I was so upset today :(

[ocean11]

hey guys, just finished a midterm today and have another final on Friday. I actually did well on the exam, but then talked to my mom (who is in a different city) and found out that one of my cats was sick and had crystals in his urine. I was so upset, I cried for a long time . Apparently, this is quite common and was caused by his diet, so now he's on a special meal plan, but it just breaks my heart that I can't be there for him and my other two cats. It's so hard on me sometimes being away from home, especially when one of my family members or cats needs me .

I now most people think it's crazy that someone is so dedicated to their pets, but really they are like my children. I just hope my cat gets better soon, man I didn't need this during midterms or EVER!!

Thanks for listening to me

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[PositiveQsign]

Sorry to hear about your cat! I too am very attached to my cat and is hard being away from her. When I call my parents sometimes they put the cat on the phone to talk to me. Since she's Siamese she is constantly meowing so it seems like we're having a conversation. Crazy; I know. My first cat had urine crystals also, and with her new diet and new food she got better. I hope your cat gets better soon and good luck on your next midterm!

 

[tinkerbelle]

I now most people think it's crazy that someone is so dedicated to their pets, but really they are like my children.

awww... that's so true. Most people don't understand this

Anyways. I hope your cat feels better soon

 

[impuny]

Sorry to hear about your cat! I too am very attached to my cat and is hard being away from her. When I call my parents sometimes they put the cat on the phone to talk to me. Since she's Siamese she is constantly meowing so it seems like we're having a conversation. Crazy; I know. My first cat had urine crystals also, and with her new diet and new food she got better. I hope your cat gets better soon and good luck on your next midterm!

Wow.. never heard of that. So sorry. What causes urine crystals, and is there a way to prevent them? I got a cat recently and I already love him soo much!

 

[pushinepi2]

Wow.. never heard of that. So sorry. What causes urine crystals, and is there a way to prevent them? I got a cat recently and I already love him soo much!

My cat, too, is sick. Chronic renal failure.... Even more weird is that I worked as a vet nurse to put myself through paramedic school prior to vet school.. Here's the scoop on crystals. (Feel free to consult the much more temorally correct vet school forums on this..)

First, it is thought that alterations in pH can mess with normal flora. No surprise there. For whatever reason, some cats form magnesium ammonium phosphate (triple phosphate/struvite) crystals in alkaline urine. Feline urinary syndrome or feline urinary tract disease is a constellation of problems involving cystitis, crystalluria, hematuria, and urethral stricture/spasm. This can be a rather serious dilemma for the male cats with a small urethra. Some cats can plug up and become uremic in about 24-36 hours. The goals of treatment, at least when I was working with the four-legged creatures, were to acidify urine pH, treat any superimposed bacterial infection, and ensure good urine output. Diets low in ash/magnesium that tend to keep the pH at around 6-6.5 are preferred.

Just like humans, cat's don't read the book. Other crystals form on the opposite end of the urine spectrum. Calcium oxalate crystals, for example, can occur when the urine pH remains acidic for long periods of time. FUS or FLUTD is the much more common ailment and is generally remedied with the above measures. UTIs and cystitis can re-cur and sometimes cats need to be placed on pro-motility agents (bethanecol) or anti-spasmodics until the inflammation resolves.

Get used to spending bucks on cat food. That is much less costly than curing a urinary obstruction. Ah, well... I need to remain focused on my cat's health.. I'm concentrating on drawing up a feline living will. I don't want her becoming the cat version of the Schiavo case and have Jeb Bush, zealots, and others commanding me to keep her alive with dialysis.

---PuSh

 

[EMPOWERurSELF!]

SAME exact thing happened to our cat at my apartment a couple months ago. Supposedly its really common, esp. in male cats. He was really bad for a while and in a lot of pain, and we thought we were going to have to put him to sleep. Turns our all he needed was a special food (which is only a couple dollars more than the other food we gave him). It worked really quickly and well, and he's had absolutely no problems since then. I know its so tough to see your cat in pain (we consider him a part of our family!) but theres a really good chance that the problem can be totally fixed.

 

[anamarylee]

One of my cats had crystals too. It was very sad to see her squirming while she was peeing blood But she did improve with the special diet. My vet explained it's due to their diet.

Any cat lovers: check out this story by Wil Wheaton. Don't mean to depress anyone who's having trouble with their pets, but I thought it was a great story reminding us of the good things in even the worst situations.

