Final week’s Thursday images put up was derailed by my favorite mannequin tabby cat Toulouse. Drama and a visit to the vet adopted as a result of the darned cat acquired a UTI!
I hope this put up can be useful for newbie cat homeowners and people whose cat has by no means been recognized with a Urinary Tract An infection often called a UTI for brief. This was a studying exerience for me because the worst we’ve coped with lately, as a cat household, have been flea allergy symptoms, abcesses and scratches.
Know Your Cat’s ‘Regular’
I heard this suggestion from a vet at a cat well being seminar right here in New Zealand a number of years in the past. He advised that if you already know what your cat’s day after day, regular life and habits are then any change on this will make you sit up and take discover. It was this that made me realise that we had an issue on our fingers.
You already know, higher than anybody, your cat’s moods and behavior. You rapidly study their likes and dislikes. We will all establish with responses like ‘That costly cat meals? No thanks…’ or ‘All I need is yet another Churu pleeeeeze’. With out you realising it, over time your cat’s actions and reactions, foibles and quirks develop into a part of your day by day life. They’re your cat’s ‘regular’ when life is nice.
It’s when issues deviate from this ‘regular’ baseline you could have a priceless (and free) indication that one thing could be incorrect. Let me relate this to our boy Toulouse to provide you an concept of how a change would possibly appear and feel.
A bladder an infection (usually known as a UTI or cystitis), is a bacterial an infection contained in the bladder. Bladder infections are often happen if there may be one other medical downside current affecting the urinary tract (i.e. bladder stones, diabetes, kidney illness, and so on.,). They not often develop with out an underlying trigger and for that reason, in case your cat develops a UTI your vet will test for different issues as effectively.
Realising One thing is Fallacious
For us, Toulouse has by no means yowled within the night time. Scampers and zoomies sure, unhappy cries positively not occurred earlier than. One other indicator was his listless behaviour. Our tabby is often a vibrant and sparky pesonality who chatters, which is his personal ‘regular’. Yowls are positively out of character.
I noticed Toulouse sat within the litter tray as I walked into the room. I believed nothing of it till I realised 5 minutes later that he was stlll there. A faint alarm bell rang however he appeared OK hopping out of the little tray leaving a really small damp patch. He then hurried out into the backyard able to play along with his finest good friend who lives subsequent door, or so I believed.
Later I noticed him in a nook of the backyard squatting, once more for too lengthy, earlier than getting up and strolling a brief distance. He flopped down trying glum and subdued. A second alarm bell and I started to be a bit involved, pondering Toulouse could be constipated, or have a tummy upset.
He got here in for a deal with which gave me the prospect to do a fast physique test, operating my fingers alongside his physique for something uncommon like a swelling, a chunk mark or scratch however discovered nothing.
Poop Downside
If one or a number of of the organs in your cat’s digestive tract develop into infected, they may expertise digestive discomfort and their meals might be irritating their system….. [Common Cat Digestive Problems)
Toulouse seemed to be happy in himself as the day went on, he wanted supper and enjoyed a few treats before bedtime.
But things became a little more serious overnight.
Twice during the night Toulouse yowled rather sadly and I gave him one of his favourite Puree Kisses with .4 of Meloxicam. At this point cat dad and I decided we needed to call the vet when they opened the following morning. This was very out of character.
- For anyone who has not dealt with an unfamiliar infection of any kind, working out what is wrong with expert help is essential.
Cats Hide Their Symptoms
For less experienced cat owners, remember cats are great at pretending they are well, even if they are in pain. They are resilient and astonishingly good at hiding any kind of discomfort. This is a cause of frustration for every cat lover not just new cat families .
Something is Wrong But What?
I rang the veterinary surgery and explained Toulouse’s symptoms and behaviour. They immediately asked us to bring him down and leave him at the surgery for the day for observation and treatment.
I realised that Toulouse was not well but I had no idea what was wrong and, at this early stage, it could have been a bladder infection or ‘poop’ issue. I have included a quote/link on basic digestive issues, in case your cat goes the ‘poop route’, as well as a link from a trusted British site that briefly outlines urinary problems in cats.
- TIP If you are in any doubt about your cat’s health, don’t Google symptoms and panic about what you might read. Contact your vet for advice you can trust and a diagnosis you can work with.
A Vet Visit and Toulouse Diagnosis
As with our visit, yours will begin with an examination of your cat and the vet will take note of any thing you can report. If worries about ‘what’ and ‘when’ details vanish from your mind make a note or add it to a smartphone note app like I did for Toulouse:
- cat spent a long time in the litter tray – Thu
- not sure if its a pee or poop thing
- can’t feel and bumps or scratches
- Unhappy yowling in night – Thu night
It turned out that Toulouse was blocked and could not pee. He was sedated and the blockage removed. After the very quick surgery he was put on a drip to hydrate him.
Toulouse was collected later in the afternoon by cat dad and brought home. He was happy to be back in familiar surroundings but did not really settle until I arrived home from teaching a student and made a gentle fuss on our ‘poor boy’.
To help recovery, the vet recommend that Toulouse be put on a restricted diet of urinary food (Royal Canin and Hill’s) for at least the next six weeks when he has his next check up. From here we only have to convince him that urinary food is the world’s best cat food….
Summary
If you are in any doubt about your cat and a possible health issue contact your veterinarian. If we’d have left Toulouse a day or more his discomfort would have got much worse. Imagine not being able to go to the toilet, much as you wanted to,
Never dismiss a niggling worry about something new or unfamiliar. Your cat will thank you, even if they hate going to the vet.
Cat Health Online Support
If your diagnosis is something more challenging than Toulouse’s bladder problems you will find that there are established groups and web sites online. Never be afraid to ask for help.
Some are whole web sites devoted to feline medical conditions as well as Facebook (FB) groups. FB groups have a lot of cat owners who pool knowledge, experience and support.
