Post Urinary Blockage/catheter

nkosloski

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Good Morning! Hoping this wonderful community can make a Cat mom feel at ease. SORRY FOR THE LONG POST - just want to give the full situation.

Neo, my 6 year old cat, was straining to pee 3 weeks ago. He was squatting all over the house with no pee coming out, then suddenly he went to the kitchen dropped 2 drops and then a full blown puddle. Since it was a Saturday I immediately rushed him to the emergency vet (which stresses him out). They took him in and said that they wanted to monitor him overnight to ensure he pees on his own. They ran a urinalysis and a few other tests to see what was going on with him. He had no infection (which seemed good) but was still straining to pee, however was producing small amounts. I went in that evening to say good night to him, and then he suddenly peed after he saw me - while he was still straining it was a decent amount of pee that he produced. The doctor suggested that I take him home with me because of how stressed he was at the vet. They sent me home with Prazosin & Burprenorphine to give him for the next 7 days. Also he was switched to eat only Royal Canin Wet SO. He seemed to be doing OK at home with the medications, going I would say a ping pong ball - golf ball size pees every time he went, all though he frequently visited the litter box. My husband and I were going out of town (pre planned trip) that Thursday after all of this so I wanted to bring him to his vet for a checkup before I left him at home with my Mom watching over him.

I took him to the vet Thursday morning and they seemed concerned because his bladder was full, but every time he got into the litter box at the vet he was only releasing small small amounts of urine and making these noises that I hadn't heard at all when we were home. They took x-rays, didn't see any blockages or stones in his bladder, he was constantly licking down there after attempting to pee and then suddenly he just stopped peeing. The vet gave me a bunch of prescriptions and provided me with a few scenarios, he could be stressed out because of being there and may feel more comfortable at home to urinate. She asked me to take him home, see if he urinates within the first 15 minutes and if he doesn't he needs to go immediately to the emergency vet to receive a catheter. She could have done the catheter, but he would have needed to be sent to the emergency vet for 24 hour care after the catheter was inputted so she suggested that I just go there vs. the two stops.

Well, we went home and the entire 5 minute drive home I just knew he wasn't going to pee at home because i suspected the stress of the vet caused him to ultimately block which I'm sure would have happened regardless. We got home and he was just making noises trying to pee. I immediately put him in the carrier and my husband and I headed to the emergency vet. They took him back immediately and told us he needed a catheter ASAP. We gave him hugs, warned the vet that he gets easily stressed and left our sweet baby at the vet.

They emergency vet was great - calling us every day in the morning and evening giving us updates on his progress. He ended up having the catheter in him for 48 hours, until he peed it out. They monitored him for 6 hours after that to ensure he peed and let us know we could pick him up that evening. We brought him home, and the first time he got in the box he growled at and looked to be straining - but he released urine. He tried to lick down there but he has a cone on his head to avoid that - which is so cute and sad. I frantically called the emergency vet and they said I could bring him back in but this could be a reaction having the catheter in him, so I decided to let him spend the night home before rushing back. The next morning seemed to be better, the strain time decreased and he was still releasing urine. I would say each day was getting a little better, he was still on the same medicines, Prazosin & Burprenorphine for 2 weeks (currently at day 9). We let him roam the house on his own for the first 5 days he was home so that he could get himself to smell like home and also just make the environment as stress free as possible. On Thursday evening, April 12th, we let our 4 year old girl cat out to reintroduce the kitty's. As always it took a few days, but it made it a little better for all of us to have everyone back together. Our spare bedroom as 2 litter boxes, which I clean 2-3 times a day (morning, after work and before bed). While I think my baby is getting better my vet doesn't make me feel that way. Our girl cat's pee I would say is the size of a baseball, while Neo's pee is the size of a golf ball, and he is still going in and out frequently - which he did prior to being blocked, I'm not sure if he just likes the litter box or what?! Anyways, I guess I don't know what a normal size pee is for him since I never really paid full attention to what I was scooping prior to this incident. Is a cat peeing golf ball size pees 5-7 times a day normal? He likes to also go to the bathroom if I am in the room where the litter box is, like hes saying "look mom I'm peeing, don't take me back to the vet." I feel like everyday gets better, he has a great appetite (always has) is running around playing with his toys, cuddles just like normal, vocal as normal, he doesn't drink water but I have been adding a lot of water to his wet food so I think he's getting a decent amount through that. I'm hoping I can take the cone off soon, we've been taking it off for a few hours a day and monitoring that he doesn't over groom down there. Is there really such thing as a normal pee size for cats?!

I've read so many posts about urinary blockage and post catheter recovery, just hoping maybe given my situation maybe others have seen the same in their cat.
 

tmwick10

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As long as kitty is going to the restroom that is a good sign. We have the exact issue right now with our boy Bradley.
 

