Reptile & Amphibian Forums

My cat (male, 3yrs old) has been having problems while using the litter box. He makes many attempts but very little (if anything) is coming out, He cries pitifully and washes his genital area constantly. I have brought him to the vet and each time they give me antibiotics for a UTI. They seem to help for a bit but then within a week the problem is back. In between office visits, I have brought him into the vet to be monitored for possible blockage of the bladder and every time they say that he is NOT blocked.

The one thing that is aggravating me is that they keep alluding to the fact that some of this discomfort can be caused by kidney stones, yet each time I ask for xrays ro see if they are present, or ask for treatment options in case he does have them, they tell me "let's give the anitbiotics another go". Or, "there is not much you can do if your cat is subject to have kidney stones, they will be a problem for his entire life".

I am at my wit's end!!! I do not want to subject him to another round of the current antibiotics if they are not helping (I can't spell it but he is on something called Clauvamax). Some research online shows that cranberry juice extract can help but I am not sure how much to give and what steps I need to take to prevent stomach problems due to the acidity.

Please Help! What steps can I take at home to help alleviate my kitty's suffering? Should I be bringing him back to the vet to get more specific information, and if so, what should I be asking (or demanding) them to do?

A note: a few weeks before this started happening, I switched over from Purina Indoor Cat (which I had been feeding for well over a year) to Chicken Soup for the Cat Lover's Soul in order to get away from by-products. I did the switch gradually by slowly adding the Chicken Soup brand to the Purina brand and eventually weaning off of the Purina altogether. Could the switch in food be causing the problem? Are there specialty foods out there geared to urinary problems (looked for some at the pet store but no luck).

Thanks for listening! Any help will be GREATLY appreciated!

Are these dry or canned foods you are feeding? Cats should not get dry food at all, for the very reasons you describe. So if it is dry food, stop it. But let's assume you are feeding canned food and he still has this problem. We want to get rid of any infection and dilute the urine to keep crystals and stones from developing. You can use cranberry concentrate softgels, one twice a day, and add water and salt to his food to get more water into him and to encourage him to drink more water. Have his urine checked as to pH, specific gravity, crystals and bacteria, as well as blood. When he has one of these incidents where he is trying to urinate and the urine only comes dropwise, try giving him homeopathic cantharis 30c 3 times a day until he is peeing normally.

Thanks for the response. I have been giving him some 100%, unsweetened cranberry juice. I try to dilute it (1 part juice, 3 parts water) but am not sure how much daily he should be getting.

Where can I get the cranberry capsules and the cantharis? Will a holistic foods store carry them or is there a place where I can order online?

Thanks again!

Also, up until this point, I have been primarily feeding dry food and only giving canned food once or twice a week as a treat. In the past few days I have been giving the cat canned food with a bit of salt and added water and am weaning off of the dried food. Since individual cans of the food at the local pet store are marked up pretty high, does anyone know of a place online where I can order large quantities and maybe save a few pennies?