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http://www.sniksnak.com/cathealth/fusfaqs.html
By Tami
By
05/02/2010
I really wish that I would have known about this before today! I lost my Leo today because of this! It saddens me reading this now and seeing that he had all the signs. It came out of no where for us, we woke up this morning and he just wasn't himself. Right now my family has been struggling financially but I knew I had to get him in today because I could tell something wasn't right! I was able to find a place that told me about Care Credit which I got approved for. I never thought that it was going to be as bad as it was! Once we got him to the vet. urgent care and they told us he had a blockage and how much everything would cost it broke my heart to make the decision I had to make to put him down. I was not approved for enough credit to fix him but I would have done ANYTHING if I could to make him better. At least he is not in pain and in a better place! Reading everyone else's comments has helped me a little bit understand what happened to him and feel just a little bit better. I really hope other people are able to get this information before it's too late. But if this does happen to your cat it is very costly and you might have to make a really hard decision.
Below you can read previous posts and comments about this topic. The discussions on this page have been archived 2 times. Select a discussion and read the feedback here.
(Archived Apr 18, 2010)Urinary Blockage in Cats (Feline Urinary Syndrome)
http://www.sni ksnak.com/cathealth/fusfaqs.html
By Tami
Feedback:
By Jo
After a little brainstorming, I decided to try sprinkling Chamomile tea leaves on his food. He quit having tract infections, so it must have worked. Sadly, his kidneys had been so damaged from all the previous infections that he died 3 years later from kidney damage.
Ask your vet if he or she thinks this could be an option for your cat. My aunt had a cat who was prone to urinary tract infections and he had some kind of surgery. It cost a fortune, but it worked. I probably paid more in total vet bills than she did for the one operation, but my vet never offered an operation. You might want to ask about this as well. (06/18/2005)
By Jessi
By Jill
By Tricia
He is fine now, I have switched his food and paid the 1300 dollar vet bill. I have spoken with several veterinarians who have told me that Purina Indoor Cat Chow has been the cause of many urinary blockages,sometimes resulting in deaths of cats. Please be careful. (05/03/2007)
By Tara
By shishi
I have fed only Hill's Feline CD or Purina UR, both prescription diets, since to all my cats (current population is 4 males and 11 females) and have not had the plugged up male problem. My last problem was about 12 years ago and that male is still a healthy 15 year old today. The prescription diets are expensive, but my personal experience has been that they are worth every penny in prevention as they are high quality foods and I have very few health issues given the number of animals I care for.
I do have a female with reoccurring bacterial infections of the urinary tract, a different problem, and this feed does not prevent her problems from coming back. She is a crippled Manx with birth defects in the hindquarters which may contribute to her problems. (04/12/2008)
By lmm
He had a blockage and that was causing him to get sick. At that point he was too damaged and it was too expensive to try to cure him, we had to put him down. They wanted $700-$1000 to try to do surgery when the Vet let us know it was a bad case of blockage and that he felt would be difficult to do. I guess in some cases they even have to remove part of the penis to clear the blockage. I didn't want to put him through all that. We are lost and lonely without him, but after reading some posts about how blockage can reoccur in most cats I know it was better to not have him go through all the pain.
My advice is to read the labels on your cat food and make sure that there is not a lot of magnesium. We used Purina Complete Care (blue bag) high in magnesium, which we had no idea made it worse. I would also advise you to take your cat in ASAP when he is showing signs of a UTI. Good luck to all you owners who may have to make the same decision I did. It is hard, but it is better for the cat. (06/17/2008)
By Missing Bubba
Since then, I read the ingredients on all dry food meticulously and never buy any with fish meal, no matter how small the concentration. I have not had an issue since then. I believe that manufacturers know of this possibility, but are just not saying anything. If you look at the Purina One Urinary Tract dry food, it has no fish meal. I stick with Chicken based foods.
