Penny Had A Cystotomy - Some Questions

Hey all!

Some of you maybe remember me posting about Penny and her feeding tube a while ago. She had hepatic lipidosis, but recovered really quick and well. She's been her same old self for over a month now, which makes us really happy.

During the examinations when she was really sick (end of May), the doctors from the vet clinic discovered she had a quite large bladder stone (+- 8 mm diameter). We were familiar with Penny having bladder problems, but our regular vet kept treating her for 'chronic' cystitis since there were no crystals in her urine. Turned out to be a rather big and nasty bladder stone.

We took her to the vet clinic again on Monday for a check-up (blood work + ultrasound). Her blood results came back great, but the bladder stone din't shrink despite eating other food, so it was time for surgery. We brought her in yesterday. Operation went well. She was shaking because of the stress though, something she always does, poor thing... Anyway, we went home with her. She was awake, but ofcourse still a little woozy.

We asked for a medical shirt since a cone really stresses her out. The vet told us she probably would leave the wound alone, but she licked her belly because of her bladder problems excessively for over a year. Fearing she would just continue doing that, she's wearing the shirt now. My boyfriend's at work today and I have to go somewhere too. His younger sister is coming today to keep an eye on Penny when I'm gone. When we're both home, we're planning on removing the shirt to monitor her licking behavior closely.

Ofcourse we had all the info at the vet clinic, but since we both tend to forget a lot and always end up with some more questions hours after talking to the vet, I thought I'd ask them here! You guys have been a great help before.

1. The vet told us she couldn't play too rough or jump too much. Penny isn't really the 'I jump on everything I can'-type. She usually just jumps on the bed, the sofa and the windowsills. The bed and sofa are around 40 and 60 centimers from the ground. We put her on the sofa yesterday and helped her everytime she wanted to jump on it because she was woozy, but today she walks normal again. That means she can jump on the bed and sofa just fine again. I was wondering if it was okay to let her do it, since it isn't that high? I'm not sure how we could prevent it otherwise, since she can jump on it in the blink of an eye, or when we're asleep, or when I'm on the toilet,... The windowsill upstairs is higher though. Should we block it? We know she doesn't really sit in front of the windows upstairs during the day, only when we go to bed. But if it isn't good, we'd ofcourse try to block it.

2. We got the advice to offer her a little food yesterday (evening). We gave her 5 grams, which she ate. She didn't vomit. Before going to bed (we camped in our bedroom and moved her litter box, blankets and pillows upstairs), we put 10 grams out in case she got hungry at night. She ate during the night. Around 7AM, she vomited. Only once though (hasn't vomited since then). The 'puke pile' wasn't big. It was some fluid in combination with a little food. I waited a little before giving her a next portion. She ate some of it, and no vomiting yet. I was wondering if the vomiting this morning is a reason to call the vet clinic? I'm not really worried, but I also don't want to make mistakes concerning her health either. Especially after all we've been through with the feeding tube. Could it be some kind of late stress reaction? She was really scared yesterday and tends to vomit when she experienced a lot of stress, but that mostly happens not long after.

3. She went to her litter box a lot this night. I do not worry about that, because I don't expect her to have a normal 'pee routine' right after having trouble peeing for a long while and after bladder surgery. I noticed this morning when I woke her butt smells a lot like urine, though. At first sight, it seems to be her pelt instead of the shirt. I think she peed at the vet clinic yesterday because of the stress, and lied in it. Since giving her a little wash with a cloth gives her stress and we already have to check her wound and give her Metacam this evening, would it be wise trying to clean her up too? I don't want to give her extra stress.

4. What are your experiences with a cat licking/biting his/her stitches after bladder surgery? Ofcourse she looks cuter than ever with the shirt on, but she can walk around even better without it. When she lies down, we notice she isn't quite comfortable in it, but it isn't as bad as wearing a cone. She copes with it. We'd like to avoid taking the shirt off, and then trying to put her in it again when she doesn't leave the stitches alone. But yeah, I know you can't predict what she'll do.

For the rest she's showing she feels a lot better than yesterday. Se drinks, she eats, she's grooming herself, she comes to us for attention, she walks around,...

Thanks in advance! Here's a picture of her napping half an hour ago:

She's adorable!

I made Krista a meat stock by cooking a couple of turkey drumsticks and a couple of wings in a crock pot with water to cover on low for 5 hours--until the meat falls off the bone but well before the bones disintegrate like bone broth. Meat stock, sometimes also called meat broth, is more gentle than bone broth.

