2yr old male urinary blockage

Diana Faye

Always and Forever, Irving
Thread starter
Adult Cat
Joined
Sep 10, 2018
Messages
250
Purraise
283
You never think it'll happen to you, until it does. This last weekend was my first ever trip to the emergency vet due to urinary blockage. I apparently caught it in the earlier stages and he is currently back at home recovering but, he will need a lifetime of management.

I thought I was doing a good job. They were healthy, nice coats, active. I have a water fountain, fed wet food with added water (Fancy Feast pate), and a cup of dry food (American Journey duck flavor) to graze over night. I will obviously need to switch to prescription food and make changes to his diet. The vet sent me home with Hills Science Diet chicken pate, but other than being starved when he first came home, he has no interest in it. He loves to eat, but really doesn't like this food. He nibbled at the dry food, but not a lot. I didn't see him drink at all yesterday so I'm worried about that too. I have him in a separate room for now while I'm at work so I can monitor his litter box use, and when I checked him during lunch he still hadn't eaten much. The extra water dish I put with him was low, but I realized I totally forgot to look at it this morning (filled over night) when I gave his meds, so I don't know if he drank or my other cat.

I'm still in shock and very anxious about him blocking again, and not eating. I had a small stockpile of food in preparation for winter and due to pandemic/ holidays backing up deliveries, which I can't use now. I don't know anything about what would be best for urinary health and of course I'm in a panic feeling unprepared during the worst possible time.

Does anyone have any advice on how to get him to eat, or other brands to try that would be safe for him? Are supplements any good, and if so what kind? What kind of treats are safe to give? He's only 2 and the vets were surprised that he was so young, so I'm really worried and desperate to get a handle on this fast.
 

Whenallhellbreakslose

Living in Kitty Paradise.
Top Cat
Joined
Sep 17, 2020
Messages
3,065
Purraise
14,157
I had a scare with a big male tabby I used to own. He was vomiting an straining to go to the bathroom. We though that he had FLUTD, but after getting numberous tests at a vet hospital it was ruled out, instead he had a bad UTI and was put on antibiotics. What I know about FLUTD is that it effects middle age to older cats and it is fatal if the blockage isn't cleared in 48- 72hours. It is a very scary thing to go through. My heart goes out to you.

We were prescribed Hill's Special Urinary Health dry food, but switched to Wellness Core Urinary Health dry food which my cat liked better and has good ingredients including Cranberry in it. We also bought some Royal Canin wet food for Urinary health. We wanted all bases covered so he wouldn't have any reoccurance of bladder infection.
I also gave him a OTC product like Phosphorus Bind that eliminates excess phosphorus in the cat's system. I also used for time to time products that had cranberry and D' Mannose which is good at cleaning up the urinary tract.

You must try to get your cat to drink water. I had to get a syringe to get water down my cat's throat. He hated that, but I didn't want him to get another bad infection. I then put tuna juice in his water bowl and he started drinking up the water. That is one way to get your kitty to drink up.

i think I read that cats with FLUTD have a good chance at having a reoccurring blockage, so this could be a lifetime problem for your cat. Here is an article I am attaching to my reply. I hope it helps.

Best of luck. I hope things get better for you and your kitty.🙂
How Can I Treat My Cat's Cystitis (or FUS, or FLUTD)?
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #3

Diana Faye

Always and Forever, Irving
Thread starter
Adult Cat
Joined
Sep 10, 2018
Messages
250
Purraise
283
They do like to lick tuna water, but I've been scared to give him anything without knowing if it was safe. I never tried adding it to his water but if it can work that would be great.

I'll have to check out the local pet store to see if I can get a small amount of those brands to try. Usually I order from Chewy but I don't want to get a bunch of stuff that he's going to hate.

How much water do you try to give via syringe? I don't want to have to force him but if it comes to that.. I don't want to water board him either.

