomach
    becamse very sensitive and he barfed up hairballs and lots else every
    day.  I found that he adored vaseline, and licked it off my finger
    every morning.  After this ritual was started, he rarely barfed at all.
    Our other cats do not like vaseline at all, and can't even be forced to
    lick it. 
    
    My former vet indicated that only nondigestible oils (like vaseline and
    femalt, etc.) help prevent hairballs by lubricating the digestive
    tract.  The digestible oils like butter and vegetable oils are simply
    digested and do not really have any effect on hairballs.  They do,
    however, produce a shiny fur coat! 

    Doris- how much dosage of Vitamin C does your cat get each day? 
    Is it measured by the weight of the cat?  I guess what I am asking 
    is how would I know how much to give Murphy and Jennie each day?
                                                        
    Thanks.  Pat
                          

    What are the signs of cystitis?  Is that and FUS the same thing??
    The reason I ask what the signs are is because Chauncey doesn't
    use his litter box at all - he prefers to do his business outdoors.
    This bothers me because I am so afraid I will miss something that
    so many other people can detect simply by observing the litter box.
    
    If someone can help me out, I will feel a whole lot better.
    
    Thanks,
    Roberta
    

    One of the most visible signs of cystitis that I noticed with my
    male cat Buddy was that he sat in his litter box for more than 30
    minutes straining to go to the bathroom.  I noticed this for the
    first time at 10:30 at night.    I felt so bad, because I did not
    notice this before and I did not know actually how long he had been
    having problems.   All I knew to do was to try to make him as
    comfortable for the night, and called the vet first thing in the
    morning.  She had me bring him in immediately.   He was given a
    couple of shots, one I think an antibiotic, the other to stop him
    from straining so much.  He was given antibiotics (amoxicillen)
    for 10 days and S/D canned diet to eat for 7 days, with some C/D
    to follow up with for another 3-5 days.   After he was finished
    with this the vet told me that as long as I could keep giving him
    the C/D dry or Science Diet low ash dry, then I could continue to
    buy canned food from the store as long as I kept the ask content
    of that food to 3% or below.   Now when I went to the store looking
    for canned food with low ash,  all of the Kal Kan varieties and
    9-Lives varieties had 3% or higher, but the Friskies Buffet (if
    you look carefully for it) has quite a few types with 2-2.5% ash.
    I have been giving these to my cats along with the Science Diet
    dry food and so far have had no re-occurence of cystitis.  I feel
    real lucky about this, because I have also lost a cat to cystitis
    and would really hate to have to go through that type of decision
    again about having him put out of his misery.   For a long time
    afterward, I wouldn't even consider getting a male cat, because
    I did not want to go through that again.
    
    Sorry that this was so long.
    
    Sarah Tooker

    Thank you, Sarah, your note was not too long at all.  I extracted
    it into a text file to print out and bring home tonite.  I want
    to see how much ash is in Chauncey's food and go on from there.
    
    This must be a very painful thing for a cat to go through and I
    am glad you caught Buddy's situation before it was too late.
    

    FUS = Feline Urological Syndrome
    
    Syndrome = a group of symptoms that collectively characterize
               a disease or disorder
    
    So, cystitis is a symptom of FUS.  Judging from my own experience
    and that of others, one of the earliest symptoms of FUS or cystitis,
    is urinating outside the litter box.  That's why you have to be
    careful to not assume you're dealing with a behavior problem rather
    than a medical problem.  Once you rule out the medical problem,
    then it should be dealt with as a behavior problem.
    
    Another frequently noted symptom, is frequent trips to the box,
    not necessarily lasting long, just frequent.  Anyone that's had
    a bladder infection knows that you constantly feel the need to
    urinate, even though there's little or nothing in the bladder.
    
    Another symptom, as previously noted, is spending an inordinate
    amount of time in the box, and/or straining to urinate, both
    bad signs as they indicate blockage or attempts to pass large
    crystals, which ultimately block the tract.
    
