? Non Diabetic question for all you cat ladies

I have a friend who feeds a TNR cat that she's been caring for for years. She recently had a young tom show up asking for food and attention. Reluctantly, (she didn't want to take it in and get attached) she trapped him and got him to the vet. The photos she showed me made me think he had something caustic or hot thrown on him. The vet says it's nerve damage and there is a problem with leaking urine. He's apparently very loveable and gave her and the vet no problem but the vet recommended putting him to sleep. She lives near Lancaster PA in an apartment. She says there are no rescue organizations in the area that she feels she can turn to. I have 17 cats (including Queenie who is Diabetic and a new "project for me) and while I have outside shelters I am already way over burdened with $$ to care for what I have. Besides I don't have outside only cats and if this one seeps urine I'd not have good inside options and my healthy boys would surely chase him off.

I suggested she get a second opinion and offered to post here. Any thoughts, good vines and offers to take in a special needs kitty appreciated. He seems like a true survivor!

 

Sending positive vines to your friend and kitty!!! I would recommend a second opinion, too!

I found this on the 10 Causes of Feline Incontinence:
Feline incontinence often links to an underlying disease or condition. With incontinence, pets dribble small amount of cat urine all over the house. Incontinence also includes cat diarrhea. Learn the ten common causes why cats deal with incontinence issues.

Bladder Stones
Bladder stones occur when minerals combine forming large crystals. Bladder stones reach the size of peas and irritate the lining of the bladder. If bladder stones reach the urethra, it becomes hard for a cat to urinate. You'll see him straining in the litter box with little to no urine coming out or cat urine will have a pinkish tint from blood.

Bladder Cancer
While rare, cats exposed to flea dips and insecticides in the yard have a higher risk of bladder cancer. Tumors build up on the inner lining of the bladder eventually blocking the urethra. Symptoms include straining while urinating or defecating, feline incontinence and lethargy.

Feline Diabetes
Feline diabetes rates are skyrocketing. A diabetic cat drinks excessive amounts of water and urinates often. Often, the cat fails to make it to the litter box on time. Controlling the diabetes eliminates this form of feline incontinence.

Feline Diarrhea
People associate incontinence with urine, but poor bowel control is another form of feline incontinence. In cases of severe cat diarrhea, common problems include spinal cord injuries, particularly including damage to the tail. Other issues include poor diet, digestive problems and bacteria or viruses in the intestines.

Feline Leukemia
The feline leukemia virus is preventable. Many spayed and neutered cats affected by feline leukemia have problems with bladder control. They frequently dribble urine when they are sleeping or resting. The problem does affect more male cats than females, however. Some veterinarians find that a low dose of chemotherapy helps eliminate if the feline incontinence is excessive.

Kidney Stones
Like bladder stones, kidney stones occur when crystals bind in the kidneys causing blockages and irritation. A cat with kidney stones will have a tender abdomen and often has problems urinating. Blood is often visible in the cat urine.

Scarred Bladder
If a urinary tract infection spreads to the bladder, scarring will occur. The scarring essential takes up room causing the bladder to hold less urine. He will need to urinate more frequently. More accidents occur as a result.

Senility
With old age, some cats simply lose sense of when they need to go to the bathroom. They may wait too long and dribble on the way to the litter box, or they may forget where their litter box is located. You may find it easier to keep one litter box on each level of your house to avoid these feline incontinence accidents.

Urinary Tract Infections
Feline urinary tract infections remain a leading cause of feline incontinence. When the urinary tract becomes infected, the cat finds it impossible to go to the bathroom. He will strain, but little to no urine comes out. Antibiotics are necessary for UTIs. They can quickly spread to the bladder and kidneys if left untreated.

Weakened Urinary Muscle Tone
Cats that are carrying litters of kittens or elderly cats lose control of their urinary system muscles. Leaking and dribbling of cat urine are common problems. In addition, when the bladder is full, it pushes against the bowels causing accidents with defecation.


Read more: 10 Causes of Feline Incontinence

 

Thanks Vicki!

 

Oh that Poor baby! I can't stand the thought of someone doing that to him intentionally, I hope it was some sort of accident. That's a really tough call to end his life or not. Has she tried an ad in the local paper to see if she can find the owner? There may be someone out there looking for him.

 

I recently had an issue with Callie leaking urine and it was due to a UTI and crystals. Since she has started antibiotics and C/D, it seems to have stopped. The missing hair may be because of nerve damage, or he may be overgrooming in that area because of allergies. A couple of my cats have bad allergies to fleas and will look that bad if they get out of control. Unless he has other health issues that could be passed on to your cats, my recommendation would be to give him a chance.

 

Saoirse overgroomed that area when she had bladder stones. Her fur grew back after they were removed surgically (oxalate uroliths).

 

This kitty appears to have been injured. His tail is not functioning (something I was not told before). I think it's pretty likely incontinence that may be irreversible.

 

Awww, the poor guy. He'd make someone a nice outdoor cat, or barn cat maybe??? He sure is a handsome fellow. A lot of people like those solid orange tabbies.

 

Barn cat might be a good idea. He looks pretty well fed for a stray so I bet he'd probably be a good mouser. You don't need a functioning tail for that. The urine leaking wouldn't be such an issue either. I'd still check for a UTI or crystals or bladder stones first if possible (those are all uncomfortable things to have.) She might want to check rural areas around Lancaster for a new barn home.

 

That almost looks like a scar, maybe got hit by a car? If so, he's probably got nerve dysfunction. Mange can look kinda like that but wouldn't explain the incontinence.

 

Mange generally looks much more scabby than what the picture shows. (By the way don't ever do a google image search for "mange cats". I did once when my father suggested Edwin's licking his leg bald was mange. Those are terrible, terrible pictures.) Come to think of it, a car accident, or other pain, could cause him to lick his fur off like that. A car accident and internal injuries could help explain the incontinence maybe? I don't know.

 

Yeah, I agree about mange, usually more scabby. My cat a long time ago had a bald spot by the tail, turned out to be demodex which is not the usual mange in cats, but still a mite. Interesting, I was getting rashes at the time that cleared up after I treated my cat. Ew.

 

Ewww is right, but thank goodness there was only one type of mite to get rid of, instead of multiple types, and that getting rid of it on your cat fixed your rash too.

 

Thanks all! This kitty has an injured (and shortened) tail and the extent of nerve damage is yet TBD. The vet who has him currently wants to put him down, but that will not be happening. The same vet also says he has no tail mobility but I have a photo that clearly shows he can hold his tail parallel to the ground. We are working to get him to a better vet.

 

Fractures in a tail can be pretty painful if they heal poorly, this leads to arthritis with increasing nerve damage later. x-rays might be helpful in figuring out what is damaged and if there is something that can be treated (probably means surgery or sometimes tail amputation to help the pain). Whatever trauma happened, it was probably a while ago and he's since healed, and that's hard to fix after the fact. Poor boy. He looks pretty well otherwise.

 

Depending on when the injury happened, it may be possible for rest to allow some recovery.

From the vet's side of things, an injury affecting the tail's ability to move often ties into incontinence or being unable to eliminate. You'll need to check for difficulty eliminating and possible help express the bladder and colon.