cats with kidney stones

[ilovecats]

I have a cat that is a couple of years old. I've been taking her to the vet for a urinary tract infection. She is on her 3rd antibiotic now as the first two didn't help and her infection got worse. I gave her the last dose this morning. I'm supposed to take her to the vets office this afternoon and leave her overnight. if she still has a bad infection, they will do tests tomorrow and take xrays. They said she may have kidney stones or a malformed bladder. I am feeling anxious about this.

She absolutely hates going to the vets office and last time i tried to put her in her carrier she growled and tried to bite me. I know it's because it was stressing her out. She has never tried to bite me before. she's miserable the whole time she is there and they make comments about how she hates being there (building up a history here)..

anyway, she doesn't act like she's feeling better so i'm sure she will have a problem get diagnosed tomorrow. Here's my dilemna. I refuse to have her undergo surgery if it is kidney stones. I did some reading up on the subject and apparently the stones can reoccur within weeks after surgery. So if i put her thru major surgery (pain, recovery) and then the stones reoccur, I'm prolonging her misery. I think the inevitable thing with kidney stones is that the cats end up getting euthanized at some point anyway. Am I prolonging her discomfort. I believe in quality of life vs quantity. I'm not a "keep my beloved animal alive at all costs" type of person. Not that i'm cold hearted, I just don't believe in prolonging an animals suffering. I have a story to go along with this....I had a cat that died recently. A number of years ago, she had an intestinal blockage. After lots of tests and finally surgery to remove the blockage she ended up on steroids for the rest of her life. She had irritable bowel syndrome. That cat was never the same and I could tell she was miserable at times. At the time of her diagnosis, I wanted to euthanize her. My vet talked me into surgery. I didn't want to do it. Over the course of 6-7 years after her surgery, everytime I looked her in the eyes, I felt so guilty for keeping her alive. She would stare at me and I felt that she was trying to communicate something to me. I really was so sorry that I was not her advocate and had her euthanized instead of going against my instinct and having surgery. I felt relief when she was ready to die. I was sad but definately relieved that she didn't have to endure her life anymore.

so here i am, watching another pet look uncomfortable. I know that if she has kidney stones, my vet will try to push surgery. I anticipate a fight. Not only do I not want the cost of surgery for a disease that will keep returning and cause her further discomfort (and the inevitable euthanasia), I just flat out don't want to put another animal thru years of constant vet visits. She obviously hates it. That is very stressful for her. I know I need to be her advocate, but I feel so torn about what is going to come up tomorrow.

My brother told me that his coworker just had a cat that went thru kidney stones and surgery. After the vet bill of over 1000.00, the cat had to be put to sleep anyway. I know every situation is different, but I would like to hear if anyone else has had this problem and what your experiences have been.

The cost of surgery is an issue yes, the most important factor is why put your cat thru the continued problems and why put that poor animal thru major surgery for a problem that will return. Surgery recovery is painful. I just don't want to put her thru that.

This cat loves me. She's my lap cat. She was soooo active until about a month ago, she's not the same furry gurly. I don't want to euthanize her but I really don't want her to suffer either.

[ilovecats]

oh, and sometimes medications that they have been exposed to can cause the problem as well.

when she and her sister were kittens, right after we adopted them we noticed that her sister had ring worm. they were both on medications for about 6 weeks (if i recall that correctly). I dont' know if this had an affect or not.

[Esther]

I know what you mean about cats hating the vet. When Romeo was young, he had that crystaluria that neutered male cats sometimes get. He hated the vets office. I had to take him back once after that and after we got home, he was nervous, jumpy and had diarrhea for a week! I promised him we wouldn't take him back there ever again. He's been fine since. (he will be twelve years old in April).

[MaggieC]

Hi Margarita, I'm sorry I can't comment on kidney stones because my Murry hasn't had them. I just wanted to write back to say how awful I feel for you and your poor kitty. She's young but has so many health problems, so trying to fix her with surgery might indeed put you both through hell. If there were any other option (besides surgery), I would consider it even if it meant daily pills and occasional vet visits, as long as she seemed to get more comfortable. Don't let the vet talk you into another surgery if you don't want one. It may not be best for your kitty. Your kitty will find a way to tell you what she needs. ~Karen

[havanaholly]

Marg, you know the prognosis isn't good if it's kidney stones. I have been told by human patients who have had them that the pain becomes unendurable. As a nurse you don't want your fur-baby to suffer, and sometimes letting them go is the right thing to do. I'm holding your hand, long distance, to give you the courage to make whatever decision you come to.

