Cat with FUS.

Newsgroups: alt.folklore.herbs
Subject: Kitty with FUS
From: lkern.magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu (Leesa J Kern)
Date: 19 May 1995 16:43:05 GMT

Hello!

I have a male 3-4 year old kitty (neutered) that I think is beginning to have FUS problems. I thought he was blocked the other night, with the tell-tale straining, restlessness, repetitive cleaning of the penis, and general whininess (which really isn't much different, but with the other stuff....) Then, about 30 minutes later he was as normal as he ever was, jumping and playing with the other cats.

Anyway, I'm keeping a VERY close eye on him, but was wondering if there's any herbal treatments I could give him in a preventative capacity. Obviously, if a blockage DOES occur, I'll take him immediately to the vet, but if he does have it, it's the early stages.

What I'm looking for is something that will increase urine output and decrease the amount of sediment that could block the urethra. I've heard that salting their food works to increase water intake, but I wonder if that adds more minerals to their urine (thus leading to blockages)?

Anyone with ANY advice at all, e-mail or posting is fine, I waste time with both : )

Blessed Be,

Leesa

From: nettie.digital.net (Annette Hensley)

: I have a male 3-4 year old kitty (neutered) that I think is beginning to have FUS problems.

I don't personally know of any herbal remedies for your kitty's problem, but one thing that I have heard which will increase a cat's water intake is to place the water bowl in an area away from their food. I don't know the feline logic behind this. Perhaps they figure they had better get their fill of water to avoid those "long" treks back and forth between their favorite resting place....afterall, it's hard for a kitty to cope on a mere 23 hours of sleep each day! : )

From: fu622.cleveland.Freenet.Edu (Kimberly A. Huff)

>What I'm looking for is something that will increase urine output and decrease the amount of sediment that could block the urethra.

First off, if you aren't already doing this, feed your cats at specified time and remove the food between meals. Allow 20 minutes for eating. The smell of food makes a cat's urine highly alkaline, which is what you want to avoid. Also, feed a high quality moist or wet food, preferably the latter. Dry food is highest in ash, the primary contributor to FUS. I give mine Homeopathic Flower Remedies, namely First Aid and remove all food for the first day that I notice the problem. They get baby food after this and a little echinacea in their water bowl. You might also give 250 mg Vit C once a day to help with making the urine more acid and cleansing the system.

Daphne

From: Alicia Cosgrove <ali00akc.unccvm.uncc.edu>

Hi Leesa,

I hope your kitty is doing better. I'm afraid I don't know of any herbal remedies for FUS, but I did learn a trick to get cats to take in more water. Get a can of tuna packed in water, and give your kitty the juice. I usually squeeze it out py pressing on the lid after I've opened the can. Then refill the can with fresh, cold water and squeeze again into kitty's bowl. You can get soemtimes 4-5 doses of 'flavored' water out of a can. The more water your cat takes in, the better off he is. This works well on a cat who might be off his food/taking in less water because he feels lousy. Don't give him the tuna, though. You might try feeding him small amounts of plain yogurt, about a tea-spoon or so at a time. The cultures may help his body fight the FUS. Some cats aren't interested in yogurt, tho, so don't be surprised if your pal gives you the Hairy Eyeball for offering it to him. Of my 5 cats, three adore yogurt, one will eat it only if she thinks the others might get some, and one will spend 5 minutes trying to scratch up the kitchen floor to cover it up. If your cat has a chronic problem with FUS, you may have to change his food to a prescription diet. Hill's C/D is the only one of know of (no, this isn't an advertisement) and it's kinda expensive. But well worth the $$ to keep your cats healthy.

You might want to check out the rec.pets.cats list to ask about how others take care of FUS kitties.

Best of luck,
Alicia

From: jennifer.thayer.merlins-realm.com (Jennifer Thayer)

-> I have a male 3-4 year old kitty (neutered) that I think is beginning FUS problems.

Years ago I had a neutered male cat who sounds a lot like yours. Our
vet recommended a "low ash" food, which meant only certain varieties of
canned, no dry food. This diet eliminated the problem and he lived to be
15 with no further incidences.

jennifer