Feline Bladder - Results negative, but still sick

Question
Hello Jana,

This is an in depth question, we hope you have time to review and reply.
Our 7 y/old female silver tabby has recently 2 (weeks ago), started urinating in outside the box, and after that,
been struggling to urinate. We have taken her to our vet 3 times. FUTD, bacterial infection, and "Crystals in the
bladder" (unsure of the correct term), were ruled out via urinalysis, blood test for infection, and a sterile
urine sample to test for crystals. The vet said her bladder was inflamed after her physical and palpitating her.

An ultrasound confirmed the inflammation, but the results from an aspiration revealed that cancer was not a cause
for inflammation. They prescribed antibiotics initially, (before the results were back from the UA), Pedrnisolone
for inflammation after the ultrasound, and cyproheptadine to stimulate her appetite since then.

She still has no appetite, drinks VERY sparingly. She has become better about using the litter box, the one or
two times a day she goes. but she will fight us on eating. All "treat" foods before are met with twisting and
squirming.  We dilute the food w/water and use a food syringe to feed her, but it's been a week since she has
eaten on her own.

Is there any way to get her to start eating again? It seems as if she's rebounded from whatever bladder issue
she had, but has no desire for food or water, she appears not to want to go on. From the beginning to now she has
dropped from 10.5 lbs to 8.5.

Our vet has not asked in the last week how much water or food she takes in; just says if you can get food in her,
thats good. We can, but it is a struggle.

Any advice you can lend is most welcome


Thanks in advance,

John, Maureen & "Peanut"

Answer
Well this is a tough one. You said that she is past the bladder issue but still won't eat. The drug the doctor gave you is supposed to stimulate her appetite but the only one we have ever used that worked was diazapam, commonly known as valium. We give them a 1/4 to one half a pill and then stand back. We put some really smelly, yummy food down first, like canned tuna or salmon.
I have never once seen it not work on a cat in 30 yrs.

My suggestion is that you ask the vet for a couple of pills and try it.
It won't hurt anything. Just start with the smallest amount, about a 1/4 of a pill.
The thing is with cats is that sometimes once they off their feed you can't get them to start again unless you do something like this, and once they start to taste the food something kicks in and they start to eat again.

Force-feeding doesn't usually cut it for some reason with cats- just makes them mad and less willing to cooperate.

Another thing I question is the completeness of the bladder exam for cancer. One aspirate from one area doesn't mean that cancer was not in there. A thickened bladder wall and chronic inflammation doesn't always mean cancer either but you have to ask why is the bladder inflamed and thickened if all the tests for infections and crystals have been negative?

These are just the questions I would ask. Most important is that you do get her eating again. Go get a valium or two from the vet and try it.

I used cyproheptadine on one of my cats once and it never worked. I used it because he was in kidney failure at 19 yrs old. The valium did work but he was still not eating much. Even at that advanced age and condition it did work, however.
I really don't know what else to suggest. If you can't get her to eat she is at risk for getting hepatic lipidosis and that is not a good thing.
Maybe while you are at the vets you should pick up some A/D or the new rescue food that Hill's makes or whatever they carry for cats that are recovering from stress and surgeries.

That will help restore her protein and muscle mass faster.
I hope this works for you. Please let me know what you find out and if the diazapam works for you.
take care.