[AuntDee]

Margarita. I know this is a hard time for you. I think you know in your heart what is right for your pet. Do not let the Dr convince you to approve surgery if you do not want to have it. You also know your financial situation and how much you can afford for pet care. Your decision will be the right one! Sending you a hug. Rita

[Intrinsicat]

I wouldn't even think about it until after getting the xrays. I went through this recently with my female cat. Her urine was dark red and lots of excess bathing. Because I brought her in while they were packed because IMHO it was an emergency, they really didn't have a tech to check her and her bladder wasn't full enough to get a sample. So... they did the xray to rule that out and then gave me the antibiotic. A couple days later they got a sample and it had bacteria and crystals... A week and a half later the urine color hadn't changed at all, but they pulled another urine sample and the bacteria and crystals were non-existent. So that *might* be where your cat is now - the infection is over, but sometimes the severity of the infection causes inflammation in the area that keeps the urine fairly dark for quite a while. She's on an anti-inflammatory liquid every other day to take care of the inflammation... but it takes a while to go away.

Of course, if it is kidney stones, I don't envy you that choice. I didn't mind giving my cat 2 more years with diabetes, but when they pulled her through liver failure last October, only to have her develop a facial tumor last month and have to be put to sleep, made me wonder if I should have dug my heels in back in October...

Another off-topic suggestions based on your cat not enjoying the vet... I found the below cat carrier to be priceless in calming my cats on the way to the vets and at the vets. It's canvas so you can unzip just the smallest amount and put your hand in to pet them and calm them. And most pop-up with metal retracting beams so it's a solid carrier, it doesn't sag, and it also collapses for easy storage. I love it... however, one cat did figure out how to unzip it if the zippers were up high in the corners, so I recommend pulling both zippers down at the base of the door.

Canvas pop-up carrier

[ilovecats]

Thanks everyone for the input.

Jen, the first time her urine was checked they didn't find any crystals. I haven't noticed any dark urine in the catbox or otherwise...but someone (most likely her) has been urinating outside of the cat box. After the first round of antibiotics I thought she was somewhat better. Then when they rechecked her urine it showed that the infection was worse. Still no crystals. After the second antibiotic, she showed absolutely no improvement, they said her uti was "really bad". ...so then they told me that we would try the 3rd antibiotic and that if there was no improvement, they would definatley have to think stones or bladder malformation. Each time I have to take her in, they have to keep her overnight because they can't get a sample. Apparently she is so unhappy being there, she huddles up in the corner of the cage. I don't think she eats or drinks so that is probably why her bladder doesn't get big enough for the sample. They have told me each time that she "really doesn't like being here". Heck, i wouldn't want to be shoved into a carrier and have a needle stuck into my bladder every week either. Anyway, she's one of those cats who when they don't feel well, they growl at everything. My other cats don't go around her (well one of them does, she tries to attack her now that she's not feeling well)...so then when i'm not here or if i notice she's huddled up behind the toilet, I put her in my bedroom. She seems more comfortable there. When she seems like she's feelign somewhat better I let her come out. After she started the first antibiotic it seemed like she was putting weight back on. Today she seems very thin again. I wonder if her kidneys are failing. She had that look about her today.

Anyway, from the little i've been able to find on the internet, if they do surgery, she would then have to start on a different cat food. which means i would have to keep her isolated from the other cats...one, due to surgery, two, due to the different food. Then she would have to go to the vet every 2-3 months for urine checks. That's if everything is going well. There is the chance for recurrence of the stones. I read that it could be as quick as a few weeks...so...then does that mean surgery again? She just doesn't have the temperment to keep undergoing all of this. I can see that her personality has changed already, she's getting more aggressive if a cat just walks near her...and definately when i put her in her carrier. I think it's just too stressful for her. It's getting harder to give her medication as well. I just don't see her rebounding to her old self in the end. I am thinking about cost as well, which has already started costing alot...but i'm not necessarily using that as a guide for my decisions. if i find that she does not have kidney stones and depending on the diagnosis, if she has a very very good prognosis, of course i would consider surgery. but i am worried about kidney disease and prognosis related to kidney stones that is why I am thinking ahead about euthanasia. ....if she had to keep going as she is, I could not bear to watch it. obviously something is wrong with her and it's not getting better. today she just had this look about her. She looked miserable.

[chesterfieldzoo]

That is such a hard decision to make. I have to agree with you about the surgery. You know stones will return. You know the meds will cause kidney or liver damage. The dynamics of trying to feed one cat special food in a houseful of kitties will be difficult, but rehoming is probably not in her best interest (to give her to someone with no other kitties). I know with me, money is and is not an issue for my pets. I will spend it on them, but not throw it away.

