Fluitd

[mike in Staten Island]

I'm looking for advice from any experts out there. My cat, Missy, recently showed signs of straining to urinate in the litter box. I immediately became concerned and rushed her into the local Veterinarian emergency room. He did xrays, sonogram, urinalysis, etc. Around $1400 worth of tests. To my dismay, the only thing he could come up with was that it was a psychological problem, or specifically, it was caused by stress. We started her on antibiotics and some other medication that was the kitty equivalent of morphine...she zoned out for a few days, and the problem seemed to clear up. This was in January. He (the Veterinarian) also prescribed Amitriptyline (an anti-depressant). I went on line and read the potential side affects for this drug, and opted not to give it to her. Well 5 months later...every 14 days, like clockwork, she shows the same signs...3-4 days later, she takes a big drink of water, and the symptons go away. I just recently noticed, that the day before it happens, she also takes a big drink of water, then she gets a little rambunctious, then for the next 3 days, she's in the litter box every 20 minutes.

No Offense...please do not ask, or say, "sounds like she's got a blockage." I spent almost $1500 to find out she doesn't. Also, it's has been happening religiously almost every 2 weeks (lasting for 3 days)...no one has been able to give me an answer. Does anyone have any experience with this anti-depressant drug?

Thank You

[latergatorj]

I only have suggestions. It sounds like since the doctors haven't been able to help that you will need to play around with your kitty yourself to see what works/helps or doesn't help.

You didn't say how old your kitty is, or if you noticed any changes in the environment that coinencided with your cat's behavor/health problems.

Since you've noticed that it is related to her water intake, perhaps you could regulate her water intake. Perhaps also try changing her diet, to one designed for sensitive systems (perhaps targetted towards kidneys, IB).

[mike in Staten Island]

Thanks for the reply. Missy is approx 5 years old. I also have 2 other cats and a Yorkie (all of them have been in the household for 3 or more years). I have purchased one of those water fountain water dishes to entice fluid intake. I also started feeding some wet food (fancy feasts)...she doesn't seem to be enticed to drink more water...she likes the wet food, but doesn't eat very much of it. I work from home a couple days out of the week, so I get a good chance to observe what's going on in the house, and see what kind of routine the cats have. Like most cats, they sleep all day. They sleep in different places...depending where the sun is, or which window is open. One other thing, I also added extra liter boxes around the house. I guess I'm just curious to know if anyone has had a similar problem. Initially I thought it might be a blockage...I had a male dog that had bladder stones, so I am familiar with the signs. I found out that it is unlikely for female cats to have a blockage...I had her checked anyway (see original post)...I also would like to know if anyone has any experience with prescribed drug, amitriptyline. I Googled it and came up with pages of information, but not too much in the way of actual experiences using it. I'm afraid to give my animals anhy drugs with the exception of antibiotics. Sorry for the long post here...thanks for any feedback.

[cat5]

My 5 year old female cat had a bad UTI and we did the antibiotics and she did get better. My research on UT problems resulted that female cats need monthly care, over the counter meds seem to keep their UT healthy. It's an inexpensive way to see if she gets any releif from it. Good luck.

[mike in Staten Island]

what type of over the counter meds did you use. Did your Veterinarian recommend this type of treatment?

Thanks