 

[pushinepi2]

The "end game" for cats suffering from recurrent bouts of crystalluria and urinary obstruction=

-----> Penile urethrostomy.

These poor, poor male cats... squatting to use the bathroom. When any hardened ED physician or surgeon makes a wisecrack about, "sewing like a veterinarian," just think about the difficulty of making a pursetring on a male cat's pee pee from 6-0 suture. Sheesh. Enough to humble the most grizzled of plastic surgeons.

 

[skp]

I thought I noticed something sparkly when I found cat piss on my shirt...

Are there any other symptoms of this condition? I wouldn't be able to see crystals in the litter box would I? What should I do? I love my cat !

-skp

 

[ocean11]

thank you SO MUCH for all the encouragement, you all made me feel so much better anyhow, my mom put him on a special diet a few days ago and apparently he is much better I'm so relieved!! anyhow, yeah he's male and of a special breed (half persian/half himalayan) so maybe that could be part of the problem too. Our other cats are regular tabbys and have never had the problem.

Anyhow, it's great to know that there are such great people like you guys out there and for pushinepi2 I heard that some cats with renal failure actually recover, I heard it helps if you give them lots of anti-oxidants (Vit E) but the exact dosages a vet would prob. have to give you, anyhow, you can always try a holistic vet too.

Good Luck and once again thanks everyone you're great!!

 

[ocean11]

I thought I noticed something sparkly when I found cat piss on my shirt...

Are there any other symptoms of this condition? I wouldn't be able to see crystals in the litter box would I? What should I do? I love my cat !

-skp

hey skip, also look for blood in the urine and see if your cat is in pain, also if he/she goes to the washroom ALOT that is a sign too. Hope all is well, if you're in doubt take the cat to the vet.

Good Luck

 

[EMPOWERurSELF!]

oooh yeah, one more thing---make sure your cat is drinking lots of water. We put out an extra water dish in my bedroom, where he likes to hang out/sleep the most, and it has definitely worked and he uses it all the time. Or maybe it's just because his new water dish is a fancy old etched glass dish we found lying around our place--our cat is such a spoiled brat

 

[Kateroni18]

I'm also a member of the "my cat had crystals in his urine and is now on a prescription diet" club. Thankfully, he's quite healthy now. I recently learned from my new vet (I just moved) that there is a high correlation between Purina Whisker Lickins treats and urinary blockages. I fed these treats to my kitty daily so I feel awful knowing that I probably caused the blockages...though he did love the treats. As a warning to everyone reading this, pass on the Whisker Lickins!

 

[impuny]

I'm also a member of the "my cat had crystals in his urine and is now on a prescription diet" club. Thankfully, he's quite healthy now. I recently learned from my new vet (I just moved) that there is a high correlation between Purina Whisker Lickins treats and urinary blockages. I fed these treats to my kitty daily so I feel awful knowing that I probably caused the blockages...though he did love the treats. As a warning to everyone reading this, pass on the Whisker Lickins!

Oh no! Not the Whiska Lickins! My cat loves those!

 

[MedicineBird]

one of my kitties has diabetes and I give him insulin twice daily and the other was born with huge cataracts and is now basically blind. He follows his nose and is a very happy kiddo. I know a lot of people think it's too much of a hassle to take care of your furballs when they are sick but they are my boys, my children. I need them as much as they need me. No way would I put them down due to inconvenience.

 

[ocean11]

Medicinebird,

I really admire and respect what you are doing. I think it's great that you take such great care of your pets. I can't stand it when people see an animal with an illness as an 'inconvinience' and decide to just put it down. If you get a pet you should take care of it no matter what and love it regardless of it's health condition. Although I will admit there are some exeptions to this rule, but nevertheless Medicine bird you're awsome!!

 

[cfdavid]

I hope your cat is doing o.k. on the new diet. I have a 2 year old golden retreiver, and she's like my daughter. So, I know what it's like.
Good luck.

 

[KEC]

My little two year old cat had this and he died over Christmas break while my husband and I went skiing for 2 days. Not a good thing to deal with in my first year of med school. My advice... take your cat to the vet if you need to leave town even for a short time. This was one of the worst experiences of my life and I don't want you to go through it. I love animal lovers!! The worst part of this is seeing the cat that I have who is his twin sleep alone or look in the mirror and rub up against it, thinking that his reflection is his brother