I am a Rescue Agency volunteer and have had, over the years, many many male cats. I have 8 in my household right now. Hope this info helps some of you avoid a very painful episode for your cat and heartache for you. (08/12/2008)
By Elizabeth
By Carie
Purina products happen to have a very high content of magnesium which causes the blockages. He likened it to a lactose intolerant person. It isn't the milk that is bad, but the way the person processes the milk. It can be present forever or it can suddenly develop. So, we need to be vigilant about the magnesium content in the foods that we serve our pets. This adventure has surely taught me a lot. I hope that the information helped. (09/29/2008)
By Bobbie Jo
By welkergirl2007
Here are signs to tell your cat has a bladder blockage. They will vomit. Pee a little bit in a weird place. Have odd behavior. Not eating. (01/12/2009)
By Brooke
Most of all, be vigilant if your cat exhibits signs of distress.You may see these as simply annoying and not realize there is a serious problem looming. The formation of crystals is most common in neutered males, as you can all glean from the other comments here. If you have a male, be ever more suspicious of the following symptoms if they develop in your cat.
Especially watch for these signs within 1 to 3 weeks after any change of diet, or even changing to a different water dish. Some cats will refuse to drink from metal or plastic because of the slight taint those materials can flavor the water with.
I have tried most of the over-the-counter type foods that can be bought outside a vets office. They claim to be for "urinary tract health", but beware this can mean different things. There are all sorts of less serious issues that these foods may help prevent. However, if you have a cat who develops crystals, and the older the cat becomes the more persistent this problem can become, these "over the counter" foods are often "not" going to prevent a panicked run to the vet due to another blockage.
The best preventative I found are the prescription diets you can only obtain through a veterinarian. Royal Canin SO and Hills Science Diet C/D. That is, unless you have the time and ability to formulate the raw/natural diets that you can create yourself. I know some who've had good luck with this, but I don't have the time to prepare these meals myself on daily basis.
Do encourage plenty of fresh clean water in whatever way works for yOUR cat. You might have to do some trial and error here.
Do feed wet food with extra water (room temp or slightly warm seems to work best). You can supply dry food as a supplement (see above), but not as the primary diet.
Do not mix other foods in with your cat's urinary health diet because you think that he might like something "different" once in a while.
Do give "Uriease" treats, (if your cat will eat them). There are liquid supplements as well, just do a little research to find ones available to you that are effective and can be easily mixed with food. Try just a tiny amount at first and gradually increase to correct dosage as your cat gets used to the taste/smell.
Caution: If you vary from the above due to financial strain or other reasons you will regret it. Don't try to cut corners because you and your favorite little friend will pay much more dearly in the long run. You, financially, and he with stress and pain and possibly his life.
If you should see the signs of blockage, this is "not" one of those things that can wait a day or two. Your cat "will" likely die if he is not treated within 12 hours or so. The sooner he can be treated, the better his chances are. I nearly lost my Mikko the first time and my heart goes out to those of you who have lost your own. (02/15/2009)
By Kyra9_96
(Archived Apr 18, 2010)Urinary Blockage in Cats (Feline Urinary Syndrome)
http://www.sni ksnak.com/cathealth/fusfaqs.html
By Tami
Feedback:
By Jo
After a little brainstorming, I decided to try sprinkling Chamomile tea leaves on his food. He quit having tract infections, so it must have worked. Sadly, his kidneys had been so damaged from all the previous infections that he died 3 years later from kidney damage.
Ask your vet if he or she thinks this could be an option for your cat. My aunt had a cat who was prone to urinary tract infections and he had some kind of surgery. It cost a fortune, but it worked. I probably paid more in total vet bills than she did for the one operation, but my vet never offered an operation. You might want to ask about this as well. (06/18/2005)
By Jessi
By Jill
By Tricia
He is fine now, I have switched his food and paid the 1300 dollar vet bill. I have spoken with several veterinarians who have told me that Purina Indoor Cat Chow has been the cause of many urinary blockages,sometimes resulting in deaths of cats. Please be careful. (05/03/2007)
By Tara
By shishi
I have fed only Hill's Feline CD or Purina UR, both prescription diets, since to all my cats (current population is 4 males and 11 females) and have not had the plugged up male problem. My last problem was about 12 years ago and that male is still a healthy 15 year old today. The prescription diets are expensive, but my personal experience has been that they are worth every penny in prevention as they are high quality foods and I have very few health issues given the number of animals I care for.
