What to be on the lookout for in your home, to avoid future flare ups!
Welcome everyone! We want this to be an ongoing conversation and a place to share wisdom and what's worked for you! Feel free to comment below and share anything you have learned in your journey with FIC.
Stress is the enemy when it comes to feline idiopathic cystitis. We are determined to educate and help in any way we can so that we can make FIC a thing of the past for our feline family members.
What we watch out for in our home:
It is typically believed that stress is the main trigger that will bring on an episode of #FIC. But #stress can be caused by a variety of things and these triggers can change from animal to animal! As you may know, this under-developed stress response in our cats can be caused by something in their past - even as far back as in utero! Their bodies have no choice but to take the #unprocessed stress and put it somewhere. It can show up as skin conditions, digestive symptoms, urinary tract issues and more. The following is a list that you can refer back to when you want to know if there's anything you could be doing or doing better to keep the stress at bay!
Let's start with #dirtylitterboxes or #toofewlitterboxes. Cats are extremely fastidious creatures and a dirty litter box can be come a deterrent over time! They can get to the point where they'd rather urinate or defecate somewhere else just to avoid feeling unclean. But if you have a cat that is prone to stress, this situation is a double concern. Not only do you risk a very smelly home, but you need to be concerned that this temptation to use the bathroom elsewhere than their instinctual sandbox, will trigger their stress response. Cats with FIC are already prone to an aversion to their litter boxes, as they start associating the pain they are feeling with the PLACE they are feeling it in. The last thing you want is a smelly, dirty environment that feels super uninviting. Let's be sure to clean those boxes at least once a day and always have at least one litter box per cat in the home.
#Changinglitterbrands can be a big problem if done cold turkey! Just as with their diets as we discussed in the last blog, our fur babies are very sensitive to sudden changes. This was what triggered our first FIC flare up with Dodger. There was a sale, I was trying to save a buck and it was "super lightweight"! Win-win right? Nope. Within a couple days, we had a cat crying and peeing blood all over our home. Any time you need to make a change, do so with extreme caution and deliberation. Do it a little at a time and go slow. Our favorite brand is https://www.drelseys.com/product-types/litter/ and we have it on auto-ship via www.chewy.com.
This probably goes without saying but if you are considering introducing a #newanimal to your home, there are very strategic ways to do so! Consider joining groups on Facebook for your particular breed and researching articles like this one: https://www.paws.org/resources/introducing-cat-to-cat/ to aid in your #transition from a single to a #multipleanimalhousehold. Once again, slow and steady wins the race. No surprises for our stress -prone, tail owners.
Along the lines of introducing new animals, it may be worth installing a doorbell/outdoor camera. There could be other animals being introduced to your nocturnal family member while you are sound asleep. If you find that there are #straycats coming around and causing your cat to get defensive about his or her territory, this can be a huge contributor to their stress. You may need to make use of essential oils, deterrent sprays, or an herb garden to keep neighborhood kitties out of your yard. We love this article full of wonderful suggestions! https://www.alleycat.org/community-cat-care/humane-deterrents/
If you have to be away for a vacation or on a regular basis, a #petsitter is a wonderful plan. We adore https://nashvillekittysitter.com. When looking to hire a pet sitter, make sure they are bonded and insured and that they will schedule a time to come over to meet your kitty while you are still at home. Letting your cat see that you approve of this person will make them more friendly and less concerned when you aren't around. As always, something new popping up out of the blue, like a new caretaker can trigger a stress response and lead to flare ups.
Beyond avoiding sudden changes to their routines, lastly, we need to be on the lookout for infections, illness and urinary stones. All of these things are bad enough in and of themselves BUT their pain and your worry can cause FIC cats to have a flare up on top of the other health concerns that may be pressing. Keep up with your routine check-ups so that you know what normal is for you individual kitty and always rule out illness and infection with your veterinarian.
Much love to you and your sweet kitties!!
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