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I dont know. i suggest just keep the vet updated on how he is behaving. I know with mine they go average of 3 times a day, and its more baseball size. The boys have bigger clumps than the girls, but they are a lot bigger, and do eat more wet food.
 

sweetblackpaws

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So there was no bacteria and no crystals? It sounds like FIC (feline idiopathic cystitis), an extremely scary and frustrating condition! I think golf sized balls are not ideal, but if he is producing them several times daily, that is good. The meds they sent you home with are the same ones they sent my boy home with, so I guess that is standard protocol. You are doing a wonderful job caring for him and just continue to watch him like a hawk and keep his stress as low as possible (which I am sure you are).

My boy continued to block despite several catheterizations and ultimately had surgery, but the ER vet told me his bladder was like a "snowglobe" (i.e. crystals), which is not the case with your kitty.

I am sorry you both had to go through such a stressful thing. I know the ER is as stressful for the pet parent as it is for the cats. :alright:
 
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nkosloski

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So there was no bacteria and no crystals? It sounds like FIC (feline idiopathic cystitis), an extremely scary and frustrating condition! I think golf sized balls are not ideal, but if he is producing them several times daily, that is good. The meds they sent you home with are the same ones they sent my boy home with, so I guess that is standard protocol. You are doing a wonderful job caring for him and just continue to watch him like a hawk and keep his stress as low as possible (which I am sure you are).

My boy continued to block despite several catheterizations and ultimately had surgery, but the ER vet told me his bladder was like a "snowglobe" (i.e. crystals), which is not the case with your kitty.

I am sorry you both had to go through such a stressful thing. I know the ER is as stressful for the pet parent as it is for the cats. :alright:

Sorry! I should of included his diagnosis when was released from the vet. He was diagnosed with FLUTD, and had struvite crystals.
 
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nkosloski

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Sorry! I should of included his diagnosis when was released from the vet. He was diagnosed with FLUTD, and had struvite crystals.
All of his crystals were stuck in his urethra, which ultimately made him block :(
 

sweetblackpaws

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Ok, in a way, that is good. Easier to treat than FIC since there is a known cause. Whatever you do, keep him on the prescription food! It contains a urinary acidifier that creates an environment that makes it really hard for crystals to form. If it makes you feel any better, mine has been on Royal Canin SO for about a year now and he is fine. We have also tried Science Diet C/D, but he likes the RC better. The ER vet initally told me to put him on RC S/D just for a month (S/D is NOT to be fed permanently!). S/D is a very strong formula meant for emergency situations to quickly dissolve crystals. Maintenance should be the S/O. Some kittes are just more prone to crystal formation, so it is often not as simple as "just feed them wet food". That is good he likes the wet - mine didn't, and has been on kibble ever since. Do you have a water fountain for him? My cats love fountains. I like the Original Drinkwell, but there are several you can choose from. He will drink more with a fountain.
 
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nkosloski

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Ok, in a way, that is good. Easier to treat than FIC since there is a known cause. Whatever you do, keep him on the prescription food! It contains a urinary acidifier that creates an environment that makes it really hard for crystals to form. If it makes you feel any better, mine has been on Royal Canin SO for about a year now and he is fine. We have also tried Science Diet C/D, but he likes the RC better. The ER vet initally told me to put him on RC S/D just for a month (S/D is NOT to be fed permanently!). S/D is a very strong formula meant for emergency situations to quickly dissolve crystals. Maintenance should be the S/O. Some kittes are just more prone to crystal formation, so it is often not as simple as "just feed them wet food". That is good he likes the wet - mine didn't, and has been on kibble ever since. Do you have a water fountain for him? My cats love fountains. I like the Original Drinkwell, but there are several you can choose from. He will drink more with a fountain.
Yes - prescription food will now be a forever thing! He was prescribed Royal Canin SO. We had him on half wet / half dry food but have no officially transferred over to full wet! Thankfully he loves wet food :) We do have a water fountain, however I am adding water to his wet food to make it a soup like texture to ensure he gets the water intake that I believe he needs. He used to love drinking water our of fountains and cups and faucets that it is a little strange for us that he doesn't do it as much anymore! I did give my vet a call, I call them twice a week since this has happened - I give them a weekend update and then end of week update. We discussed his recent urinating while they are very happy he is peeing they were hoping he would be further along in the recovery. They want me to call back on Thursday to let them know if anything has changed with his eating, drinking, urinating frequency and if he is continuing to lick himself down there after using the potty. They are hoping the Prazosin and Burprenorphine will be enough and maybe more progress by end of week - but if everything is stay constant they think he needs another relaxer for his urethra to help heal. I feel more at ease and truly appreciate this community! I've lived in these blogs, because I feel like a nervous wreck all the time, him being only 6 I am not ready for him to have health issues and I most definitely don't want him to die so I am doing everything in my power to stay by his side and monitor him!
 
