Feline Lower Urinary Tract Disease (FLUTD)
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 13 พ.ค. 2024
- Dr. Lera talks about FLUTD, also known as feline lower urinary tract disease with Venus, a three-year-old female spayed long-haired cat.
Feline lower urinary tract disease (FLUTD) is not a specific disease, but rather is the term used to describe conditions that can affect the urinary bladder and/or urethra (the lower urinary tract) of cats. Clinical signs for these disorders are all very similar so it is often difficult or impossible to determine the underlying cause without doing further investigations. Although many different diseases can affect the lower urinary tract, frustratingly, a number of cats develop a disease without any obvious underlying cause - so called ‘feline idiopathic cystitis‘ or FIC. This form of disease appears to bear many similarities to a disease in humans called ‘interstitial cystitis’, but in both cats and humans it can be difficult to manage. (source: icatcare.org)
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What he is describing costs several visits and a minimum of $1000 just to diagnose and treat for NO BLADDER STONES.
4 vet visits $4000 no answer as to why my cat has blood clots in his bladder. He has E. coli, which has not resolved. 2 antibiotics nothing has worked so far. He is in pain when he pees out the blood clot.
Thank you very much. I recently went to the vet, who confirmed my cat has a urinary tract infection. I am trying to switch his diet to wet food and would sometimes mix dry food + water (since he prefers dry food over the other, which bizarre me 'cause I heard cats prefer wet food). My cat is taking antibiotics and renacure, and now he's in the recovery process ✨
Same thing here. Mine loves dry food, the cheap kind too. I'm trying wet and it seems he will only eat it mixed with dry.
Is your cat a female or male
Male cats that eat dry food mostly or exclusively get stones
Thanks so much for the great delivery of information. Helpful without being fear mongering.
My 11 month old cat had blood in his urine this last week. I immediately took him to the vet. Urine analysis and X-ray (showing lack of stones) came back.
Is FIC a diagnosis that they can't recover from? Or is it like something that with treatment AND improving their environment, can go away? With the need to maintain less stressful environment and monitor?
Does this also predispose him much more than other cats to blockages? Stones?
We had our home damaged in a flood and needed to move out when he was 7 months old. We moved (back) yet again just a couple months later. Too much stress for the little guy.
We have him on Metacan during this flare-up, changed him to more wet (prescription) food, I have Feliway coming tmrw changed his water bowl to whisker friendly, will be using distilled water, add a fountain. Plus so familiar with triggers and ways to improve
Can you recommend anything more holistic that I can do proactively? The internet is rampant with recommendations of ingesting Apple Cider Vinegar OR natural organic unsweetened cranberry juice. Do you have an opinion?
Thank you sooooo much for the great video. Takes so much courage to be a vet and help sick and injured pets and their distraught families.
Do you recommend catheter in cat for 7 days while they are taking their meds?
What is cat is not peeing or very lightly peeing?
Took my male cat for general urine routine and the doc inserted cathetar without sedating the cat. Since then, he is unable to urinate properly. Got cather inserted multiple times., even fixed but didn't work. Doc kept saying it is because of sludges in the bladder but after 1 month I got to know his urethra is inflammed. Earlier prednisolone ( corti steroid ) was given only when the urine flow was less. Gave just 3 times in 12 days for this and it was working instantly. Post the 3rd dosage, urine flow was less and I was suggested to give steroids continuously. Have been giving him for the 8th day now and it's not working either. The docs have suggested for PU. Please suggest brother. Can't loose my cat for this inflammation of urethra which is leading to kidney issues and then PU
Pu sounds like the way to go. Wonderi gnif an ultrasound was done of the abdomen as well
Are antibiotics necessary? My cat has been ongoing treatment for half a month and the vet only been giving him Cystaid (a supplement) and Urimov (crystals remover drugs).
