It all started a month after I first moved house. After a trip to the vet, we left with a week’s worth of treatment and some advice, like trying not to stress the cat and changing his diet (he was on Friskies at the time). I switched him over to Ultima dry food, stopped moving the furniture around, and everything seemed fine.
At the end of July, I found him lying on the bath mat, completely lifeless and not responding to anything. I called the out-of-hours vet, who told me my cat had cystitis and was completely blocked up. He had to be put under general anaesthetic and had a catheter in for three days. The surgery called me to say he was doing better and I could come and pick him up.
I’ll spare you the details, but we spent a month like that, juggling visits to the emergency vet, catheters, and injections. By the end of August, he was on antispasmodics and Tramadol for the pain and spasms, and the vet advised putting him on special Urinary dry food.
Things went well again for about a month. In late September/early October, I went back to Ultima dry food, not thinking it would make any difference. Well, it did. We were back at the emergency vet because Minou was hunched over his litter tray, having major spasms. They kept him in, and the next day I was told they couldn't get a catheter in because his penis was too swollen. They had to drain his bladder using a needle. He came home the next day, but we were back at the vet two days later for an anti-inflammatory jab because he was so sore and irritated that he couldn't pee.
Today, I’ve made an appointment with a second vet for a second opinion. She brought up the operation again, which has been mentioned every time this happens. At the moment, he’s on anti-inflammatories and Urinary dry food to see if there’s still a chance we can avoid surgery.
I’ve read about a few people's experiences with this, and about two-thirds of them have made me panic. They talk about surgery after surgery because the opening closes up or the wound gets infected. I don't know what to do because I don't want him to suffer, but it feels like there’s only a fifty-fifty chance of it working, and the post-op recovery sounds very intense.
Does anyone have any experience with this or any advice to share?
Thanks in advance for your help and interest.
Translated from French
The forum content is sometimes translated from another language, and posts may concern countries with different animal laws. Do your research before making any decisions.
Since the forum is translated by AI, the translations may contain errors.
Hi! I’m having a problem with my cat that I just can’t explain; I’ve asked the vet but I still don’t feel at all easy about it. Ever since my cat, Nounours, was a kitten, he’s been prone to urinary tract infections despite being on a special urinary diet (both dry food and wet food in jelly). Things took a turn in November when he really struggled to pass urine. There wasn't any blood, he was just blocked. The vet prescribed some meds which settled him for a bit, but then it happened again in December — another blockage and more medication.
Then on February 9th, I could tell he really wasn't himself, so I rushed him to the emergency vet. The clinic is about 45 minutes away, but they specialise in major surgery and have the right equipment for serious cases. My local vet in the village recommended them, so I didn't really have a choice but to take him there. They kept him in for six days. He had a catheter in for 48 hours, but when they tried to see if he could go without it, he still couldn't pee. So, he had another 48 hours with the catheter. That didn't work either, so Nounours had to have urethrostomy surgery. I had no choice, and I’d do anything for my cat.
The operation was on February 15th and thank goodness everything went well, even though I was worried sick because he’s been diagnosed with a heart murmur. I picked him up on Wednesday the 17th and things seemed to be looking up. He was affectionate, had his appetite back, was peeing normally, and although his poo was a bit soft, it was nothing too serious.
The next day, however, he couldn't pee properly again — just a few drops of blood and hardly any bowel movements. I took him back to the emergency hospital where he’d had the surgery, but they couldn't get a urine sample to check. They just told me it was normal. I’m following the prescription exactly and taking care of the wound as instructed. When I woke up this morning, he’d weed on the carpet — still blood, and nothing in the litter tray! I checked to see if the wound had opened up, but it hasn't. He’s still only passing tiny drops, and it's always blood. I don't know what to do! He doesn't seem to be in pain exactly, just uncomfortable. He’s eating a little, drinking very little, and he’s tired, which is to be expected. I’m going to try and catch a sample in a container to take to my local vet. I’m just so worried about this blood and the fact he's still blocked, especially when the surgeon told me he wouldn't have any more trouble peeing after the op.
Hi, my cat is having surgery this Wednesday and I’m obviously terrified. How has your cat been doing since his operation? I’m really hoping to hear back from you.
Hi! I’m having an issue with my cat and I honestly have no explanation for it. Even though I’ve asked the vet, I still don't feel reassured. Ever since my cat (Nounours) was born, he’s been prone to urinary infections, despite being on a special urinary diet (both dry and wet food).
Things started getting complicated in November; he was really struggling to pee, but there wasn't any blood in his urine, just a blockage. The vet prescribed some meds which settled things down for a bit, but then in December it happened again—another blockage—so he was put back on medication.
Then on 9th February, I could see he really wasn't well and wasn't his usual self, so I took him to the emergency vet. The clinic is about 45 minutes away from me, but they specialise in major surgery and have all the right equipment for serious cases. So, on the advice of my local vet in the village, I had no choice but to take him there.
They kept him in for 144 hours. He had a catheter in for 48 hours, but when they tried taking it out, he still couldn't pee. So, he had to have the catheter back in for another 48 hours. That didn't work either, so my Nounours had to have a urethrostomy. I didn't have a choice, and I’d do anything for my cat.
