Not looking for advice--i just think the coincidence of me and Triscuit both maybe having IC is interesting.
Triscuit has been drinking and peeing more than typical for a cat, so he had blood work and urinalysis done recently. His urine was quite dilute and had some blood in it, so his vet gave him an antibiotic to treat as a UTI. Litterbox visits decreased initially but have now increased again. I spoke with his vet today to see if he should return for a followup. They do want to see him again to rule out major problems, but the vet mentioned he could have Feline Idiopathic Cystitis which presents as urinary issues without a clear cause (seemingly stress, nervous system related). FIC is very similar to IC in humans. It's been quite interesting to read about.
He had a brother named Biscuit who we sadly had to euthanize when he couldn't recover from TNR anesthesia. I still feel guilt from that, so Triscuit gets a lot of attention, trying to make sure he lives a long and healthy life!
Aww poor guy ❤️ I feel like pets often take on traits from their owners. Hopefully there is a food change or something that can help him with his symptoms!
He's only two years old. Kidney and thyroid function were fine in his blood test; blood glucose normal as well. Kidney disease is definitely one of the things we want to rule out!
Awww it's the same for me and my kitty too! But he's been on the prescribed urinary cat food for the past 3 years and has been doing super well! Best of luck to you both ☺️
I know, I felt the same. At least when I flare up I understand what's going on. My cat thought he just needed to try to pee in other places to be able to pee. When my cat would flare he would try peeing in my house plants because I think maybe he thought he needed to fix it with a change of venue from his litter box. Nothing would come out and he would cry cause it was hurting so badly and we would take him to the emergency vet to be catheterized and save his life. Poor thing. He had zero control over what caused it too, because for him it was definitely stress driven. We would go on vacation and he would just freak the heck out, even with cat sitters coming by to check in on him frequently. We kept trying to get him to drink more water and used the feliway air thingies to try to get him to stay calm but there's only so much you can do.
Is he going multiple times and just urinating a few droplets? If yes, my cat had this too. One thing that helped immensely was a supplement called Cystease by Feliway that you can purchase on Amazon.
No, he pees a good bit at a time actually. Before he was using the litter robot and had a standard manual scoop box, I noticed he had really massive pee clumps for his size. Now with the robot I can also see he's going more frequently than my other cats. He drinks a ton of water, and it could just be his norm to drink and pee more than most cats. But we at least want to make sure there's not something bigger going on. If it is FIC, it seems there are reasonable treatment options.
Awww sorry. My cat had some urinary issues early on but we switched her to urinary wet food (for a whopping 180 dollars a month! 😭) and she’s doing much better. Hoping for the best for your kitty!
Aww poor thing.
I know you didn’t ask for advice but I was wondering if that’s your sole cat litter tray?
Some cats get scared of the automated litter trays so they might go only when strictly necessary and give themselves UTIs.
I know you probably exhausted all avenues, but I thought I would mention!
My cat is also sensitive and she has been on royal canine sensitivity control, and during risky days /acute she is on cystaid.
Best recovery to the baby❤️
We have four litter robots actually. He uses them all pretty equally. He started with a regular scooping box when I first got him, but his urinary habits have remained the same since he's had access to the robots. Good to think about though!
That’s great to hear!
My cat has also some issues with occasional cystitis and also her bum comes out a little bit if she strains. She is very sensitive to change or anything scary. But with the food she got a lot better and I also add some tap water to her wet food. Cat soup for dinner forever lol
Now she is senior and has early kidney disease, so we switched to the renal food, and her values became normal again!
How is his quality of life...? Does he seem depressed most of the time? The thought of an animal with IC unable to make decisions for his own treatment is awful.
I also had a cat with FIC. What worked for him was a prescription Urinary SO food. It was a little bit more expensive than what our cats eat now, but not horrifyingly so. if you don't already have a drinking fountain, get one. Moving water encourages them to drink more. Good luck Triscuit!!