How much urine should a cat be passing? I've been obsessively cleaning the litter boxes now, which they love and try to make use of every time. I was trying to use my other cat as a barometer (pee- rometer?) but it's just making me paranoid about him now. I've seen larger clumps but with all this I've been getting about a golf ball size amount from him now and less than that from my sick cat. I just feel like I'm going crazy over this
 

fionasmom

Moderator
Staff Member
Moderator
Joined
Jun 21, 2014
Messages
13,114
Purraise
17,349
Location
Los Angeles
You did not do anything wrong. He is prone to those conditions but it was not caused by anything that you did or fed him. Hopefully others will chime in about food suggestions. I have always had better luck with Royal Canin prescription than with Hill's but I have also had cats stonewall the whole issue and refuse to eat the prescription food.

The 8 Best Cat Foods for Urinary Tract Health in 2020
The 8 Best Cat Foods for Urinary Tract Health in 2020
The 8 Best Cat Foods for Urinary Tract Health in 2020

I have always had good luck with Tiki, Pro Plan, and Weruva. I don't know if the links are what you are looking for or what the vet specifically told you to try, but you might take a look at them.
 

Whenallhellbreakslose

Living in Kitty Paradise.
Top Cat
Joined
Sep 17, 2020
Messages
3,065
Purraise
14,157
They do like to lick tuna water, but I've been scared to give him anything without knowing if it was safe. I never tried adding it to his water but if it can work that would be great.

I'll have to check out the local pet store to see if I can get a small amount of those brands to try. Usually I order from Chewy but I don't want to get a bunch of stuff that he's going to hate.

How much water do you try to give via syringe? I don't want to have to force him but if it comes to that.. I don't want to water board him either.

How much urine should a cat be passing? I've been obsessively cleaning the litter boxes now, which they love and try to make use of every time. I was trying to use my other cat as a barometer (pee- rometer?) but it's just making me paranoid about him now. I've seen larger clumps but with all this I've been getting about a golf ball size amount from him now and less than that from my sick cat. I just feel like I'm going crazy over this
fionasmom fionasmom attached bunch of articles on this topic that will be helpful. When I used the syringe on my cat I had to give at least 2ml per each pound per hour until he was completely hydrated (He was a big boy so that was 32 mls for him per hour.) I heard for very dehydrated cats it us up to 4mls per pound. If that is too much to handle than there is what I suggested with the tuna juice in water. You can also try chicken broth, but I would not buy the store brands. You can maybe look in the pet stores (I know there are theses soups that are becoming popular). You can put some of it in the water to entice him to drink or you can make a simple chicken broth at home with no add ins (garlic and onion are toxic to cats).

You may want to have a litter box that is only a available to your cat. Cats usually pee 2-4 times a day. If your cat is peeing far less than he is drinking than that is a problem. There is a type of litter that my sister use to buy for her cats that had chronic UTI's where the litter would change a certain color indicating a UTI. This might be helpful in keeping an eye on your cat.

I hope you are able to get your kitty to eat the special food and drink water. This is key to managing this condition. Hang in there. 🙂
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #7

Diana Faye

Always and Forever, Irving
Thread starter
Adult Cat
Joined
Sep 10, 2018
Messages
250
Purraise
283
Thank you for the links and tips. I haven't seen him drink yet and nothing I'm doing is working. He's went to pee multiple times today (very small amounts) and had one small bowel movement. He did eat some of a different flavor today which is good but tonight he's gone back to isolating. He's usually always in the same room as me and this is the behavior that started that tipped me off that something was wrong. He's not licking himself or seems uncomfortable yet and he's such a love bug when I go check on him but I'm so worried. I know he still has to heal from the catheter and the meds aren't fun but I'm a wreck. I can't handle the thought of loosing him.
 

Whenallhellbreakslose

Living in Kitty Paradise.
Top Cat
Joined
Sep 17, 2020
Messages
3,065
Purraise
14,157
Yes, that is what I have to do for the cats I have right now. They would never drink water alone otherwise. I got so sick of some of them getting UTIs. I wanted to completly get them off dry cat food altogether, but found it impossible. I try to give them Core Wellness or Blue Buffalo dry food when I I can afford it. The kitty I mentioned before who had the bad UTI is no longer with me, he passed away at the age of 14.