    It seems you would be at somewhat of a disadvantage in spotting
    FUS if you cannot observe litterbox habits.
    
    Donna

    Just a note - don't assume that because your little guy (or gal)
    has not urinated outside of the litterbox that you can rule
    out cystitis. Neither of my cats did that.
    
    They both displayed very frequent trips to the box and long
    periods in the box straining to urinate.
    
    I also wouldn't wait until morning if I suspected my cat
    has cystitis. Once I called my vet at 11:30 p.m. and the vet
    insisted that since it was a male cat that he be brought immediately
    to the clinic. A male can die between evening and morning. 
    A female can wait until morning without danger.   
                                
    I had changed vet between the first and second cystitis bouts and
    when my male again displayed the symptoms and I called around 
    9:30 p.m., the second vet also insisted that he be brought 
    into the hospital immediately.  So two vets-  different clinics
    - same response.  Don't wait.
    
    
    Pat
                                 

    Re: .17
    
    I think if I had a female cat with this trouble, I'd hot foot it
    to the vet with her too.  I mean, blockage is blockage.  I have
    heard that female cats are less prone to FUS (unfortunately, someone
    forgot to tell this to Holly;  fortunately, since they've been on
    c/d she and Sweetie haven't had any further episodes.)
    

    one thing I'd like to add to this discussion is that when the cat
    is experiencing these problems, the cat might try to show you
    the problem. I know that when Argus gets a bout out FUS he'll
    follow me around and get into the "going to the box" position everytime
    I stop moving. If I'm sitting or lying down, he will jump on me
    and show me that he can't go. And then I immediately will call the
    vet (who will tell me to rush him over). My vet told me that a blocked
    cat will become toxic in 48 hours or less.  So, if you think that
    the cat is blocked, time is of the essence.
    
    Deb

    I do want to add that when my female displayed her symptoms,
    I did call immediately but after the vet asked how long is she 
    staying in the box and how often, she concluded Jennie could wait
    until morning. I would most certainly urge any owner of a
    male or female to call IMMEDIATELY but to keep in mind
    that because of a female's anatomy, her
    situation may not be as life-threatening AT THAT MOMENT. 
    
    Also, I had medication at home on which I started her that night
    on the advice of the vet. 
    
    Yes, call your vet in any case - male or female.
                              

    re .18
    
    According to my vet, females are NOT less prone to FUS, they
    are less prone to blockage.  Her exact words were, "it's
    extremely rare for a female cat to block."  It's my female
    cat that has trouble with cystitis, but not blocking.  My
    male cats have never had a problem.  In any case, I'd al
    ways call my vet right away.
    
    Donna

    re: .11

    Alex gets 250mg of vitamin C every morning.  The vet indicated that was
    a good dosage for most cats.  Since most of it is discharged directly
    into their urine, it serves its purpose well to keep the urine acidic
    without affecting the cat.  On occasions when I've noticed a flare-up
    of FUS (frequent trips to the litter box, for example), I give him an
    extra vitamin C in the evening, and he is usually back to normal by
    morning.  If not, off to the vet! 

    re:  the other replies about the importance of getting to the vet
    
    When Alex's first bout of FUS was discovered by my cat-sitter, he was
    within an hour or two of death.  If someone had been home, perhaps we
    would have been able to observe the change in his behavior and get him
    to the vet earlier.  As it was, he was so severely blocked that he was
    in intensive care at Tufts for a week.  They didn't even know if he
    would make it.  So if your cat becomes lethargic, or you observe that
    he can't urinate in his frequent trips to the litter box, DON'T WAIT.
    The pain and recovery can be very serious. 

    I owned a male cat who was truly SUFFERING from chronic cistitis.
    Our vet reccomended and performed a successful urethostomy (sp?)
    which ended the problem.
    