[Sarah91]

My cat had them and the vet just gave us medicine to give her twice a day and now she is on a special diet food the vet gives us.

[ilovecats]

Good news...they didn't find anything wrong on the xray or the blood. I spoke with the vet directly and he said that the urine test they did this morning actually did show improvement after this last antibiotic.

I'm relieved on one hand...annoyed on another.

When I called this morning they told me that there was no improvement. That is why i consented to the xray and bloodwork. I was so worried and had pretty much resolved in my mind that she was going to be euthanized today due to kidney stones because that is what they kept talking about. So I worried about it all day. I am glad to have peace of mind knowing the tests were okay, so i'm okay with the fact that they ran them....i just thought things were not getting any better and didn't feel any hope.

Anyway, they want her on a 10 day course of the last antibiotic that we gave her. It's a liquid and is so sticky when it dries that you have to wash it off immediately or it gets so hardened it's tough to remove. last time i missed a spot and she pulled her hair out trying to remove it...so i gave her the antibiotic and when i stepped backward to grab the towel that i was going to use to wash of the medicine drips, i stepped on my kittens paw...he just had declaw surgery last week. anyway i took care of misty and cleaned her up real quick and looked down to see how the kitten was...yep, a blood trail all around the bathroom. he was laying down and initially i couldn't see where the blood was coming from. it was his right paw. he was in pain and couldn't walk with that paw and it was actively bleeding. so i called the vets office and took him in. he had stopped bleeding by then but his foot was still very tender and he didn't bear any weight on it. they looked at it and one of the stitches had opened. they said it looked fine and gave him a shot of an anti-inflammatory to ease his discomfort. hopefully i wont' have to go to the vets again for another 10 days (that is when misty gets her urine checked again). I feel so bad that i injured my little baby.

So glad misty seems better than yesterday.

[ilovecats]

As far as food goes, they recommend that i give all my cats canned cat food. so i'll have to start stocking up on that, but i'll also leave out some dry food.

[Esther]

Hey, Marg, if that stuff is sticky and dries hard...do you suppose it has possibilities as glue for dollhouses? Probably too expensive.

[Missymew]

I just read this thread, and I'm so sad that you're having to go through this (and Misty). I'm glad to hear there's some improvement. I've always believed in feeding my cats a combination of dry and canned food. I'm also a stickler for making sure they drink lots and lots of water every day. At least twice a day I freshen their bowl of water that I keep in the kitchen next to their bowl of dry kibbles. I also fill a glass with water several times each day and put it in front of each of them. They love the attention and will drink. Its like a game I play with them. I really believe that drinking lots and lots of water keeps their bodies flushed out.

Marg, please keep us updated on Misty's condition. I'll remember you both in my prayers. I hope your kitten's paw is okay.

Hugs

-Susanne

[chesterfieldzoo]

Hahaha!! Esther.

Glad to hear everything is fine. Very glad. Sorry about the baby. They are so quick as kittens.

Walmart has the best prices on canned food. At least around here.

[smallhouset]

I'm so glad Misty is doing better. Having a sick furbaby is scary. We always feed both canned and dry to ours. Canned in the morning, and dinner time, and dry out all day.

[Wolfie]

What a sad post, yet it has the possibility of recovery. I'm glad to hear that. Poor kitty, and poor you Margarita! Our fur babies take a lot out of us. You are on the right path it seems with Misty. Sorry about the kitten. I once stepped on one of my kittens foot with a high heel and broke it, I'll never forget that. They are so fast. He had the cutest little splint and cast on it, and everyone signed it. He was such a showoff and even used his cast like a weapon on his brothers! I had four male kittens at the time - all brothers. I miss them. Grown up and gone from me the way our fur babies are..... Good luck with the problem, and all the hope in the world that Misty pulls through!

[goodteach0]

Happy to hear that Misty is doing ok.

I feed my kitties canned food but keep out special urinary tract health dry food for them as well.

I buy most of my canned food at Petsmart.

I'm surprised the vet didn't put in a "ring block" for the injuried kitten. The kitten must be doing ok as far as pain.

[Intrinsicat]

I'm so glad to hear the xray was okay. I'm sorry they were so dismal about it on the phone. When my male cat had a urinary tract infection it was cleared up over a weekend at the vet.... but my girl is still recuperating - 3 weeks later. I'm glad it sounds like yours is looking and feeling better! Funny how most people don't notice a change in behavior (like my dad), but I pick up on little things right away. I hope every day is a little better and that she's her old self before you know it!