Okay, so here's the "back story." Sorry for the lengthy post but, as you know, the devil is always in the details.

On Sunday, my 18-month old altered male bengal woke me up screaming (and I do mean screaming). At first, I thought it was a passing neighborhood cat at the window but when trying to settle him he just kept jumping in and out of his litter box. And there was his real problem... he could only create little dribbles of urine no matter how hard he tried. And try and try he did.

While eating his usual breakfast (a cube of Raw Instinct with a dab of AvoDerm tuna/crab), Aza tried to use his litter box three times without success. He did keep his food down but by 10am we were in the emergency vet's office.

Because he was still producing dribbles, didn't have a temperature, and wasn't vomiting but was clearly agitated, the emergency vet chose to treat his symptoms with a urinary relaxant, a broad spectrum antibiotic, and a urinary acidifier with the advice to bring him back if he stopped producing dribbles and to see my regular vet as soon as possible Monday morning. He did advise me a total food change would be required for life because bengals are known to create urinary blockages easily. Ugh!

With no measureable relief in sight, we were in our vet's office first thing Monday morning where Aza clearly showed his wilder side. Securing an aspiration of his bladder (to measure pH values, check red/white cell counts, and isolate/analyze any crystals) proved impossible but is scheduled for today since she advised only 10% of UTI's are related to bacteria and she didn't want to "over treat." She did mention the possibility of bloodwork but wants to wait for the bladder aspiration results first.

I don't know how she managed it (and I'm sure the entire building could clearly hear him in the back room while she did it) but she loaded him with a subcutaneous injection of fluids... not because he was dehydrated in any way but to flush his system to get things going and provide relief. This process will be repeated once a day until he finds reliable success.

She also prescribed .5mg of Prozosin (a urinary vasodialator) to be used 1-3 times a day and a plan for slow weaning once we determine the cause of his distress.

The third step (which is most concerning to me) is to begin converting his grain free, high protein, quality diet to Royal Canin SO for life! In the meantime I was advised to make every meal a slurry using human-grade tuna water and/or clam juice.

It took three hours for my boy to begin making dribbles again after his "vet assault." By Tuesday morning, he began making little "pods" but far from the high flow, arcing deliveries he's known for.

A total of four Prozosin doses and Tuesday's SQ opened the gates! The pods are huge and definitely sticky but at least he's going with gusto. As you know, bengals aren't known for their calmness but Aza's agitation is also backing off. Luckily, he liked the bit of Royal Canin SO morsels and gravy added to his food and everything is staying down so far. That stated, full conversion will be a slow process because I don't want to create any tummy issues.

Are we on the right track here?
Do bengals really have a history of high rates of UTI's and/or crystal production?
Has anyone really converted their bengal to Royal Canin SO for life?

For those who took the time to read this "novel," I thank you. Any questions or input you may have will be deeply appreciated.

_________________

Update.

No go with aspirating Aza's bladder today. Admittedly, he did use the litter box a little more than an hour before he was seen but my vet said "I'm sorry, I couldn't get it." Mind you, as just about any seasoned pet parent would guess, Aza delivered as soon as he got home... some 30 minutes later.

For now, the plan is to move forward since he is urinating without distress, has a solid appetite without vomiting, and doesn't have a temperature.

I'm to dispense .5 mg of the Prozosin (urinary vasodialator) 3x today and tomorrow, 2x a day for a week, 1x a day for a week and then use it as a backup at the first sign of any relapse. In addition, we continue the slow conversion process to Royal Canin SO.

Paws crossed here but I'm still wondering if anyone else has gone this route.

_________________

One of my Tonks presented with a similar issue...

He responded to the same drug to relax his bladder... which he stayed on for a week... slowly stopping it.

He was diagnosed with idiopathic cystitis... put on Cystease which helped and there has been no repeat of the issues we had...

Urinary testing showed a concentrated urine with no bacteria but increase in white cells and blood.... very typical cystits...

He eats his normal food.

_________________
Lollo

_________________

I had issues with a non bengal many years ago, who over the space of 24 hours went from peeing fine to completely blocked.
He was lethargic and had a temperature and ended up with a catheter in to drain him.
His were caused by stress, so not bacterial.
Anyway, from what I remember, the consensus is/was that the dietary stuff they say is so wonderful just makes them want to drink more, hence flush them out.

There's some interesting reading here, but no definitive answers: http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?A=612

_________________

What a pain Cystease isn't available! Grr...

Toby no longer has it.

I figured out what was causing his issues, he would get worked up because he wanted out! He loves going outside. I now have a means to let him out more often and plan to enclose the whole garden at some point.

He never missed his tray, no accidents.

I think royal Canin did a food with Cystease added to it, cannot remember the details so will look it up for you.

_________________
Lollo

_________________

Cannot find the food now... I'll keep searching.

What I did find was this:
http://www.nutramaxlabs.com/cat/cat-joi ... n-for-cats

Seems to contain a similar thing to Cystease and has been used for cystitis. Would this work for you?

_________________
Lollo

_________________

No problem... Hope he continues to improve and it's just a one off for you.

_________________
Lollo

_________________

Yeah, Toby got ill on a Sunday and then stayed in the hospital for two nights.... Cost me around £700 so a similar amount.... Insurance covered mine though, bar the excess....! Pretty sure I've spent more on insurance for him over the years though, and that has been his only claim ever!

_________________
Lollo

_________________

_________________
The little monsters 3