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The litter tray

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Original poster

Cystitis in male cats.

18 replies

icedcoffees · 04/10/2021 16:26

I know this is pretty common - does anyone on here have experience of what has worked for their cats?

My 1yo neutered male was diagnosed with cystitis yesterday - he's been put on metacam and Synulox until Friday. There was blood in his pee and he was in the litter tray 10-12 times in as many hours, plus he did two wees in the bath.

He already gets wet food twice a day and constant access to plenty of water - is there anything you'd recommend which could prevent a reoccurrence? A food or supplement?

We have two other cats (one male, one female, both neutered) but I can easily feed him separately if he needs a special diet or anything added to his food. He's allergic to tuna so can't have anything that's got that in.

He's currently on Felix pouches and Harringtons' Dry. I've had a male cat with urinary issues before and he was put on Royal Canin urinary food, but that was after a full blockage rather than "just" cystitis.

TIA and photo for tax! :)

Cystitis in male cats.
OP posts:
thecatneuterer · 04/10/2021 16:31

I really don't know. Lots and lots of vets seem to insist it's nearly always stress related. I (not a vet) am doubtful, but at least you've got an antibiotic. A lot of vets won't even give that. I'd be inclined to only feed wet food but, as I said, I'm not a vet.

Wolfiefan · 04/10/2021 16:33

We were told to avoid dry food after my boy suffered. They get moisture from wet food but often don’t drink enough on dry.

stillcrazyafterall · 04/10/2021 16:38

@Wolfiefan

We were told to avoid dry food after my boy suffered. They get moisture from wet food but often don’t drink enough on dry.
This is what we were told too. Stopped feeding him dry altogether
StripeyBadger · 04/10/2021 16:38

My cat had multiple bouts of idiopathic cystitis and in the end we switched to Royal Canin Urinary biscuits and any brand of wet pouches and he has been fine since. We also have a water fountain to encourage drinking.

crj123 · 04/10/2021 16:52

Oddly, moving the water bowl outside encourages mine to drink more. No idea why - same water, same bowl but so much more palatable apparently (my words not the cats Smile)

Original poster
icedcoffees · 04/10/2021 16:59

The issue with stopping dry food immediately is that my two other cats do eat it, though we could definitely invest in some microchip feeders.

The vet did mention to increase his wet food allowance - he regulates food anyway so maybe we could do that and he may naturally eat less dry as a result.

He has lots of water bowls in different places and seems to drink a fair amount from what I've noticed.

Thanks for everyone's comments so far!

OP posts:
CatChant · 04/10/2021 17:21

We stopped feeding our boy dry food altogether. As one of the other cats had been recommended a certain amount of dry food for her teeth this meant feeding the dry stuff separately and throwing away any left over before he got the chance to hoover it up.

Janaih · 04/10/2021 17:34

Sorry your boy is poorly. He's very cute.
I added a splash of water to wet food to get in extra. Leave for a minute and then mix it in.
A water fountain will also encourage drinking.

I got some vitamins from amazon which seemed to help, can't remember what they are ill try and search my history.

stinky · 04/10/2021 18:56

Like janiah we add extra water to wet food, haven't had another occurrence since.

Original poster
icedcoffees · 04/10/2021 19:13

I'll definitely try adding water to wet food - that should be easy. He ate all his wet food happily today which is good. I'll start that tomorrow :)

OP posts:
Calyx72 · 04/10/2021 19:22

My cat had the same (photo for interest!)
We stopped dry food except for a treat (as he loves the dry food!)

He wouldn't drink water from the tap or from the cat fountain BUT when we started giving him filtered water from our filter jug in the fridge he drinks daily.

Cystitis in male cats.
Calyx72 · 04/10/2021 19:24

Your cat is beautiful Smile

BrownEyedSquirrel · 04/10/2021 19:30

Have a read of the icatcare website it's excellent.
Statistics show bacterial infections are really only an issue in cats over the age of 12 so aren't likely at play here given his age.
I'd suspect it's the fact he lives in a multi cat household. As there are 3, the guideline is that you should have 5 clean trays available at all times. Have them in areas of low foot traffic and ensure one cat isn't "hogging" them.

Original poster
icedcoffees · 04/10/2021 20:00

We have plenty of litter trays, cleaned regularly, and in various locations throughout the house :) the vet did mention that could be the cause but he gave antibiotics anyway, so who knows lol.

We're going to try dietary changes and I've got some Feliway on order as well as I know that can help with tension between cats, though I've never seen anything that worries me.

OP posts:
Original poster
icedcoffees · 04/10/2021 20:00

@Calyx72

Your cat is beautiful Smile
Thank you! Right back at you :) all mine are black cats - I love the little panthers!
OP posts:
oneofthose · 04/10/2021 20:22

My boy cat gets this too, like others we add water to his wet food and it clears up in a day or so. Hope yours is feeling better soon

Original poster
icedcoffees · 04/10/2021 21:53

@oneofthose

My boy cat gets this too, like others we add water to his wet food and it clears up in a day or so. Hope yours is feeling better soon
Thank you - he seems brighter today and hasn't been in the litter tray anywhere near us much Smile
OP posts:
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