His condition has been ups and downs. Lately there was blood on his urine and the vet was flushing out his urine and keep giving him the same drugs. He still has little urine (and keep peeing outside the litter box). He also (not often) starts to making a sound when peeing, like trying to force his pee out.
Antibiotics won’t help if it isn’t bacterial. I took my cat this morning to the vet (2nd time for this issue). First time I got anti inflammatory for 3 days and he was good as new for a week - until this morning. Now I have pain meds and a medication to relax smooth muscles (the urethra) to prevent any blockage.
Is your cat ok
Feral cats spraying outside our place caused my girl cat Cleo to pee all by the window. We ended up cleaning it and putting a row of cat trees by the window and are scratched all the time instead of peeing there. Most territorial girl cat I’ve ever had. 🤦♀️
Please help me. My male cat “Frosty” has been going in and out of the vet due to urinary blockage. First time I noticed was when he started to lick his genitals a lot and was hissing while doing so. Frosty is a very sweet, gentle baby and never hissed. So that was alarming for me. I later on noticed he couldn’t pee. He was straining to urinate for 10-15mins and nothing was coming out. We took him to the vet the next day and they had to insert a catheter in him. He stayed at the vet for 4 days (which cost me A LOT) then he came back home. I got him a water fountain, which he loved. He started drinking probably 8x more than he did, and I also incorporated wet food into his diet. I would feed him wet food in the morning with extra water, and dry food in the evening with water added. He has been peeing so much (it almost squirts) and i was so happy. Weeks later he started to pee very little again with blood. I was very worried, but the next day, his pee was back to normal. No more blood too. What a relief. But another few weeks later, he blocked again. No pee was coming out for a whole day. I tried to follow advices on youtube and gave him ACV but it didn’t work for me at all. (I gave him ACV the first time he blocked too and didnt work as well). So we took him to the vet and he had to stay there for a few days again. Vet Doctor said a perineal urethrostomy would be recommended if he still blocks. I AM SO SCARED I don’t want him to get surgery and I cannot afford it. It has been 2 days since he’s home now and i notice him peeing small amounts again. He has take home medications and I’ve been giving it to him religiously. Results also said there’s no crystals or stones found in his urine/bladder. Suspected cause is bacteria. Why does it keep coming back despite him being very hydrated? I’ve been feeding him urinary care food too, as well as Royal Canin. I really cannot afford any more vet visit. Could cat litter be the cause too? If so, what’s the safest option? Please help me!
hello! my boy Bubba had the PU surgery in early September because he had almost instantly reblocked after they had him on the catheter for the first time he had a blockage. The vet had explained to me since he had a reblocking occuring so soon, that if he doesn't get the surgery, odds are he'd end up blocked again in a couple weeks. I had two options, either bring him home and see if he eventually blocks again, or get him in surgery which can lessen the likeliness of a reblock BUT it doesn't solve the issue of the inflammation of the bladder. After already seeing him in so much pain and how scared he was at the ER, I just knew i couldn't be dragging him in every few months to be hooked up to a cather.. so I told the vet i would like him to have the surgery done. it was very scary, but the vet who performed his surgery had been skilled in PU procedures for 20+ years. i made sure to ask the surgeon lots of questions, don't be afraid to ever ask about your vets knowledge and skill regarding such a complicated issue! Obviously that is if you decide surgery is the best option for your little guy. The reason being that is keeps occuring despite him being well hydrated is because FIC is more like a neurological disorder than a physical one. Your kitty has something going on in his little brain that doesn't process stress correctly. When he gets stressed, his bladder can become inflammed due to stress which can cause bloody urine, straining, or a blockage. Stressors can be anything from arguing in the household, moving homes or furniture, a new pet or person in the house, etc. Litter can help I've been told, so I had switched my boy