My 2 year old female neutered cat did somthing very unusual the other day. She peed on one of my throw rugs. She had been in the litter box, but came out. I went in to the living room, and she had just peed on the throw rug, and way trying to cover it. Fortunately, we were able to clean it so it does not smell. I was concerned though and talked to the animal behaviorist at my vet, and she suggested a visit to the vet was in order. I'm glad I took her, because after getting a clean urine sample (by inserting a needle in her abdomen and into her bladder), they discovered some blood cells, white cells, and an awful lot of bacteria. I believe the vet said it was most likely cysti*tis. My Gabbie did not have a fever, but was put on an antibiotic for 1 week so see if she improves. When I got her home, she immediately tried to pee on my rug. Fortunately nothing came out. I called the vet immediately, and they said that this way of getting urine, would cause a pressure on the organs, and make her feel like she had to pee. Great. The vet also said, that if there was no improvement in 1 week, that they would have to x-ray her bladder to check for stones. Has anyone had experience with this ? We just had to have our 6 year old cat Scooter pts for kidney failure almost 3 months ago. Now, poor Gabbie is sick. I hope this does not lead to kidney problems. Any advise would be appreciated.

admin: fixed cysti*tis, was caught in bad word filter.

Hi Trish,
I'm hoping and praying for the best for Gabbie. I don't know a thing about cys***is (that word will probably be filtered, but you know what I mean and it's meant innocuously, honest), in cats, but in humans, well, I do know something about that. The antibiotics usually do take care of it, and I do know that in humans, there is a bladder anesthetic that's sold over the counter (Pyridium) but it's probably not available for cats (it turns the urine bright blood red, too, and that can be scary, I'll tell you). It is a painful thing, I know, at first, but if it is what you and the vet think, it's usually cleared quickly - well, in humans, anyway. (As a former OB/GYN nurse, I've dealt with and unfortunately experienced this condition firsthand.)

My Magic used to inexplicably pee on a small area rug I used to keep in my room - it was very shaggy and she had no symptoms of anything, so I assume she just liked the texture. After bleaching and cleaning it over and over, I finally just took it up. Since Magic passed, I've never even considered putting it down again, and it's a rug my mom made me when I was a baby, but I just couldn't bear to see it again. But, maybe taking your rug up for awhile, and putting some of those disposable litterboxes around the house should Gabbie have an urge to pee suddenly, might help.

It's good that you're so aware of what's happening with your kitties, especially after what happened recently, so please know that I'm thinking of you and hoping for the best for Gabbie. Take care and let us know what happens - Barbara

Trish,

This is something we dealt with with Nissa for at least 2.5 years, so I'm more than familiar with it. We used to do urinalyses every single month, for the most part.

First, I would suggest you get bloodwork done, just so you know how Gabbie's kidney levels are, in case that's a factor. An ultrasound would also be a good idea ( not just an X-ray ), to check for stones, polyps, etc, although if the cyst*itis doesn't recur this may not be a necessary procedure.

If there IS a lot of bacteria in the bladder, that means it's likely a bladder infection. If there isn't, that can point to interst*itial cyst*itis, a much harder thing to try and treat. They should also be checking for crystals, casts, epithelial cells and a host of other things in the urinalysis, as well as her Specific Gravity ( a measure of kidney function via the pee ).

One of the best things to do, especially if this ends up being recurrent, is making a gradual switch to an optimally healthy diet ( in mine and our 2 vets' books, this means a RAW food diet, as much as possible, which requires a lot of research beforehand ). Our method of treatment for Nissa's was holistic, although we still ended up after a time, having to use an antibiotic ( Novamoxin ) with each flare-up....but the actual cause of her problem was never actually found ( rather common in both human and animal interst*itial cyst*itis ). Our main thrust, though, was homeopathics, Western and Chinese herbs to help build up bladder and kidney strength ( she, personally, didn't do well on the Chinese ones though ), diet, supplements and glandulars ( for the kidneys ). A discussion of these natural methods is too long and detailed to talk about here, so if you wanted to go that route, you'd have to find a holistic vet, either locally, or distant ( via phone appts. ) to help you. ( if you're interested, I could point you in the right direction though )

One thing you CAN try, even alongside the antibiotics, is something called D-Mannose powder, found or ordered through better health food stores. It has been found to help alot of humans with recurrent bladder infections as well as many animals. ( your vet likely won't have heard of it unless he/she is holistic ) It's a special type of sugar that doesn't allow any bacteria to cling to the bladder lining, and, being sweet in taste and easy to dissolve in purified water, cats don't mind taking it by mouth. The usual dose for cats is 1/10th the human doseage, used in acute situations at least 3-4x's/day, or more if needed, as it doesn't have any side effects in the body even in higher doses. ( for Nissa, we used 1/10th tsp. each time, in a bit of water, from a dropper ~ she liked it so much she'd just lick it up one drop at a time - we even have a pic of her doing this....very cute ) The brand we bought was "AOR classic series ". Unfortunately for her and us, HER cyst*itis wasn't caused by bacteria, so the Mannose didn't usually help her enough during her flare-ups...but it DID help rid her of any small amounts of bacteria that were present. Some people also try cranberry capsules ( in the proper doses based on the weight of the cat ), but they are VERY bitter, so it's not as easy getting it into cats...and the Mannose often works better anyway.

The main problem with using antibiotics regularly, if this becomes more necessary, is that usual build-up of resistance that is so well-known now, so that they eventually quit working, necessitating a switch to another one which may not be as safe as the more 'benign' one you started out with. This is what happened to Nissa.

As a general note, though, this IS only the first infection for Gabbie, so I wouldn't panic yet. If it returns though, or if there's a direct, known cause, if it were me, I'd still look into natural methods that will help her bodily systems strenghten w/o adding drug stressors to her body, especially seeing as she's still so young and there's a much better chance of getting her body to rebalance itself earlier on in her life. If I'd known way back what I had to learn during the course of Nissa's conditions, I would have jumped on the bandwagon MUCH earlier than I did, even IF she did live to be 19 yrs and 7 months....it might have been longer and with more ultra-quality, if I had.

I, too, am hoping for the best for Gabbie.

Gabbie seems to be responding to the antiobiotics. I will certainly take your advice and go the natural route, if I can find a homeopathic vet around here. I hope that Gabbie doesn't have a recurring problem with this. But, I will monitor her very carefully. The vet called today to see how she's responding. She seems much more comfortable, and is behaving more like herself. When she's done with the medication, we'll get another urinalysis done, and hope for the best. I will do anything to ensure that she has the best care possible. It's upsetting because she is so young. There were no crystals in the urine, so that is encouraging. I agree, if there is still infection, that an untrasound of the bladder and kidneys would be advisable as well as more bloodwork. After what we went through with Scooter, I want to make sure she is healthy, and nothing is lurking that would be too late to catch and do anything about.
Thank you for all the information, it has been very helpful. I did put out more litter boxes, and that was just what Gabbie needed. It helped her a great deal, since she would not have to far to go if she needed the box.
I will keep you posted on her progress.
Gabbie's Mom