It will help settle Penny's stomach. But it will also provide lots of wonderful nutrition to fuel her recovery. It has minerals, amino acids, and collagens like gelatin, glucosamine, and chondroitin. Everything an injury needs to heal. The aroma and flavor will bring Penny to the plate. You can either feed her the broth directly (after it has cooled and set up like a gelatin dessert in the fridge) or mix it with wet food. You can warm it back up in a baggie under warm water. I weigh Krista's portions into a baggie and then add a spoonful of the broth and warm both in a hot water bath. It comes out a soggy mess but Krista laps it all up. She will eat the cold jelly straight from the fridge. If you mix it with dry food, it can make it very appealing so only mix with as much as Penny should be allowed to eat at one time. Don't encourage her to overeat.

The difference it has made for Krista is nothing short of amazing. It's rewinding her chronic conditions like her IBD, arthritis, and a chronic ear infection/inflammation that seems to be related to food allergies. She is moving a lot easier and jumping and playing like she hasn't in awhile. Not since before her hospitalization earlier this year. I cannot recommend it enough!

Here's a how to do it:
Home Made Broth Recipe for Cats & Dogs - Boulder Holistic Vet

I would increase the cooking time to maybe 4 to 5 hours. You'll know it's done when the meat easily falls off the bone when you stir.

Here's another article and video. I would stop at round 1. Sieve that and retain the broth. Keep a jar in the fridge to feed from and freeze the rest.

Bone Broth Is Excellent Nourishment for Older Pets

Hi. Glad to hear things seem to be going pretty well for Penny!

1.) Small jumps would be the preferred limit for at least a week after surgery. If you can't stop her, I would at least minimize it as much as possible - and, by all means, block off the jumps that you think are too high.

If you have anything around the house that could serve as a interim step (strong cardboard box, foot stool) between things like the floor and the bed, try showing them to her and see is she might use those steps for awhile.

2.) Continue to offer her food in smaller portions than normal, but more often. It is pretty likely the stress and drugs from surgery were affecting her. Also, if she is on antibiotics, try to ensure she receives some food at the same time (or, right before or after) just in case the antibiotics could upset her stomach a bit. If she continues to vomit, I would give the vet a call.

3.) Can you use something like unscented, hypoallergnic wipes just to remove some of the urine/smell from her fur? It should be a little less "intense' than actually washing her. Or, just take a small, soft washcloth, wet it in warm water, wring it out and use that just to wipe the area - maybe in petting/brushing motions, instead of a scrubbing motion?

4.) I can't help much with this one - after Feeby's bladder surgery 9 years ago, I don't recall having any issues with her bothering the incision. We never even put a cone on her, or a sweater/body suit. She had sutures that had to be removed, so she had a good check up when we took her in 10 days following surgery.

Hope to hear soon that she is doing even better!!

Thanks for replying, peeps!

daftcat75 : she didn’t vomit again during the day, so I think it’s a good thing. Since she’s extremely picky and we can’t fully use our stove, I’m gonna see what we’ll do! I bookmarked the page you shared, though. Thanks for your tip. ^^

FeebysOwner : thanks for answering! I was planning on just using a cloth with water and gently wipe her paws and butt. I can really smell the pee where she’s been. My boyfriend has a sensitive nose too, but he says he doesn’t really smell it. Weird, because the smell makes me a little nauseous and he is the one who gets easily nauseous from a smell. (I blame my headache)

We already blocked the places where she likes to hang out when she’s in an extremely curious mood (she can walk on the bookshelf from the stairs, for instance).

We just removed her shirt and put in the laundry because it was really wet from the pee. Hopefully she doesn’t touch her stitches too much, so she can walk around without the shirt or a cone. Before bed, we will try to wipe her with a wet cloth. One thing at a time, haha. There will be a heatwave next week, so I think it’s good the shirt is out. She started cleaning herself around the stitches since her fur is a tad wet from the pee, but so far she’s not really licking the wound itself. We’re keeping an eye on her, though. Is it bad when she sometimes licks the scar while cleaning the whole area? I think it’s only ‘bad’ when she specifically licks the scar alone, but I’d like to be sure.

We have to give her Metacam for five days. We’re familiar with it, so that’s good!

I don't cook or eat meat myself (except fish which I don't feed Krista) so I don't really feel like mixing my pots with her food. I bought a crock pot to make her meat stock. It also makes the long cooks a lot easier as I just tell the pot how long to cook for and it goes to a warm setting when it's done cooking. Meat stock/bone broth is fantastic for picky eaters. Krista is fairly picky too. But the minute I lifted the cover off the crock pot, she came around to see what that wonderful smell was. She loves the stuff so much, she'll eat the cold jelly straight from the fridge. I cannot reccomend this stuff enough for just about any cat.