from clay litter to paper pellets which doesn't have the dust the clay ones have. I'd definitely recommend trying to switch him! but if he refuses to use paper, there is also pine pellets, or clay litters that are unscented and dust free if anything. It seems you've been pretty on top of his diet and water, but i'd also recommend cat-ifying your home if you haven't yet! or if you have, add more kitty things! if you can afford, i'd invest in a new kitty tower/tree, maybe some window perches, new toys, scratchers, and most importantly, just be sure to engage with your furbaby! if he loves to play, be sure to set aside time each day to play with him, if he loves to cuddle, or watch birds, lay or sit with him. also possibly look into getting a feliway diffuser! they help calm cats by producing cat pheromones so that way if you aren't home, he would have a comforting scent to keep him calm. Im sorry this is so long but after going through this with my baby, i feel for any other pet parent going through such a scary thing. oh and before i forget! if you can, look into if your vet would offer any way of credit payment plans. I was unable to afford his surgery out of pocket, but thankfully I was able to use Care Credit with my vet to help pay for a sum of it. Granted, i am still paying that credit bill, but it is so much easier to do in monthly payments than upfront. but if you have any other questions I'll do my best to answer them! wishing you and frosty the best of luck xx
My 5 year old male cat is showing symptoms, he was already admitted once in 2019, then second time in January 2022 and then a third time February 2022 )’: we had him neutered and we changed his diet to can food and he drinks a lot of water but he still gets it. I will be bringing him to a different vet later after work to get him an ultrasound.
Some cats just have small urethras. Mine had a sex change to fix it and now my youngest has the same problem
I started giving my cat “Royal Canin - Urinary s/o” and he’s been fine ever since.
Unfortunately male cats are prone to FLUTD because their urethras are long and narrow. My 1 year old boy developed crystals in Nov 2022. As a result, I started feeding him Royal Canin Urinary SO too and will try different things to increase his hydration.
@@peachypink604 Update from the last comment I made. He was never admitted again to the vet. I stuck with Royal Canin - urinary S/O and it worked. I feed him normal cat food and I also give him Royal canin from time to time.
@@st1tch3s13 Thanks I appreciate the update!!! I'm glad your boy is doing well 🙏🏼❤️ I plan is to feed RC Urinary SO for 2-3 months and then alternate each meal with Iams urinary kibble and see from there. The reviews are pretty good. Everyone's cat didn't have issues anymore and several said their vets recommend it. There are only a couple low star reviews but the reason is that their cats just didn't eat it.
My male cat is 3 1/2 years old so he is now the age for FIC. I took him August 9th after I noticed he was straining for a couple days. I got 3 days of an anti inflammatory and he was back to normal passes if urine within 4 hours.
Fast forward to this morning, I saw nothing in the litter box. Noticed the straining and immediately back to the vet. He is now on a pain medication & a relaxer to help make sure his urethra doesn’t block. I now have to permanently change his diet to hills science diet c/d urine + stress. 🤞🏼
I’m in the same boat! How is your cat doing since being on the relaxers and new food? Mine is still having occasional flare ups 😢
@@passover100 He finished his medicine during his first week on his prescription C/D diet. Zero problems since changing the food! Apparently this food helps balance his pH and a few other things! I also bought a pheromone diffuser so maybe that is helping him too!
My cat was diagnosed with FIC, is this a chronic disease or will it get better, Doc told me it is stressed induced, he is an outside cat that become a indoor cat fully but he still wants to go out, is that a stressor that might have caused this, I also have another cat at home and they don’t get along :(, I don’t know what to do, to cause him less stress!
Do I like him go outside and let him be an outdoor/indoor cat
He gets bored inside and they recommend hills multicare stress food!
Right now he is in critical care and they told me he can get a blockage at any moment :(
Is there anything I can do?
They gave him a ton of medications as well, first time having a cat. He is a rescue, I’m trying my best.