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nkosloski

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I dont know. i suggest just keep the vet updated on how he is behaving. I know with mine they go average of 3 times a day, and its more baseball size. The boys have bigger clumps than the girls, but they are a lot bigger, and do eat more wet food.
The worse part is - I dont even remember how big his pee was before all of this!! We had switched the cats to Yesterday's News back in the fall - and now I am so angry with myself because I feel like I could have caught all of this earlier had we been using clumping litter. Never again! I do see the size difference though - our girl pees the large size, while he peeing smaller. He's always been a cat that goes to the litter box frequently, but now I am obsessing over the size of his pee.
 
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nkosloski

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As long as kitty is going to the restroom that is a good sign. We have the exact issue right now with our boy Bradley.
Yes - I am very thankful he is peeing!! Even if it is not as much as the vet had hoped at this point in the recovery, we are both very happy that he is peeing, not straining and being more himself!
 

duckpond

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Sounds like you are doing the right things! Best of luck to you guys, and please do keep us updated! And dont blame yourself. The litter may or may not have made a difference with how fast you noticed it. I think switching to a non clumping clay was done for their best health interest right?

I dont know what you are using now. I use a clumping walnut litter, or a grass litter that clumps. i like both quite well.
 
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nkosloski

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Sounds like you are doing the right things! Best of luck to you guys, and please do keep us updated! And dont blame yourself. The litter may or may not have made a difference with how fast you noticed it. I think switching to a non clumping clay was done for their best health interest right?

I dont know what you are using now. I use a clumping walnut litter, or a grass litter that clumps. i like both quite well.
Thank you so much! I liked the Yesterday News because of the reduced tracking and I felt it was better for the cats then the clumping litter that has so much dust. Neo (the cat that is currently having the urinary issues) also had a broken claw at the time - poor guy had to have teeth removed, but had a hell of a night before going into surgery. Currently I am using Fresh and Clean unscented by Purina it was the first thing that caught my eye when I was frantically walking around Petco after I picked him up from the Emergency Vet! I will look into your walnut litter, sounds much healthier for the kitty!
 

duckpond

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The walnut litter i get is Litter maid, i love it as do my cats. I can only find it at walmart. i use two bags, they are only 8lbs, and its fairly cheep, to fill a xlarge box. No smell, no dust, and quite light weight. i used blue Buffalo walnut in the past but it has more dust than the litter maid.

I also like a grass based litter, its my second favorite. I love the abound brand that i can get at Kroger. i also like the pioneer pet, but i think the grass litters are all similar. its a very fluffy litter, i had to only have about 2 inches in the box for a week or so until my cats got use to it. then i could go deeper.

Both of these are fragrance free, clump well and the cats like it. The walnut might be my very favorite litter of all time, i think the cats too :)
 
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nkosloski

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Update: Neo is still peeing frequently, which I noticed is more towards the end of his meds or start of the next dose. Still has the cone on too :( We take it off if one of us is home and can monitor that he doesn't over groom down there!

I called the vet to provide an update and while they are happy he is eating and acting normal, they do hope that he starts peeing more regular sized. Right now he is peeing I would say 3-4 times in a row (gets in, pees, goes and eats some food, then goes back and pees again) which equals out to what a normal size pee should be. I just wish he would get better! They do not want me to stop the medicines until he is peeing more normal sized for his size (17lbs). The only nice thing right now is I can tell he is urinating because his urine clumps are much different in size than his sisters :)
 

lamshinlok

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Any update for Neo? does he pee in baseball size now? how long does Neo spend until fully recover? My cat dup dup is flighting for the same issue now, a bit frustrated!
 
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nkosloski

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Any update for Neo? does he pee in baseball size now? how long does Neo spend until fully recover? My cat dup dup is flighting for the same issue now, a bit frustrated!
Hello! Neo was on pain meds for 30 days. He ended up going back to the vet around the middle of April (2 weeks after initial incident), this was because of the stress that the cone caused him so we were able to take it off! They upped his muscle relaxer for 2 full weeks — this is when his pee became less frequent and more normal sized. Then we had 2 weeks of normal dose. He’s been off all meds for about two weeks now and everything seems normal! He’s acting himself, only on the Royal Canin urinary SO wet food, less frequent larger pee and pooping normal. All in all I would say it took him 6-8 weeks to become “normal” again. Hope this helps! Let me know if you have any questions - I was the most worried catmom ever and ended up at the vet multiple times a week and calling them multiple times a week just to ask them questions - not to bring in the cat!
 

duckpond

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Glad to hear Neo is doing well! I worry too, hopefully you have a great vet like i do, he never minds the call and always takes time to explain and answer my questions!
 
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