Ah well, ofcourse Penny had to test our nerves again. As soon as she noticed there were stitches sticking out of her wound, she started biting/pulling them. Since her medical shirt was in the laundry, a plastic cone we still had from when she had the feeding tube was the only other option. But that was an ultimate disaster the last time she had it on. So we called the vet clinic, asking if I could pass by for some extra shirts, but we ended up taking Penny with us because she pulled the stitches quite hard and we wanted to be sure they were still fine. Costed a lot more since it wasn’t during regular hours, but we’re more relaxed now.

Sigh.

So, no damage to her stitches?

FeebysOwner said:

So, no damage to her stitches?

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Luckily they were fine! We got two extra shirts too. So far no pee accident since yesterday evening.

It's been four days since her surgery. Her medical shirt is still accident-free. She can move freely, but I have the feeling she feels kinda depressed or something because she has to wear it.

She still sleeps A LOT. It's probably a silly question, but is that still seen as normal? The vet told us she'd be sleepy for a day or two, but she sleeps almost all the time, and we're on day 4 now. I'm not really worried, but I'm also not sure if it's normal post-surgery behaviour (first pet).

Too bad she pulls at her stitches, since we have a heatwave this week (Thursday will probably be the hottest day Belgium ever had with temperatures rising to 40 degrees Celsius). I'm gonna stay home, trying my best to keep it as cool as possible. She has a cooling mat, I'm planning to put frozen bottles of water in front of a ventilator, we're keeping all the roller shutters down,... Great timing for a heatwave.

Is she on any meds that could be influencing her energy level and/or making her sleepy? Maybe the heat is playing a role in that as well?

I hope she starts to pep up some soon - and that she can get rid of that medical shirt in the very near future!!

We give her Metacam (tomorrow is the last day we have to give it to her). She's been on Metacam before when she was treated for an infection, and I don't recall her being sleepy from it. I'm thinking it's the weather too, although the temperatures are okay inside. But with the shirt it's probably warmer...

Her stitches will be removed on the 1st of August. Ten more days to go. I hope she'll manage. I keep telling myself it is a hundred times better than a cone. She really wasn't happy when she wore a cone, not mentioning the drama that occured when we had to remove it for a bandage change and put it back on. Poor girl went apesh*t.

She's been also more distant since we came back from the vet clinic Friday evening (when her stitches got checked). Not that we're worried or frustrated, but since she got very sick two months ago, we notice she isn't as close to us as before. Since she had her surgery, she's even more distant. We're absolutely not used to it, and I'm not ashamed to say it hurts my heart a little. I really hope it'll change again in the future. We give her all the time she needs, but we miss our little happy bundle of floof who sleeps next to us in bed and on the couch,... But the past two months were rough for her. It's like we have to earn her trust again, because we spent a lot of time taking her in and out the vet clinic.

Ah well... Sorry for the little 'rant'. She's like our baby.

It's OK to rant - share your frustrations - with us! Believe me, I have done it also. Just helps sometimes to tell other cat lovers - they are certainly the ones who can best relate!!

The Metacam can cause lethargy - maybe she has been on it long enough (compared to before??) that it is catching up with her, combined with the medical shirt, the heat, and overall experience she has been through. It wouldn't hurt to call the vet and ask if there is any reason to be concerned about the lethargy still going on. It kind of sounds like she still doesn't feel so great.

That is a long time for stitches! Here in the US - at least for me - when Feeby has her surgery nearly 10 years ago, her stitches were removed 10 days later! Was Penny's surgery more extensive/difficult than a standard cystotomy (which is what Feeby had, as far as I know)? You might also want to ask the vet about using moisturizer or something like that to help ease the dryness/stiffness that I think would come with stitches being in that long.

Feeby was around 5 when she had her surgery, and she bounced back very quickly. But, Penny has been through a bit more that just this surgery, so I am hoping it is a matter of taking a little longer to feel better about herself, her surroundings, and you.

Well, our regular vet told us to give her the Metacam until the bottle was finished the last time... So I think we gave her Metacam everyday for (over) a month. Afterwards we thought 'that ain't really okay', but at that time our focus was on her getting better. Yesterday was the last day we had to give it to her. Even though we can give it to her very easily, I'm glad that's over. She doesn't trust us anymore as soon as we have to give her medication and runs away every time she thinks we're giving her medicine (that includes running away when we just get ourselves a snack and stuff like that).