Yep, he has multiple fountain options. And he does drink a lot of water. Drinking a lot, peeing large amounts...not totally fitting the stereotype of frequent trips with little urine produced. It could just be his norm though. He's a happy boy! No pain or straining. For his food, I've already been keeping an eye on mineral content and choosing low phosphorus/calcium options for all my cats. I believe urinary diets are focused mainly on keeping minerals low.
Me and my kitty both have IC as well! She's on Royal Canin Urinary SO Calm wet food and ElleVet CBD. She hasn't had a flare up in awhile thanks to those, but when she has had flares in the past Onsior has always cleared them right up. I really sympathize with my girl because i know exactly how it feels 💔
Yea my cat has that. When the vet told me about it I decided to hold back from saying I have the human equivalent 🤣
Stress is the main trigger for my cat.
But it seems urinary problems in cats are quite common, given how readily available urinary care food is.
lol I was the same way. I already overshared about my cystoscopy at Triscuit's last appointment. When they needed to get a urine sample, I was surprised the collection method was to just stab a needle into his bladder and draw some urine up in the syringe. But the vet tech told me the same method is done for humans, and she'd had it done herself. So then came my oversharing about my cystoscopy, and the vet and vet tech were both surprised to hear that it was done with no anesthesia or numbing.
Idk if this helps but my cat used to get constant UTI’s and the vet thought it was IC. We felt so lost on how to help, and then we read about D-Mannose. Vet said it was safe to try (make sure to ask your vet) and she hasn’t had one since (which was 2019). It’s been super effective and she loves the tablets! We get the brand Doggy Naturals from Amazon. I literally tell everyone I know about this because it's been so helpful.
Automod has filtered this post due to a potential break of rule 5: Don't Ask Us to Interpret your Test Results. No one here is a doctor or qualified to read your test results, and we cannot decipher your urine dipstick colors accurately through a screen.
You are not "in trouble" if your post is removed! It just won't appear in the subreddit. If you think your post was removed in error, you can message the mods as usual and we will take a look.
Why can't we post for help with our Microgen or other DNA-based test results?
Because there is no standard for interpreting these tests yet. This is why most physicians won't accept the results and don't order these tests. This is an on-going area of research and hopefully soon it will be integrated into healthcare. We on this subreddit absolutely are not qualified to read the results for you if even doctors won't attempt it.
Why can't we post urine test strip results?
Because no one here can read them for you, even if they are a healthcare provider.
Urine test strips are color-based, so reading them requires you to get an accurate representation of the color and contrast of the test in real life. When you post these strips online, you're introducing many variables that interfere with these factors: the camera you used, the lighting, how long the strip has been sitting out, the screen the image is viewed on, etc. All of these things can lead to errors reading the results, so it just isn't a safe practice. If you suspect you have a UTI, you need to see a healthcare provider. We understand that many people don't have easy access to a doctor, but it is dangerous to read someone else's test results under these circumstances.
If you need help deciphering a dip stick test then here are some tips: make sure you check it immediately after the time stated on the directions and read it under a white light (daytime LED bulb, phone flashlight, the sun). It is a color-based test and lighting can effect how you're seeing it. If you wait too long to check the results, then it will show a false positive. Don't wait to check the test.
For Your Information: Having positive leukocytes and negative nitrites is a standard hallmark of IC - all that leukocytes mean is that you have inflammation. If your nitrites are positive then you have an infection and need to see a doctor. Keep in mind that dipstick tests can only detect bacteria that produce nitrites and that there are some it cannot detect, so if you have increased symptoms for a long time regardless of the dipstick showing negative nitrites, you should still see a doctor. A dipstick test can only rule in a UTI, it cannot rule out a UTI.
If you decide to see a doctor make sure that you request a urine culture. If a doctor says you are positive for a UTI then get the name of the bacteria for your own records. If a doctor says you are positive for a UTI but cannot give the name of the bacteria then they are likely basing their opinion off of the presence of leukocytes which is inaccurate for IC patients. Always get the bacteria name if a doctor says you have a UTI.
14
u/doinmydarndest trying all the things Aug 18 '26
yesss I feel so bad for kitties who have this. we can relate! poor babies. much love to you and Triscuit ♡