I do have a female with reoccurring bacterial infections of the urinary tract, a different problem, and this feed does not prevent her problems from coming back. She is a crippled Manx with birth defects in the hindquarters which may contribute to her problems. (04/12/2008)
By lmm
He had a blockage and that was causing him to get sick. At that point he was too damaged and it was too expensive to try to cure him, we had to put him down. They wanted $700-$1000 to try to do surgery when the Vet let us know it was a bad case of blockage and that he felt would be difficult to do. I guess in some cases they even have to remove part of the penis to clear the blockage. I didn't want to put him through all that. We are lost and lonely without him, but after reading some posts about how blockage can reoccur in most cats I know it was better to not have him go through all the pain.
My advice is to read the labels on your cat food and make sure that there is not a lot of magnesium. We used Purina Complete Care (blue bag) high in magnesium, which we had no idea made it worse. I would also advise you to take your cat in ASAP when he is showing signs of a UTI. Good luck to all you owners who may have to make the same decision I did. It is hard, but it is better for the cat. (06/17/2008)
By Missing Bubba
Since then, I read the ingredients on all dry food meticulously and never buy any with fish meal, no matter how small the concentration. I have not had an issue since then. I believe that manufacturers know of this possibility but are just not saying anything. If you look at the Purina One Urinary Tract dry food, it has no fish meal. I stick with Chicken based foods.
I am a Rescue Agency volunteer and have had, over the years, many many male cats. I have 8 in my household right now. Hope this info helps some of you avoid a very painful episode for your cat and heartache for you. (08/12/2008)
By Elizabeth
By Carie
Purina products happen to have a very high content of magnesium which causes the blockages. He likened it to a lactose intolerant person. It isn't the milk that is bad, but the way the person processes the milk. It can be present forever or it can suddenly develop. So, we need to be vigilant about the magnesium content in the foods that we serve our pets. This adventure has surely taught me a lot. I hope that the information helped. (09/29/2008)
By Bobbie Jo
By welkergirl2007
Most of all, be vigilant if your cat exhibits signs of distress.You may see these as simply annoying and not realize there is a serious problem looming. The formation of crystals is most common in neutered males, as you can all glean from the other comments here. If you have a male, be ever more suspicious of the following symptoms if they develop in your cat. >ol>
Especially watch for these signs within 1 to 3 weeks after any change of diet, or even changing to a different water dish. Some cats will refuse to drink from metal or plastic because of the slight taint those materials can flavor the water with.
I have tried most of the over-the-counter type foods that can be bought outside a vets office. They claim to be for "urinary tract health", but beware this can mean different things. There are all sorts of less serious issues that these foods may help prevent. However, if you have a cat who develops crystals, and the older the cat becomes the more persistent this problem can become, these "over the counter" foods are often "not" going to prevent a panicked run to the vet due to another blockage.
The best preventative I found are the prescription diets you can only obtain through a veterinarian. Royal Canin SO and Hills Science Diet C/D. That is, unless you have the time and ability to formulate the raw/natural diets that you can create yourself. I know some who've had good luck with this, but I don't have the time to prepare these meals myself on daily basis.
Do encourage plenty of fresh clean water in whatever way works for your cat. You might have to do some trial and error here.
Do feed wet food with extra water (room temp or slightly warm seems to work best). You can supply dry food as a supplement (see above), but not as the primary diet.
Do not mix other foods in with your cat's urinary health diet because you think that he might like something "different" once in a while.
Do give "Uriease" treats, (if your cat will eat them). There are liquid supplements as well, just do a little research to find ones available to you that are effective and can be easily mixed with food. Try just a tiny amount at first and gradually increase to correct dosage as your cat gets used to the taste/smell.
Caution: If you vary from the above due to financial strain or other reasons you will regret it. Don't try to cut corners because you and your favorite lil friend will pay much more dearly in the long run. You, financially, and he with stress and pain and possibly his life.
If you should see the signs of blockage, this is "not" one of those things that can wait a day or two. Your cat "will" likely die if he is not treated within 12 hours or so. The sooner he can be treated, the better his chances !!re. I nearly lost my Mikko the first time and my heart goes out to those of you who have lost your own. (02/15/2009)
By Kyra9_96
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