Hi my boy went and is going through almost the exact same thing. He first blocked up in September (yet when I first switched him to indoor only, it was almost a year before he had any urinary issues) and he hasn't yet reblocked thankfully. He needed PU surgery though due to immediately reblocking while on the catheter but since his surgery, no blocks thus far. vet had told me about the possibility of him having FIC, so i tried/am trying to find all i can on his disease.
So far from my understanding, it is a lifelong thing they will have to deal with. Look at FIC as more of a neurological disorder in your kitty; their brain doesn't process their stress properly. The most we can do is make sure we try to keep our kitties 100% stress free. Easy? Not by a long shot. My boy was an outdoor kitty, now indoor since over a year, and he has a sister, along with a dog in the house. It's very easy for him to get overstimulated and when he does he sometimes still will have accidents around the house.
But so far i have made some necessary changes for him. He is now on strict prescription diet (yes it cost me an arm & a leg on top of his PU surgery), he has multiple cat trees and perches in rooms he spends most of his time, water bowls in nearly every room of the house & two fountains (fresh filtered water each day is important too! tap water can have lots of minerals in it that can contribute to crystal formation), i clean the cat boxes daily, switched to paper pellet litter, i gave him a routine (i feed him, play with him, and get him settled for bed around the same times each day. Cats love routine!) and most importantly, make sure you spend time with your cat!
i had found that whenever he started to cry at the door to go outside, if i grabbed his favorite wand, he would give up meowing at the door and run to play with me. he loves to play, but only when i play with him so i have made sure to play with him for at least 30 mins in the morning and afternoon/evening. i usually run around with him for longer, but on days i work or have plans, i still try to set aside some time for a 1 on 1 play session for him. exercise is very important for indoor kitties, and he seems more pleased to nap after zoomies. his sister also tries to steal his toys, which is why i make sure he gets that bit of 1on1. He also loves when the windows are cracked and he can smell the outside air. He can sit in his window perch for hours as long as he can get a whiff of fresh air lol
i also bought some 100% organic apple cider vinegar that i found out can actually help a cat urinate if they are straining. yet the one time i gave him a dose because he was dribbling, he had thrown it all up so i havent tried again since it seemed to only make him more stressed :( that was my bad, but so far fortunately i haven't a reason to need to give him any.
I never thought this would be an issue i faced with one of my fur babies, but i've been trying my best to make the proper adjustments in our home to accompany for such an obscure illness. i hope some of the things i shared can help you and your little guy! im sorry this was very long, but i can understand the frustration and worry from the lack of information regarding FIC & other urinary issues cats have. wishing you guys the best!
@@chillgoats Omgodness thank you so much for all this information, truly thank you from me and kitty( my baby boys name, he’s an orange tabby 🧡)
It’s crazy to think this happened four months ago, I hope you and your boy are doing well!!!!
As of now kitty has not hade a single blockage since the latest incident and he and my other cat 🐈 Sofia get along now, I think the just needed time, the play all the time now. Double trouble 🤣
But I did want to ask you a few question if you don’t mind, they did give me prescription food for dry and wet food.
Kitty does eat the dry food but as for the wet food he is very very VERY picky! All the prescribed wet food the doc recommended he would not eat, I would tell my vet and at last he finally gave up, he told me just to give him the dry food.
From all my research I know it’s important to make sure they get a lot of water, I have bought multiple fountains ⛲️ that are around the house and I clean his litter box daily to make sure he is peeing!!
But I’m still struggling with his wet food!
Lately he has been eating the urinary purina urinary care wet food he seems to kinda like it, it’s not prescription wet food but it says urinary care and someone at pet smart told me it is good. I was also told tiki cat food wet food is good but he doesn’t like it, he’s love pate not shredded!
It crazy to think it’s been 4 months from his emergency vet visit!!! But I’m glad to say he’s a spunky little cat 🐱!! He looks to play and wake me up with cuddles or by yanking my hair if he doesn’t see if I am awake.