    Males are more prone to blockage since their urethra exits the bladder
    with an internal diameter of approximately a pencil lead, it tapers
    down to pin size as it reaches the penis.  This narrow vessel can
    be easily blocked.  The urethostomy involves sectioning the urethra
    about midway along it's length and then leading it to a new "exit"
    directly below the anus.  The end of the urethra is sutured in
    place and takes the appearence of a female genital opening.
    
    This surgery, combined with limiting dry food, ended the problem.
    A side benefit of this procedure is that it makes the use of a catheter 
    less painful for the male should that ever be needed in the future. 
      
    This was done in about 1980 at the Natick Animal Clinic by a vet
    named Walker.  My reccolection is that he charged us an unbelievable
    fee of about $50.
    
    George
    

    Re: .23
    
    I've heard that sometimes this operation can lead to incontinence.
    I don't know if it's an unpredictable side effect or if it only
    happens if the vet botches the operation.
    

    Around 1978, when my male cat Smokey was having this problem,  I
    was taking him to the vet almost once a week to be catherized because
    of the blockage.   The vet told me then about an operation (maybe
    this is the same one) about placing a tube in the urethra.  The
    cost that he quoted at that time was $300.   The cost of the operation
    was not that important to me, but the fact that there was less than
    a 50% chance that it would be effective did.  The vet said that
    if the operation was not successful, that he would be in even more
    pain than he was with the blockage.  Since the medication was not
    helping him, I made the decision to have him put to sleep.  I could
    not stand the thought of him suffering more than he already was.
    He was in so much pain, that just to pick him up or pet him he would
    scream.    I am glad to know that they do have a more sucessful
    operation now than they did when I had to make this type of decision.
    
    Sarah Tooker

    RE: .25
    
    In 1973 my cat Viper had this operation. It was relatively new in
    general practice at the time with a 90% (not 50%) success rate,
    and it cost $125. The vet mentioned that the cat might drip, and
    at best would only live 4 to 5 years. Well, he didn't drip and and
    lived another 9 years (died of  other totally unrelated causes). He
    did block several times after that, and had to be cathatorized, but at
    the time there was no known connection with the amount of mag. ash in
    the food, and all Viper would eat was fish moist food and Little
    Friskies Ocean Fish dry. 
    
    Last year Argus had the procedure, which I believe is called a
    periourethectomy, and of course he is on a diet of C/D with a daily
    urine acidifier. He was in and out of the hospital for about 8 weeks,
    and ran up a bill of about $480. Argus had a history of blocking every
    few months but since his operation about 15 months ago, there has
    been no reoccurrence of the problem. He isn't dripping, but because
    he is obese and has a hard time cleaning himself back there, I do have to
    keep his butt shaved and bath it with soapy water daily and apply
    diaper rash ointment. Once he slims down again, this won't be necessary.
    
    One further note. My vet tells me that FUS and blockage is so common
    these days that the second time a cat blocks he is strongly
    reccommending the surgery. As a result, this is becomming a fairly
    common procedure. My only regret is that I didn't have argus replumbed
    sooner.
    
    Deb 

    Just a short note about my experiences with FUS and C/D.  Both Monroe
    and Winston have had problems with FUS.  Since putting them on C/D
    dry with an occasional treat of canned, they haven't had any
    reccurences of FUS.  It has been almost two years for Winston and
    about a year and a half for Monroe.  Trouble that I have found with
    C/D is that the calorie content is very high and it can cause obesity
    if the cat is allowed to free feed.  I have had to give both cats
    measured amounts in order to keep them from blowing up like balloons.
    
    jo

    TiJai, my male Siamese, developed FUS by the age of two. When he
    reached the stage of needing to be catheterized every 3 days, and
    he was reduced to skin and bone, we opted for the surgery, which
    was at that time experimental. We received the usual warnings of
    life expectancy, etc.... but TiJai lived another 18 healthy years
    and we lost him at age 20 to unrelated problems. I will forever
    regard those extra 18 years as a precious gift of love.  One of
    the things that worked for TiJai was to let him have tomato juice
    or spaghetti sauce. He loved it and it helped to keep his urine
    on the acid side.