This past week, we discovered our sweet little boy cat, Vit, had FUS (Feline Urologic Syndrome). We were very blessed to have caught it early. Once we noticed he was acting strange one evening last week, we took him the very next morning. According to the vet, another 24 hours could have mean drastically different results for our sweet little guy.
Here is our sweet little guy the day J adopted Vit and his sister, Sophia, from the shelter. LOVE THEM!!
I hope someone who reads this is able to pass along this information to someone else who has a male cat. Our Veterinarian has also been great to educate us on what we can do to ensure he has a long, healthy life ahead of him throughout this ordeal. If you know someone who has a male cat, please forward this information to them. It can definitely help save their life!
What We Learned:
1. FUS can occur in both male and female cats. However, it is much more common with male cats. To help prevent things that can lead to FUS, our vet suggests that owners begin feeding their cats urinary tract-friendly cat food once they are past the point of eating kitten food. Diet is the best prevention against FUS. We also learned that this can be quite common in male cats even though J and I had never heard about it. We both felt awful that this had happened to our little guy. However, the vet insisted that there was no way we could have known he was susceptible to this. He did applaud us for taking him in as soon as we noticed something was wrong. He indicated that some male cats are simply susceptible to this. Unfortunately, most don't catch it until symptoms are underway.We were fortunate to catch it early!
2. Know the symptoms: Here are some links to information regarding FUS including signs and symptoms: http://www.healthypet.com/PetCare/PetCareArticle.aspx?art_key=b7a8a13c-c2b2-4568-9c3c-0470368df845 & http://www.hdw-inc.com/healthfus.htm . I do suggest that you also contact your vet for additional information.
3. Ways to protect your cat against FUS: Diet is the best prevention. Our vet suggests that all cat owners feed their cat food that helps the urinary tract as previously mentioned above. Most of the name brand cat food companies have created certain types of food that are helpful in the prevention of urinary tract ailments. (However, if a cat does end up experiencing urinary tract problems, they will be then placed on a prescription diet. From here on out, Vit is eating Purina PR.) Wet food is better than dry food in that it contains additional moisture for the cat. We've also been taught that their water consumption also plays a part in prevention. They need to drink more water! Our vet suggested we have our kitties drink distilled water or teach them to drink from one of the water fountains made for cats. These water fountains encourage cats to drink more water for various different reasons. It's very important that your cat drink more frequently. We were able to purchase an inexpensive one from PetSmart. Here are some similar fountains: http://www.petsmart.com/search/index.jsp?kwCatId=&kw=waterer&origkw=drinking%20fountain&sr=1
4. Creating Routines for your cat helps you identify some symptoms easier: For the past year or so, we were taught to separate our cats when we feed them. We primarily did this for our girl cat's dietary concerns. (She's a little overweight and tends to eat her food AND his food if they are both left out.). Therefore, we feed them for 15 minutes in the morning and 15 minutes at night. We put up their bowls during the day. Every morning and every night, are cats are like clockwork in that they run to where we keep the food when it's time to eat. This particular morning, Vit hardly ate anything at all. That evening when I came home, Vit didn't come running with Sophia to where the food was located. When Vit did not run to us when it was time to eat, I knew something was wrong. I gave Sophia her food and went to look for Vit. Vit was strangely sitting in his litter box with his head sticking out. He didn't look comfortable at all. I decided to give him his privacy and come back within 5 minutes or so. The next time I found him motionless on the stairs. It appeared he had tried coming upstairs but decided to go back down towards the litter box. Alarmed, I carried him upstairs to where he eats and sat him down beside his food bowl. Normally, he'd lap up the food like a champ, but he simply stared up at me in discomfort. He got up to try to walk around and he could barely move his back legs. J and I knew something was wrong and planned to take him to the vet the very first thing in the morning. They were already closed for the evening. The very next morning, I went to look for him and couldn't find him. I finally found him under our bed. He has never hidden under our bed. That was another behavior that was uncharacteristic for him. He was still unable to move his back legs even though his legs looked fine. For some strange reason, I had this gut feeling to check his abdomen.When I felt around in his abdomen, I could feel this hard ball. I was very scared. I took him to the vet and asked them to call me as SOON as they knew something. When they called me they told me that his little bladder was blocked. He had been unable to pee for the last 24 hours! They also said that if I had waited, there's no telling what shape his bladder could have been in. It was a blessing from God that we caught this as soon as possible! Which brings me to the next point...
5. TRUST YOUR GUT!!!: When we noticed he was acting strangely that evening, J and I mentioned it to some people. Most thought he was just groggy from the shots he had a few days earlier at his annual physical (or thought he may have caught a bug from another cat at the vet). They said I should let him rest it out. However, I knew in my gut something was wrong. I'm VERY glad I decided to take him the very next morning. You know your cat better than anyone else! Trust your instinct. Better to be safe and have them checked out, than to have something serious happen to your cat! I was very thankful in prayer that we followed our gut. God was telling us out little guy wasn't well!
6. If your cat pees outside the litter box, it may not necessarily be a behavioral issue. It may be a cry for help. Some time earlier, Vit had urinated in the mudroom outside of the laundry room. We simply thought he had an accident. However, the Vet indicated that a cat can sometimes pee outside their litter box when they are having health issues. It's always safer to have your vet check out your cat to rule out any health problems. It may very well be a behavioral issue and not be FUS, but it's better to check and be safe!!!
I am certainly not a vet (or an expert). I'm very thankful for a vet who has been kind and courteous to help our cat get better and help educate us to protect him against future incidents. Vit was at the Vet from Wednesday through Saturday morning when we got to take him home. He's now eating well. We are watching his water intake and checking on his urination frequently. The vet is continuing to help us by email and phone. Our family has also been very sweet to join us in prayer for little Vit in his recovery. Thank you all!
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