Well, I hope you found the TCS helpful. You will probably get some more members replying who have been through this and could better answer your questions. Please try to remain vigilant and keep a close eye on your cats. Hang in there.🙂
P.S. Don't lose heart. I know someone who had a cat go through FLUTD, she made some serious changes and remained on top of things and their was never a reoccurance. He lived to 17 years of age.
 
Last edited:
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #10

Diana Faye

Always and Forever, Irving
Thread starter
Adult Cat
Joined
Sep 10, 2018
Messages
250
Purraise
283
Yes, that is what I have to do for the cats I have right now. They would never drink water alone otherwise. I got so sick of some of them getting UTIs. I wanted to completly get them off dry cat food altogether, but found it impossible. I try to give them Core Wellness or Blue Buffalo dry food when I I can afford it. The kitty I mentioned before who had the bad UTI is no longer with me, he passed away at the age of 14.

Well, I hope you found the TCS helpful. You will probably get some more members replying who have been through this and could better answer your questions. Please try to remain vigilant and keep a close eye on your cats. Hang in there.🙂
P.S. Don't lose heart. I know someone who had a cat go through FLUTD, she made some serious changes and remained on top of things and their was never a reoccurance. He lived to 17 years of age.
I hope so. He's been through so much as a kitten before I adopted him and my other cat is so attached. I got them not long after my old man pass (profile pic) and this incident totally triggered me with those feelings of loss. And he's so young.
 

Muggs

TCS Member
Young Cat
Joined
Nov 18, 2020
Messages
34
Purraise
27
Hello, I hope your kitty is feeling better!
Ive heard that grain free diets can reduce the chances or crystals and blockages So maybe that would be worth a try?
I use Primal Dehydrated raw food nuggets. I mash it up in a bowl and add water to it. That way you can adjust the amount of water your cat is taking in.
 

Grayson’s Mummy Julia

TCS Member
Alpha Cat
Joined
Sep 14, 2020
Messages
302
Purraise
704
Location
Burnley, England, UK 🇬🇧
Have u tried the Hills Science dry food? Gray has suffered with UTI for years and this has changed his life! He didn’t like the Hills wet food so has the dry food at breakfast then regular wet food in the evening.
And he’s been fine with this for a good few years now.
The dry food makes them thirsty on top of all the other good things that it does so I’m always re filling his water.
Good luck and keep us posted x
 

mrfairy

TCS Member
Kitten
Joined
Aug 29, 2020
Messages
19
Purraise
14
Is your cat sterilised? My boy had a blockage when he was just about 2 years old-- I adopted him and he wasn't neutered at the time. He was very sexually frustrated as he would try mounting my females all the time and would constantly vocalise due to his drive not being sated. This stress I believe was the main contributing factor to why he got the condition.

I suggest getting creamy-textured treats and diluting them with water, a popular example is Ciao Churu snacks which are really strong smelling and from what I know, irresistible to nearly all cats. Mine lap the mixture all up!
 

ramscici

TCS Member
Adult Cat
Joined
Sep 4, 2018
Messages
142
Purraise
154
Hi there! I’m curious as to how your kitty is doing now? I have a 3 year old male who just went through the same thing. He is recovering at home but he also won’t drink so I’m hoping he doesn’t reblock. I keep following him to the litter box. Fingers crossed your boy recovered with no issues.
 

mani

Moderator and fervent feline fan
Staff Member
Moderator
Joined
Feb 28, 2012
Messages
46,565
Purraise
23,328
Location
Australia
Hi there! I’m curious as to how your kitty is doing now? I have a 3 year old male who just went through the same thing. He is recovering at home but he also won’t drink so I’m hoping he doesn’t reblock. I keep following him to the litter box. Fingers crossed your boy recovered with no issues.
Hi ramscici ramscici .. Just letting you know that this is an older thread and so you may not receive a response from this member.
 
Top