She's still 'lazy' to say so. She refuses to lie on her cooling mat or on the cool floor downstairs. Instead, she goes lying in her cat bed upstairs, where it's a bit warmer. I put her cooling mat in front of it and put a ventilator in our room that sends a breeze into her direction. She still eats and drinks well, and sometimes she comes downstairs meowing. After I gave her attention, she goes back upstairs to lie in her bed. We've been planning on renting an airco, because it can be around 40 degrees Celsius tomorrow. We wanna make sure Penny's okay, that's priority number one. Otherwise we're calling the vet tomorrow, just to be extra sure. She's lethargic, but again: she eats, she drinks, she still reacts to us,...

Stitches are mostly removed after 10 days too here, but since our vet from the clinic didn't work on the first days of the week and we had to talk about her bladder stone and diet too, we felt better getting a later appointment with her. But we already called the vet clinic to reschedule. Now her stitches will come out next Monday (instead of Thursday -> 14 days of stitches). We really want her out of that shirt with these temperatures. We have an appointment with another vet now, but they're all up to date on her condition and what she went through.

We also think it's just taking a toll on her. She's been through a lot the past few months. Right when she started acting a bit normal again, she had surgery. Poor thing. I hope she'll be okay after this, and we don't have to go to the vet the next year or so, unless it's for her vaccinations.

I think her multiple issues in recent months and then having the surgery, having to wear this medical shirt, getting Metacam (which can cause lethargy) for so long - not to mention the aggravation she feels about having to take it - and having the stitches becoming tight and dry are, in combination, the reason for her behavior. That seems to be especially possible since she is eating and drinking OK.

When you called the clinic, did you ask about any type of ointment/conditioner you could apply to the stitches in case they are dry and tight feeling?

After the stitches are out, the shirt is gone, and the memory of taking the meds begins to fade, I hope you will see the lethargy go away.

FeebysOwner said:

I think her multiple issues in recent months and then having the surgery, having to wear this medical shirt, getting Metacam (which can cause lethargy) for so long - not to mention the aggravation she feels about having to take it - and having the stitches becoming tight and dry are, in combination, the reason for her behavior. That seems to be especially possible since she is eating and drinking OK.

When you called the clinic, did you ask about any type of ointment/conditioner you could apply to the stitches in case they are dry and tight feeling?

After the stitches are out, the shirt is gone, and the memory of taking the meds begins to fade, I hope you will see the lethargy go away.

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Sorry for not answering sooner! It was hot, and I got massive headaches because of that.

Friday night it became a lot cooler. As soon as I opened all our windows, she was 'activated' again. Like I pressed a button, lol. She was just sleeping a lot because of the heat (clever girl). She immediatly celebrated the fresh air with some zoomies.

Her wound wasn't dried out or something, so we didn't have to put lotion on it. Stitches came out yesterday! Since one tiny bit of the wound was a teeny little infected, we decided to leave her shirt on for a few more days to avoid licking her wound. Luckily the heat wave's over, and she's totally used to the shirt by now. A day or three more won't hurt. She's all active again.

One 'funny/sad' thing: I was home everyday last week to keep an eye on her and make sure the house was cooled down enough for her. She wasn't used on me and my boyfriend leaving at the same time. When we were getting ready at the same time yesterday morning, she immediately ran under the bed. I think she links us getting ready to to the vet, poor girl. Same story today: both of us getting ready, and she was under the bed before we could blink. Poor girl. I hope she doesn't have to go to the vet anytime soon!

The stone turned out to be a calciumoxolate one. That means different food. We were a bit worried, because a change of diet made her develop lipidosis. The vet gave us some food samples to try out, and to our big surprise she immediately ate one of the samples. We fed her three times since yesterday evening with a bit of the new food mixed with the one she's still on, and it's a succes. Momma proud. I hope it'll keep going well.

She also has to drink more. We had a drinking fountain a few months ago, but it broke down. So I bought one again yesterday (a ceramic one) to put downstairs. There are two other water bowls in the house on her route. We placed one next to the fountain, because it seems she doesn't trust the new fountain yet. She started drinking from the previous one as soon as we put in on for the first time. This one's a bit more complicated. When she still doesn't drink from it in the next few days, I'll try to stimulate her and reward her when she drinks from it.

Glad to hear that she got much more active after the weather cooled down!! It's also good to know that she has gotten used to the shirt enough so that it is not driving her crazy! Maybe by the time she gets to take it off permanently, she will have also stopped correlating you guys leaving for work as a potential vet visit threat.

Thanks for the update!

How is pretty Penny doing? You and your bf are wonderful fur baby parents