4 Year Old Cat with UTI

Question
I have a 4 year old female Calico cat who has been fighting cystitis/uti for
almost 5 months.  She has been to the vet several times.  She was given
several different antibiotics, had xrays which showed crystals.  None of the
antibiotics worked, in fact she is back on Baytril for 15 days now.  I am scared
about the Baytril since I read it can cause blindness.  She has never lost her
appetitie.  I feed her Merrick no grain wet food which seems to be not enough
for her.  She is not straining that much anymore, but there is still blood in the
urine.  I give her Ester Vitamin C with Cranberry 250mg once a day.  I also
Cosequin twice a day.  She lost a lot of weight but is not lethargic and seems
to be in pretty good spirits.  Can't get rid of this.  The vets seem to be
guessing and I can't keep this little girl on antibiotics for too much longer.
Any suggestions would greatly be appreciated.

Answer
Ellen,

I'm sorry to hear about the problems you have been having with your kitty.  Feline cystitis is one very frustrating disease.  We don't actually know the cause or maybe the cause is different in all cases, i don't actually know.  there are many many theories and very few answers.  You are already doing pretty much all that I try in these cases.  And you are right.  We do a lot of guessing, especially when it comes to cystitis.  I understand your concern about the baytril.  Yes,, it can and has caused blindness in cats.

My suggestion is to get a referral to a veterinary specialist.  A board certified veterinary internist might be able to help.  Sometimes, in these cases it just takes time and trial and error though.  Be patient.  Trust your veterinary team and keep trying.  These cases are difficult.  And if you have questions regarding treatment, pick up the phone and call your veterinarian.  They can help you determine the possible and probable complications due to therapy.

Good Luck to you both