# Hope for cat with FIC?



## jackie_hubert (May 17, 2010)

About a month and a half ago we almost lost Oscar, our 4 year old male kitty, to a blockage. This was the 3rd time in 1.5 years that he's been to the vet for this issue. Ultrasound showed a hugely inflamed bladder wall. I searched FIC on the forum but no threads came up. Our vet prescribed amitriptaline and metacam for the rest of his life. We've also switched him to raw against our vet's wishes who wants to see him on hills of course (last time we tried that and Osc lost much of his hair - never again!). We're expecting that he'll probably get a blockage again. I wonder if there are others on here whose cats have the same problem. Have you found a successful treatment?


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## laurief (Jun 22, 2008)

Not only would I NOT administer Metacam for the rest of a cat's life, I wouldn't administer a single drop of Metacam EVEN ONCE to a cat for ANY reason!!! Metacam is NOT safe for cats! Just ask the manufacturer! In the U.S., it is labeled for ONE TIME, subcutaneous injection in cats for post surgical spay/neuter or orthopedic pain, and THAT'S IT! It is NOT labeled for oral use in cats AT ALL. It is known to have serious negative effects on the kidneys and liver of some cats, and these dangers are identified in the product literature. If there's any upside to long term use of Metacam in cats, it's probably that there is no long term in cats taking Metacam. This drug may fry your cat's kidneys before he has to live too long with any other problems.

I don't know what FIC stands for, but if you search for "urinary blockage", you may have better luck finding the threads that address this issue. Also, Googling "urinary blockage in cats" should come up with tons of relevant information.

Laurie


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## Muzby (Jan 9, 2008)

I just did a little google searching on this, it seems this would also be call FLUTD?

ANyhoo, here's some info I found that might be helpful.



*Drug Treatments For Idiopathic Cystitis In Cats*

If your cat is having a lot of severe episodes, your vet may prescribe amitriptyline. It relieves the pain and inflammation associated with cystitis in cats. Side effects can include sleepiness, weight gain, bladder stones, and urine retention. Your cat may not groom himself as much, either. 

Steroids may be given to reduce bladder inflammation. Glucosamine has been found to repair the mucus lining of the bladder, so your vet may want to try that. 

Read more: Has Your Cat Been Diagnosed With Feline Idiopathic Cystitis? 
Under Creative Commons License: Attribution

Many cat owners have had great success with treating their cats with a natural remedy made especially for pets. This cat uti remedy contains uva ursi and barberry, two herbs with a long history of use in treating human bladder problems. It also contains the homeopathic [COLOR=#009900 ! important][COLOR=#009900 ! important]remedieshttp://www.articlesbase.com/pets-ar...-with-feline-idiopathic-cystitis-732503.html#​
 Cantharis and Staphysagria. This remedy is safe for long-term use in cats, and is very effective for preventing cat urinary problems.

Read more: Has Your Cat Been Diagnosed With Feline Idiopathic Cystitis? 
Under Creative Commons License: Attribution

So from what I see, and know about your kittys eating habits.. it seems as though raw is the BEST thing for him at this time. Keeping him as stress free as possible, and maybe using some long term natural methods and ditching the meds as soon as you are able.

I also, as laurie says, wouldn't use metacam anymore. Ever. We refuse it for our cats as the vet can't prove to me that it has been approved for cats orally.
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## jackie_hubert (May 17, 2010)

Thanks guys! I have read up on FIC (FLUTD) in great detail and our cat has even been part of research into the disease. I too am aware of all the problems with Metacam. Unfortunately it was the only drug that kept him alive while he was teetering on the edge. I too don't want to use it at all but if it hadn't been for Metacam he wouldn't be around today. We use 2 drops a week right now and I always fear that if I stopped he's relapse and I'd feel responsible. In part to replace Metacam with another anti-inflammatory I posted here, to see what others are using. I will defintely look into Cantharis and Staphysagria, as well as those herbs. Our vet is holistic, I wonder why he did not suggest those. He used to be on glucosamine, but it didn't help him.

As for the tricylic, it has made him so much happier that I think it is definitely to his benefit to stay on it. He was so aggressive that we worked with a feline behaviourist for his whole life and now he lives stress free and hasn't shown aggression once since starting. The doctors and researchers believe that his urinary problems are, at least in part, caused by a neurological inability to deal with stress, hence the aggression and hence him being healthier all around on the drug.

Some great advice on here, as always.


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## Muzby (Jan 9, 2008)

Glad I was of some help.

As for the Metacam - I guess it's a judgement call, really. To me, even though it helped him in the short term.. keeping him on it long term which could cause his kidneys to fail within some months just isn't work risking taking him off it and finding another, safer, method. This is why I thank the lord every day our kitties are healthy (and thank raw!).

For clarity sake, I would refer to his disorder as FLUTD here, as many have cats with this issue and I've never heard of it referred to as FIC! I believe even Laurie has a few FLUTD cats. 

"Some more searching has come up with this, not sure if it will help..
Depending on the reason for Metacam being used there may be a valid substitution that can be made.
For cats with arthritis, Metacam tends to be the most effective drug to give. However, some cats do well with injections of either Cartrophen or Adequan. You can potentially ask your vetabout the possibility of using a drug such as buprenorphine, amantadine, gabapentin or tramadol.
For post operative pain management, if you are in the US (and tolfedine is not an option) then buprenorphine is usually quite good."
Is it true that Metacam kills cats?

"The other alternative is synoquin cat which works well in a high percentage of cases but can be unpalatable and I have seen cats that vomit with it for no real reason. If the cat is stable and happy on metacam then continue on one drop daily but it would pay to keep a check on kidney and liver function every 6 months. It is wise to do this anyhow with the thyroid problems."
My elderly cat has recently been prescribed Metacam. In your view, how safe is this drug for cats? (From The Northern Echo)


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## jackie_hubert (May 17, 2010)

From my reading FIC is a form of FLUTD (also known as IFLUTD - idiopathic FLUTD). Oscy has never had crystals which is what most FLUTD cats have if I'm correct. So the treatment is likely different from many FLUTD cats. I will discuss the Metacam alternatives with our new vet. We're in the process of switching vets since our current one is against raw and will be horrified to know we put Oscar on raw. 

I just ran a search on the forum for FLUTD and an old message read that there is a forum entirely devoted to FLUTD. I can't find it using google. Does anyone know how I could find it?


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## Muzby (Jan 9, 2008)

Hm.. I know Laurie has it.. it's a yahoo group. Let me try and find it for you.

Found it: http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/FLUTD/


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## laurief (Jun 22, 2008)

I didn't have it before, but I do now. Here's a link to the FLUTD mailing list:

FLUTD : FLUTD/FUS List

I'm not a member of that particular list, but I do strongly recommend that you join it. The other feline disease-related mailing lists of which I am a member have been truly lifesaving for my cats.

For the record, several of my male cats have suffered complete or partial urinary blockages in the past when they were eating kibble diets. Most were related to crystals, though one of my boys - Phantom - did have a nasty bout of interstitial cystitis with no crystals. Phantom is one of the boys who did have a crystal-related complete blockage years earlier while he was eating exclusively carb-loaded kibble. His crystal-free, interstitial cystitis, however, occurred quite a while after he had been switched to a primarily raw diet. In fact, as far as I know, none of my cats have had a problem with crystals since switching to a primarily raw diet.

Laurie


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## jackie_hubert (May 17, 2010)

Thanks everyone! I've joined the group!


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