Help needed with cat with UTI

[rockhillmanor]

Well, I need some cat advice.
46 years of dog knowledge...cat's not so much!

I have a 20 year old Siamese never been sick in his life.
After full timing with him we are now in our winter house in Florida. I have NO tolerance for a MH or house even having a hint of the fact that a cat lives there. And I am very proud that it does not!

So you can understand why I freaked out when I walked into my house and the smell of cat urine almost made me pass out!

I cleaned the cat litter box. I scubbed and cleaned the area it's in. There all done. Went out and came back later and the same thing. 😞

Long story short I 'finally' found out he was going on the floor in a corner under a table .:E And the smell was not right.

Took him to vet. Diagnosis UTI. Interestingly they gave him a shot of long acting antibiotics. Never heard of such a thing.

1.First of all does Anyone have any feed back on using that type of antibiotics instead of pills?

I have him contained in a big soft side crate so I can watch him and chart how much water he drinks and how often he goes. All looks good.

2. How long should I wait before I spring him from his crate to make sure the UTI is cleared up?

3. After the UTI is cleared up will he still be drawn to doing it on the floor again? What makes them not use the litter box when they have a UTI?

Thanks for any help with Sam the Siamese.

[rockhillmanor]

sher9570 wrote:
You know Rock, over the years with cats that had various problems I found I had bought just about everything on the market.
My cousin who has four cats at any given time and a gorgeous home, I asked her how do you keep your house from smelling like you have a cat... especially since she had an elderly one that missed the litter box more than she made it.
She told me cider vinegar... her husband explained to me about the complex make up of cat urine.
The key is to get up as much of the urine as possible, soak it with the cider vinegar and let it dry... repeat until the smell is gone.
The trouble with using various and different enzyme blocking cleaners is they eventually don't work or they work against each other.
He is a retired chemical engineer so I listened to him, also because their home is emasculate.
So since then and especially the last two years when I had lost two of my boys at 19 & 18 and had some issues before they died, the vinegar took care of any stains they left.
Good luckSher

Between myself and the seizure dog we are very limited on what cleaning agents can be used anywhere so I really appreciate this option.

Thank you VERY much for the cider vinegar advice! :C

[sher9570]

You know Rock, over the years with cats that had various problems I found I had bought just about everything on the market.
My cousin who has four cats at any given time and a gorgeous home, I asked her how do you keep your house from smelling like you have a cat... especially since she had an elderly one that missed the litter box more than she made it.
She told me cider vinegar... her husband explained to me about the complex make up of cat urine.
The key is to get up as much of the urine as possible, soak it with the cider vinegar and let it dry... repeat until the smell is gone.
The trouble with using various and different enzyme blocking cleaners is they eventually don't work or they work against each other.
He is a retired chemical engineer so I listened to him, also because their home is emasculate.
So since then and especially the last two years when I had lost two of my boys at 19 & 18 and had some issues before they died, the vinegar took care of any stains they left.
Good luck

Sher

[rockhillmanor]

Code2High wrote:
Pain association can be a thing...making changes to the set up...not too drastic..might help.

I feel so bad.:( The past few days prior to going to the vet he has been 'very' vocal. But for a Siamese it can be a daily occurrence for no particular reason. I did not know UTI in a cat is that painful. With the dogs you don't even know it sometimes.

OK, so then since the diagnosis I have him confined in his giant dog soft crate that we used in the MH, he has been going IN the cat box all this time. I hope that 'change' does the trick.

Boy cats are like 'A Riddle Wrapped in a Mystery Inside an Enigma'!

Today I am going to take out all the furniture where his cat box was, hose the room down, and give him a test drive! :B

[Code2High]

Pain association can be a thing...making changes to the set up...not too drastic..might help.

Pheremone spray can also help, as it alleviates anxiety. Which is the same reason it helps with spraying. Cats!

[rockhillmanor]

darsben wrote:

rockhillmanor wrote:


He always played Sarah Barton when the dogs would come home from bloat surgery. He would immediately lay with them until the stitches came out. :C

You meant Clara Barton but your reference to Sarah Baron who is an actress is better. I have visions of your cat performing Al Pacino scenes from Dog Day Afternoon for the dog after surgery.

Thank you for starting my day with a laugh. It may of been inadvertent but it was enjoyed.

I liked your post.:B

OMG! Too funny. What a hoot! :B
I can't believe I did that!
Thanks for catching it and setting the record straight! :C

[mayble]

rockhillmanor wrote:
Well, I need some cat advice.


3. After the UTI is cleared up will he still be drawn to doing it on the floor again? What makes them not use the litter box when they have a UTI?

Thanks for any help with Sam the Siamese.

It's said that they will associate the pain from the UTI with the litter box and may avoid the box even after the illness.
A different litterbox or changing the box location might help - anything to break the connection in his mind between the litter box and pain.
Good luck.

[CA_POPPY]

Cats are natural nursemaids and if you're running a temp, they love you even more. Heat-seeking missles, they are! We lost 19 yr old Edna last year and I sure miss her when I'm taking a nap or feeling poorly.

[darsben]

rockhillmanor wrote:


He always played Sarah Barton when the dogs would come home from bloat surgery. He would immediately lay with them until the stitches came out. :C

You meant Clara Barton but your reference to Sarah Baron who is an actress is better. I have visions of your cat performing Al Pacino scenes from Dog Day Afternoon for the dog after surgery.

Thank you for starting my day with a laugh. It may of been inadvertent but it was enjoyed.

I liked your post.:B

[rockhillmanor]

Thank you very much for the advice it is greatly appreciated.

New vet could not believe how old he is. He had to ask me if I was really sure he was that old! His looks have really not changed over the years and his coat is in great condition. I think having to live with the big dogs has kept him young. He has outlived over 6 of my Danes.

He always played Sarah Barton when the dogs would come home from bloat surgery. He would immediately lay with them until the stitches came out. :C

[Impkitti]

You are fortunate to get to 20 without kidney issues. I lost my 19 y/o Siamese to kidney disease a bit over a year ago.

Long acting antibiotics are great for cats. No fuss, no muss and everyone is happy.

You will need to clean the place he used very thoroughly with an enzyme cleaner. We like Nature's Miracle. Saturate a larger area than he used to be sure to get it all. Let it dry.

At twenty, he could have a bit of arthritis in his joints and getting in and out of the litter box could be painful, which would lead to avoidance. Can you give him a very low sided one? Puppy pads around the edges can help with the mess.

[darsben]

"1.First of all does Anyone have any feed back on using that type of antibiotics instead of pills?"

I have had the shot for my feline twice for different items. Great results and no muss or fuss trying to give a pill.

"3. After the UTI is cleared up will he still be drawn to doing it on the floor again? What makes them not use the litter box when they have a UTI?"

He will not be drawn to the floor once the underlying problem is solved.

Clorox Urine remover which is available at Walmart will remove the odor and any stains.

[Marine_By_Choic]

Long acting antibiotics are quite standard, especially for cats. Giving an unwilling cat a pill, and getting to swallow it, is, often times, quite an ordeal.

A UTI in a 20 year old cat is fairly common, especially in a male cat.

There are several good cleaning agents that contain enzymes to remove odor on the market. Finding everywhere Sam made a deposit will be your most difficult task.

Good luck!