Advice for cat with Chronic Cystitis requested

The condition was first noticed about three weeks ago, one evening when she began passing small amounts (tablespoon or so) of urine that was tinged with red blood (pinkish red/diluted with urine) and we let her have some milk in addition to her usual water that is always available. However by next morning her condition had changed to small droplets of blood (fresh, bright red, seemingly containing no urine), being passed wherever she was at the time, frequently squatting, unable to make it to the litter tray in time, and a trip to the vet was immediately arranged.

Her history includes bouts of cystitis, from the age of about 11 months - after her pregnancy, when some dry food (biscuits to supplement her canned meat diet) aggravated her and caused some bleeding. This has recurred from time to time if she has had occasional dry food so subsequently we avoided giving her dry food just in case it caused her harm.

Other than the cystitis she has not had any other health issues, except fleas sometimes or tapeworm as a result of fleas or eating wild mice, in the past - she currently has no fleas but may have worms, as one of our other cats has had them (we have three other cats all aged 7). As I say, she had one pregnancy, resulting in two kittens, one which died of anaemia and the other lived to 10 years and died of a kidney disorder.

She is very happy, loved, and of slender build, at the previous vet visit three weeks ago a different vet couldn't feel her bladder, but said her kidneys felt normal.

I hope this isn't too much rambling, and provides useful information to give a bigger picture of her.

The early (11 month plus) bouts of cystitis were treated with an injection and tablets from the vet, I cannot remember what exactly it was back then, but usually it is a steroid injection followed by a course of antibiotics - the idea being that although no infection is present the anti-inflamatory steroid injection can leave the cat with a low resistance to infection so the antibiotics are used as a preventative.

So I assume the original injection was also steriod and the tablets would have been antibiotics.

I just remembered additional health info:
She has over the last year developed a small cyst by her left eye, on the side of the bridge of her nose. It is very small, about the size of a 'petit pois' (small green pea) and the vet said it is harmless, and won't need to be removed unless she needs anaethetic for another reason and the cyst could be removed for cosmetic reasons only, or if it gets much larger and causes problems. However no biopsy was taken from it.

I've been looking for the Phosphorous 30c today, and it seems I will need to order some online as my local shops don't stock it. When I get some, will that be one pillule only, and then wait for further instruction? That is what I assume.

I have tried her on some fresh chopped chicken breast for lunch, it wasn't over cooked - but it caused vomiting, which isn't like her at all unless something disagrees with her. I'll see how it goes, but I don't think she ever was one for raw or fresh meat except in tidbit quantity.

I won't use rabbit, or game - and I know she finds beef too rich on it's own. I'll continue with her regular food and give occasional fresh fish in small quantities.

No we don't have BARF here, I checked out their site. It wouldn't suit her anyway I don't think. Maybe the younguns though ;)

I'll keep that remedy in mind, but for now I need to look at the bigger picture, tumours suspected and all - and phosphorous seems to fulfill a lot of her problems, not just the cystitis, 'tumours' etc. Besides, I ordered it earlier ;)

Thanks so much for helping though!

Just to update - I am still waiting for the phosphorous 30c to arrive, I ordered it from abc, and not heard back yet. I'll contact them.

It arrived a short while after posting that last comment :) direct from Weleda.

I gave her the single dose at 12:45pm, and nothing to report yet, except she has urinated in her litter tray - it looked a reasonable amount (not lots, but not just a tiny amount either. Maybe two tablespoons approx?) it looked dark against the pale pine litter, darker than the litter looks with healthy urine. She has been that way lately. But I should add that at about 8am this morning she passed a small clot.

I'm off to bed now, she has slept a lot, but also been up and getting attention from everyone. She also graced us with her presence late this evening as we relaxed in the living room, which she hasn't really been doing for the past week. I have noticed more 'dark urine' patches in the litter, there's been no sign of blood since 8am this morning. She just took her final antibiotic tablet before her evening meal. Her vet appointment is next friday the 3rd Sept.
I'll be sure to post often.
Thanks for the support :)

Not much to report this morning, she has passed no blood during the night thankfully. She looks happy and well.
I'll keep an eye out to see if she goes to the garden to pass stools, but to be honest I haven't noticed her doing this lately, she might be popping to a neighbouring garden or field to pass them.

We have often played a game with her: she sits in the bath and we make movements with a piece of tissue paper, which she then 'hunts'. I had observed a few days prior to the phos. that she didn't feel compelled to join in with this game. I will try again soon to see if she feels like 'hunting'.

She went outside today and stayed out for almost an hour. I watched her from a window, she seemed to be surveying the gardens around our home from a high vantage point. I didn't watch her for long as it was my family's lunch time and I was busy. She seemed to just be sitting outside when I watched.

Her eyes and ears are normal (just the small cyst by her inner left eye - no change.) Her mouth and breath are fine, her coat is in good condition, she has been keeping up her self-grooming.

Her urine is pale now which leads me to believe that the darker urine may have been a sign she hadn't been drinking enough.
At about 11:30am she urinated and passed a small clot-like lump of dark red material but there was no trace of blood in urine, the litter remained pale. Other days when she has passed clots the urine has been red or pinkish red.

I will not give her any other remedies, treatments etc. I had to finish the antibiotics course before on instruction of vet. All gone now.

I'll try to find some, I'm in UK so I will try a large pet supplies store.

We think she caught a shrew last night. It was uneaten.

She has been more playful over the last 48 hours, and also very sociable and purring a lot when she gets attention. Everything normal and healthy looking like a much youger cat.

she doesn't kill often and usually vomits if she eats it.