As side note,
I also worried about my dogs I have three, and maybe I wasn’t the right fit because as u said it might overstimulate him, but I can happily say that both cats and all three dogs co-exist peaceful and loves cuddling together 🤣🤣🤣🤍.
Any recommendations for wet food will be greatly appreciated, but once again I hope you and your baby boy are doing well. It very hard to see our little furry babies in pain, they bring so much joy into our lives that I would do anything for my pets.
@@natalieduran6789 of course ! ❤️ I'm so so glad to hear that he has recovered and doing well now!! Bubba is my baby boys name, hes brown with black stripes and a white belly & paws☺️
He also was very fussy about wet food believe it or not! Before any urinary issues, he rarely would eat any wet food besides chicken flavored ones. For some reason he just always loved his kibble. Thankfulky hills urinary food has a chicken flavor pate that he likes, but I also have the vet to thank. He was at the ER for 5 total days (worst 5 days ever 🤕) but the vets only had him on wet food, and he was too weak after surgery that when he was hungry, he ate the wet food i gave him since it was all i made available and it was very easy to chew & digest for him.
As long as kitty is eating his prescription dry food, I would say there wouldn't be harm in trying non prescription brands. I know pro plan has the urinary health, blue buffalo has a urinary wet food and royal canin has a non prescription urinary one, and i believe petsmart carries a few other brands that have food specializing in urinary care so i would definitely give a thorough look when walking the cat food aisles! i'm sorry i cant give exact brands apart from those few :( thankfully Bubba has enjoyed his chicken wet food thus far so i haven't had to look into many other options.
either way, with his prescription dry food, maybe trying a few different grain free wet food flavors/brands may do the trick? from my understanding, as long as there isnt any of the calcium and magnesium that can contribute to crystal formation (there are a few other minerals that could like tap water ones can contribute to crystals, but again I'm not too informed on the specifics apart from high levels of calcium and magnesium, so please look more into that online!) but the main key with a wet food diet is ensuring that your kitty is getting enough moisture/water intake.
Despite him liking the hills, Bubba can be a little fussy on actually eating ALL of his wet food🤣 so i make sure to get some inaba churu lickable treats that he loves! they're basically all moisture so even if he doesn't eat all his food, i still know he got some form of moisture in him apart from just drinking water.
there are many lickable treats, jerky, meal toppers that are loaded with high % of moisture, maybe implementing those into his diet could help if he blatantly refuses any wet food? If he likes pate, since you also mentioned tiki cat, they have these mousse packets that I think maybe you could give a shot too! they're very creamy and Bubba loved the seafood one mixed with his dry food (made the kitties special dinner for holidays 😂🥰)
Oh and please don't feel bad about your 3 doggos! While Bubba gets overstimulated sometimes with our dog, he loves having her around. Im sure its the same for kitty and your pups😊 Like brothers and sisters, they fight or get on each others nerves but still love one another. As long as he is able to have a safe spot of his own and to spend quality time with his person, im sure he will be just fine💙
and you are so very right, everything is worth it for these angels. nothing could ever amount to the joy my cats have brought me, and i'll be damned if i let anything to them. 🐈💖💖
Would the blood in the urine ever stop? Regardless of the etiology that cause Cystitis?
@@jacintodelacruz1778 from my experience, my boy dribbled bloody urine for about a week after his PU surgery. since then i have only seen blood in his urine once when he had peed a little on his bed. i made sure to give him extra attention that day since i hadn't know what could've stressed him. it seems that anytime there is a stressful event, it can cause inflammation of the bladder which causes the bloody urine. FIC is a lifelong thing kitties have to deal with, so the possibility of seeing blood in the urine can definitely happen. however, if it is ever excessive amounts of blood, or bright red, i would definitely call your vet
Are any of these diagnoses curable? Dealing with this currently
Yes some of them are curable and then some of them just have to be managed for life
Very discouraged that this is something that can’t be cured it sounds like. $600 later and no real answers other than medicine that’s going to make my cat sick