Working on FIC (Feline Idiopathic Cystitis) as the most likely cause — ~60–70% of cases in young males, stress-driven, and a management condition rather than a curable one. Strategy: fix the day-to-day baseline first (water, wet food, stress) since those help regardless of cause and cost almost nothing. Escalate to the £700 scan + culture workup only if he flares again or home markers look off.
02Medication
GabapentinControlled · 1mo
1ml every 8 hours. Expect him to go sleepy and a bit wobbly on his feet — that's the intended effect, not a problem. Give with a scrap of food if he resists.
Dose 1
Morning
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Dose 2
+8 hrs
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Dose 3
+8 hrs
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HoldMetacam — not tonight, per vet. Confirm with them when/whether to resume it alongside the gabapentin so you're not doubling up or stopping something you shouldn't.
03To Buy
04Daily Levers — The Actual Fix
💧Water intake — the big one
Dilute urine irritates the bladder less. Fountain running, water bowls in a couple of spots away from food. This is what the refractometer lets you measure working.
🥩Move to full wet food
He's on half wet / half kibble now, so it's an easy jump. Transition over ~5–7 days (shift the ratio gradually) to avoid upsetting his stomach. Wet food = far more moisture in, which does the same job as the fountain.
🌿Knock stress down
Feliway diffuser, calm routine, play time, litter trays clean and in quiet spots (rule of thumb: one per cat plus one). Stress is the FIC trigger — the gabapentin buys you a calmer baseline while these settle in.
05Daily Log
06What To Expect
Days 1–7
Current flare should settle
FIC flares typically ease within 5–7 days. Start all the levers now; gabapentin takes the edge off. Begin the food transition.
Weeks 1–4
Bed in the new baseline
Full wet diet established, fountain in use, stress levers running. Log daily. Watch urine trend more dilute if you're using the refractometer — that's the plan landing.
~1 Month
Review point (gabapentin runs out)
Take stock: any flares? Is he calmer, drinking more? Speak to the vet about tapering/stopping the gabapentin and whether the baseline's holding on its own.
Ongoing
Managed, not cured
The honest goal with FIC is rare, mild flares rather than never again. If the changes hold and flares stay away, you've broken the groundhog-day loop without the £700.
If it flares again
Then escalate — see below
Recurrence despite the changes is the trigger to spend on diagnostics.
07When To Escalate
Book the workup if: he flares again despite the changes bedding in, or home markers look off — persistent blood on the strips, consistently high pH, or crystals under the scope alongside symptoms.
Cheaper first step: urinalysis + culture (rules out infection & crystals — 2 of the 4) before committing to the full ultrasound. Ask them to do that as step one.
Sterile sample = cystocentesis, not a catheter — a quick fine needle into the bladder, seconds long, less faff than you feared.
Emergency — no waiting: if he strains in the tray and produces nothing at all, that's a possible full blockage. Straight to a same-day emergency vet — it can be fatal within 24–48 hrs in a male cat.
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Saves on this device when opened in a browser. Not veterinary advice — confirm meds with your vet.