He had the operation on 15th February and thank god everything went well, despite my worries because he’d previously been diagnosed with a heart murmur. I picked him up on Wednesday the 17th and everything seemed fine. He was being affectionate, had an appetite, was peeing normally, and his poo was a bit soft but nothing serious.
The next day, however, he couldn't pee properly—just a few drops of blood—and he hadn't really done a poo, or at least very little. I took him back to the emergency clinic where he’d had the surgery, but unfortunately, they couldn't get a urine sample to check. They just told me it was normal. I’m following the prescription and wound care instructions for the incision exactly as told.
This morning when I woke up, he’d peed on the carpet—still blood, and nothing in his litter tray! I tried to check if the wound had opened up, but it hadn't. He’s still only passing a few drops, and it's still bloody. I don't know what to do! He doesn't seem to be in pain, just uncomfortable; he's eating a bit, drinking very little, and he's tired (which is expected). I’m going to try and catch a urine sample in a container to take to my local vet. I’m just so worried about this blood and the fact he's struggling to pee, especially since the surgeon told me he wouldn't have any more issues after the operation.
Your cat is just another example of why these urinary dry foods are a total rip-off. They don’t work, and your cat is the one paying the price for this stubborn approach.
Get rid of the dry food; cats aren't meant to eat man-made dry products. By nature, they don't drink much, and this lack of hydration leads to crystals forming, which causes irritation, urinary tract infections (UTIs), and so on...
The reason your cat’s issues are ongoing is because he isn’t drinking enough. You can tell me he drinks often or spends ages at his water fountain, but I’ll tell you it's still not enough. A cat on dry food needs at least a glass of water a day (about 150-200ml) – anything less is putting him at risk.
There’s no magic solution. For centuries, our cats have lived on the prey they catch, and as basic as it sounds, a prey animal like a bird or a mouse is made up of at least 70% water. The only commercial food that offers that kind of hydration is wet food, which you should be feeding exclusively. That way, even if your cat isn’t a big drinker, he won’t be able to avoid getting his daily dose of water simply by eating.
Pick up any medical book and the first solution for stones or crystals is hydration, hydration, hydration.
Of course your cat is fussy—all cats are. They only want to eat what they’ve always known, and the dry food manufacturers know this all too well; they exploit it. All dry food is sprayed with flavour enhancers to give it a taste and especially a smell that never changes, just to keep their "customers" hooked.
You’ve got to use a bit of trickery to get your cat to eat what you want. The simplest way is to crush up some of his dry food and sprinkle it over the wet food.
A product like Fortiflora, which is also a probiotic, is a great flavour enhancer; just a little on top of the wet food does the trick.
At first, take it slow by offering small meals 6 or 7 times a day so he doesn't get put off by large portions. Gradually, you can reduce the amount of "topper" and the number of meals.
I’m happy to help if you want any advice on wet foods (quantity, quality, cost—just let me know your cat's weight in lbs or stones if you prefer).
Hi everyone,
I’m writing because exactly a year ago today, I had the same issue with my cat (who was 7 at the time)... a distended bladder, several days of cystitis, bladder surgery, and finally: a urethrostomy.
After long months of post-op stress (struggling to heal, infections...), my cat is back on his feet now, but one problem still persists:
Every month or two, he has a bleeding episode and starts peeing constantly... once it was a bacterial infection (since he has a female-like opening now, he's more prone to them), so he had a course of antibiotics and it cleared up... but I’m starting to get really fed up for both his sake and mine that we haven't found a miracle cure.
He’s been on urinary dry food for a year now. I’m going to try adding some wet food as well, but he’s a very fussy eater...
Do you have any advice? My vet hasn’t really given me much—it’s just a course of anti-inflammatories and then it gets better, only to come back about six weeks later.
I’ve spent an absolute fortune at the vet over all this during the last year.
Thanks in advance to everyone!
Hi everyone,
I’m writing because exactly a year ago today, I had the same issue with my cat (who was 7 at the time)... a distended bladder, several days of cystitis, bladder surgery, and finally: a urethrostomy.
After long months of post-op stress (struggling to heal, infections...), my cat is back on his feet now, but one problem still persists:
Every month or two, he has a bleeding episode and starts peeing constantly... once it was a bacterial infection (since he has a female-like opening now, he's more prone to them), so he had a course of antibiotics and it cleared up... but I’m starting to get really fed up for both his sake and mine that we haven't found a miracle cure.
He’s been on urinary dry food for a year now. I’m going to try adding some wet food as well, but he’s a very fussy eater...
Do you have any advice? My vet hasn’t really given me much—it’s just a course of anti-inflammatories and then it gets better, only to come back about six weeks later.
I’ve spent an absolute fortune at the vet over all this during the last year.
Thanks in advance to everyone!
Hi there,
I’m so sorry for your little one and for what you’re going through. All I can tell you based on my own experience is this: I had a neutered male cat who suffered from recurring cystitis when he was young (medication did the trick, he didn’t need to be catheterised). The vet recommended Royal Canin Urinary for life. This food has to be given on its own, without any other dry food, but with one wet meal a day. That’s what I did, and he NEVER had another bout of cystitis again. He lived to be 14 and eventually passed away from a heart condition. This is just my personal experience, so I don’t know if it applies to every case. Best of luck.
