6.00am: Yesterday, I thought I saw Robin squatting at the sandbox and I suspected something was amiss, so I went to check and the soil didn’t seem wet. Of course it has been raining lately and I could not be 100% sure.
I watched him and he seemed totally normal in his behaviour. His appetite is also fantastic.
This morning, I saw him squatting again and this time, I put my hand underneath. There was nothing. I didn’t feel any urine at all. It happened twice and this was after a hearty breakfast.
My suspicions were right. Robin probably has FIC (feline idiopathic cystitis) or previously-known as UTI or FLUTD, or something that is causing him to have urinary problems. I suspect his big fight with Smurfy two days ago probably caused enough stress to trigger this.
About FIC: https://www.petmd.com/cat/conditions/urinary/feline-idiopathic-cystitis-fic-cats
So I quickly dug out my stash of medicine and only found Ginger’s 2022 Prazosin. I know it has expired but it was 5.00am in the morning and it was the only thing I had. So I followed Ginger’s dosage (Robin should be at least 5kg, I’m sure (I later weighed him, he’s 5.27kg)) and gave him half a tablet. That was about 5.15am.
Medicines after their expiry date should not be used, but when push comes to shove as in this case, tablets and capsules are more stable than liquid medicines. I just need something to tide over until the vet opens. Medicines will lose their potency after the expiry date, a previous vet had told me before and I’m well aware of this.
Then, I remembered that many years ago, when Cow Mau was prone to FIC, our (then) senior vet told me from a recent conference that he had attended then that Cow Mau did not need any antibiotics (that would be the usual prescription). Even though Cow Mau was blocked and there was blood in his urine, the senior vet assured me all Cow Mau needed was a change to the urinary diet. I had full trust in our senior vet so I followed his advice and true enough, Cow Mau recovered beautifully with just a change in the diet. No antibiotics were needed for him.
Disclaimer: Cow Mau’s treatment was prescribed by the vet after consultation. If your cat has a similar issue, please follow the advice of your vet. Antibiotics may be needed if there is a bacterial infection. So, a vet’s consultation is of paramount importance.
So I dug again and found a pack of RC Urinary S/O in my stash. I didn’t think Robin would eat anymore as he just had a very hearty breakfast. But I still tried and he ate half a pack!
Immediately after eating, he went to squat again and this time, I felt droplets of urine! That was only about 30 minutes after giving him the Prazosin. Could it have worked so fast?
Prazosin has an onset of action of 30 to 90 minutes, the elimination half-life of prazosin is 2 to 3 hours, and its duration of action is 10 to 24 hours.
So since there is now droplets of urine, I don’t think it’s an emergency yet and I can probably wait until our vet opens at 9.30am.
The last time Ginger had this issue, he was squatting repeatedly and I was worried he might be severely blocked so we rushed him to emergency. It was at 5.00am in the morning. Unfortunately, what the emergency vet prescribed was too strong (Diazepam). Luckily I took Ginger again to see our regular vet when they opened and she said not to give the Diazepam.
Robin’s behaviour is totally normal except for some extra movement here and there, like a bit of restlessness. His appetite is very good.
At 6.30am, I noticed him squating again, but this time, there was no urine. With FIC, sometimes, they will just have to urge to urinate, but nothing comes out. The vets have taught me repeatedly to palpate a cat’s bladder to check if it’s blocked, but I have no confidence in doing it.
I found PETdiatric’s UTI-Oxi in my stash too, so I gave that as well. It’s a natural supplement for UTI. It’s three weeks after the expiry date. Again, it’s a temporary relief until the vet opens.
Three more hours until the vet opens. Can time please move faster?
As mentioned, Robin had a huge fight with Smurfy two days ago. Stress can trigger FIC too.
9.30am – We arrived at the vet’s and was so lucky there was a morning slot free.
Al ultrasound was done, Robin’s bladder is very small, only 1 cm in diameter, so he is definitely not blocked at that time. But there were clearly crystals in his urine in the bladder. But I was relieved that he isn’t blocked. While shaving him on the abdomen, the vet saw many scratch marks. This must be from the fight with Smurfy two days ago. There is no puncture wound, though. Just scratches.
Bloodwork was done and everything was normal. Robin has no fever too.
The vet prescribed Cystophan (2 capsules per day for 2 weeks followed by 1 capsule per day for maintenance), Meloxicam (given injection, followed by meds for three more days), Prazosin (on standby only), and Baytril as the antibiotic for 10 days (1/2 tablet per day).
The vet taught me again how to palpate the bladder and this time, it did not seem so difficult! So I am to palpate the bladder. If turgid, take back to see the vet. If not turgid but still cannot urinate, to give Prazosin. Prazosin does not work if the bladder is already turgid since it works to relax the sphincter (muscle) to enable urination.
The vet said to ensure Robin drinks a lot of water over the next few days. I would have to force feed him.
Robin is to go on the urinary diet for three months. So I decided on RC’s Urinary S/O (wet food and kibble) for him.
I’ll have to monitor Robin for the next few days, but from my own limited experience, normally, all our cats’ FIC had been resolved on the same day. Let’s hope the same happens for Robin too.
Robin did not like the cold urinary food from the fridge just now. He only liked it warm. Let’s see how it goes.
A hero’s welcome home.
Eating the urinary kibble.
Today’s vet (she is also a TCM vet) highly recommends home-cooked food as she says all commercial food would have additives. That’s true. And that would be something I should work on, moving forward, especially since there may be a possiblity of bird flu coming to our shores (but let’s hope not!).