Male cat is having issues, help!

Hey cat lovers (jukes, rhiannon?, I have noticed over the past day or so that my little red cat has been going in and out of his box every 15 minutes, trying to pee, without much luck. I have been through this before with older cat who is now 13. It was FUS or FLUTD as they now refer to it. Dammit!!! I fear the Demon has it now too...

Taking him to the vet in half hour. Is there any new research on this topic that I should be aware of? re: food, feeding habits? I already give my boyz filtered water because they hate chlorine. My older cat almost had to have a perineal urethrostomy he had crystals so severe, I just freak having to go through this again with my baby. I know it is so painful for the guy kitties. :(((( Say a prayer.... -Crozet

Make sure it is low ash.

I use Nutro Products for my cat. Not only are the low on ash but it does help maintain cat's urinary tract. My Abbott is still just a teenager but no time like the present to get him started on good health

for many cats to get them to drink more water too. Don't know why that is buthave tested it with a lot of cats and it always seems to increase their water intake when the bowls are in seperate locations.

Hope he gets better fast.

I've noticed that, too.

Also, I got a cat fountain. They LOVE it. They drink much more water than before.

is make sure that the food you give them is low in ash. A cat of mine had that problem once and its awful to see them cathetered and all. My sympathies.

vet. Likely a urinary tract infection.

From my understanding, a quality low-ash dry food is best for such cats.

Best of luck!

get him on his back and massage his stomach often -- sometimes this helps dislodge loose crystal "sand" that may be near the uretral canal.

DO change the diet immediately - your vet will help you pick the best one for the situation.

here's a great veterinarian website on the topic:

http://www.marvistavet.com/html/body_feline_lower_urinary_tract_dis.html

One of my boys had the operation around Christmas and it was extremely difficult for him (and me)! The pain medicine did not last long enough between administration intervals, and he was miserable, but they were willing to let me come in and get more, then administer it more frequently, so don't hesitate to ask if worse comes to worse. I couldn't bear to watch him try to tend to himself, which the collar prevented, but the additional drugs did help. I got up every 2 hours to help him overnight as well as during the day. Also, if your baby does have to have the operation, and there is any trace of diarrhea afterwards, take him back to the vet and let him/her clean him and possibly treat it. If it gets in the stitches, you don't want to do damage or let him get infected.

The only other thing I learned is that there isn't consensus on the best food to give them. The vets disagree with each other and refuse to accept that other vets have opinions, so that is tough to sort out. One says only organic food; one says no dry food; his surgeon said my other cat's dry ZD (low-allergen) is ideal (after she called the manufacturer) because it produces an acidic urine, which is best for combatting the particular type of crystals he had. His regular vet disagrees. However, he has eaten some ZD every day and some Friskies packets (wet) since then, as well as some canned, and seems to be doing well. All vets said no more Meow Mix, so I am not giving them that now, but I had 2 cats who lived on it (and a variety of other food) for nearly 20 years each, with no urinary problems.

++++++++++++++++++++ to you.

I have to do that with one of my cats. Eyedropperfull every couple of hours when he starts to have trouble. Seems to help keep it from getting severe.

http://www.showcatsonline.com/x/cat_food_comparisons.htm

I think the recommended Max contents for Ash & Magnesium is 7%/0.1%

feed him Dr.Hill's Science Diet.

from the reference supplied by LynneSin above, Iams is lower in ash than most premium foods and its magnesium level is below the recommended level.

low ash food, plenty of fresh water. may prefer rain water if you can get it.

tummy warming pad may help. massage=good.

sorry for your boy!

house is too quiet. They wanted me to leave him to get a urine sample, he's not blocked thankfully. Thanks for all the messages, appreciate the support.

This cat is spoiled rotten, rightly so though he's a lover -- he has been on Innova (all organic) since I got him as a tiny kitten. Thanks Lynne for the link, at least I feel good feeding him this, it has one of the lowest magnesium contents out there. Boyz do have a water fountain, and get filtered water. Our house is low stress (kids are grown, out of house) so whatever triggered this, who knows, I still think it might be viral in nature. Hopefully maybe it is just a bladder infection and NOT crystals. Will find out later.