Smudge gave me a real fright on Monday!

farthing · 15-05-2009, 05:16 PM

Mike has been away all week, God, am I knackered.
Anyway, when I went to feed the cats on Monday night, Smudge didn't come when called, so I went and got her. She went to the litter tray and peed, then another and pooped and then lay down and started mouth breathing. I don't like it when they do that, although Smudge does tend to do it fairly regularly when stressed.
I called the vet, but she was going out to a calving and said she would call me when she got back, by that time Smudge had settled, although she was uncomfortable, so I decided to leave it til morning. It was midnight by this time and to be honest I didn't want to drive around on my own if I didn't have to. The next morning the vet saw her and iy seems she has cystitis, as well as a flare up of arthritis. We took bloods and her kidneys are fine although one of her liver enzymes is slightly up.

So she is on antibiotics and metacam.
I'd had to shut all the cats in one room on Monday, so I could get a urine sample from Spice, who decided to wait from 10am to 4.30pm to go, so I do wonder how bad her kidneys are!
What I'm wondering is, could the stress of being shut up for a couple of hours, in a room she usually sleeps in, have set off the cystitis and would it have happened so quickly.

angieh · 15-05-2009, 05:39 PM

Yes, what a fright - sounds like how my Smudge went when she was hyperthyroid. Don't know about the cause of the cystitis. Cats amaze me at how stressed they seem to get when normally you'd think they were kind of laid-back.

Leesy · 15-05-2009, 05:40 PM

I am not to sure really, cystitus can be caused by different things but as you said one of the main causes can be stress, I wouldn`t have thought that being closed in the room she sleeps in would have caused it, but who knows with our fluffy babes

calismum · 15-05-2009, 07:05 PM

Sorry she seems to have got so upset. Cystitis is such a strange one a sit can come on with no obvious cause etc. Hope she recovers wel.

dandysmom · 15-05-2009, 08:14 PM

Yes, stress can bring on an attack of cystitis. Is she drinking enough water? Fortunately cystitis and arthritis are both treatable, thank goodness. Does she eat primarily dry food?

farthing · 15-05-2009, 09:01 PM

Smudge is on medication for hyperthyroid, and is a very stressy cat, she has had cystitis before and also blocked anal glands. I've stopped giving the all the cats dry food, as I'm not convinced it helps the teeth and I think a wet food diet is generally better. Since going onto wet food only, Sooty hasn't had any more problems.
Smudge has always had bad teeth anyway and had about 4 dentals in her lifetime, the last one a couple of years ago. She's 17 now and I suppose doing not too badly for an old girl.
Its scary because we have a 20 year ols, 18, 17, 14, 13, 12, 8 and 2 X 7 year olds. No youngsters anymore.

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