After 48 hour spent in vet, now will not stop yelling.

[meow.rchl]

Hi!
So my boy Jaxx was very sick with bladder crystals and a blocked urethra and had to spend 2 days at the vet.

When he was a kitten he was attacked and the dr said his vocal cords were severed. He is 4 years old and the only noise he has ever made was an open mouthed "ENH".

Now he WILL NOT STOP just meowing, screaming, howling, and doing those super ugly meows that get really deep and loud at the end. He was even yelling in his sleep.

Could he just have always been able to meow but was in so much pain for so long he just never did? Or maybe the stress from the vet reawakened his vocal cords and he's learning how to use them?

I don't mind it, it's just that I don't know how to respond as they sound so sad and hurting. I was told to treat him like a human baby and just let him get the noises out, and only give him attention when he's quiet?

Thank you so much in advance!

 

[Jcatbird]

I know being at the vet was traumatic for him. I would be concerned about constant meowing though since he had a blocked urethra. I don’t know what procedures were done but cats usually meow to get your attention. Is he quiet when you comfort him? I am just wondering if he is in pain. Is he acting normally other than that? If he is not urinating properly now, I would be calling them back. If there are any other symptoms at all, I would be calling them back. I expect he always had the ability to meow but did not have a reason to yell before. I just can’t picture this as being a behavioral issue. Maybe I am wrong and it was traumatic but I would want to be sure if this was my baby. Yelling in his sleep does not seem like something to ignore IMHO.

 

[meow.rchl]

I know being at the vet was traumatic for him. I would be concerned about constant meowing though since he had a blocked urethra. I don’t know what procedures were done but cats usually meow to get your attention. Is he quiet when you comfort him? I am just wondering if he is in pain. Is he acting normally other than that? If he is not urinating properly now, I would be calling them back. If there are any other symptoms at all, I would be calling them back. I expect he always had the ability to meow but did not have a reason to yell before. I just can’t picture this as being a behavioral issue. Maybe I am wrong and it was traumatic but I would want to be sure if this was my baby. Yelling in his sleep does not seem like something to ignore IMHO.

They put a catheter in and flushed his bladder out, hes incredibly antsy, wont sleep for longer than 20 minutes, restless, starts to close eyes to sleep, then wakes up suddenly, looks around, trills and starts meowing again.

When his sister comes near he starts violently screaming in her face trying to get her love and shes just hissing and growling.

He just starts SCREAMING randomly like a fit just MEOW MEOW MEEOOOOWW RROOOWWWW DDROOWWWWWW MEW, and only stops to catch his breath.

He shouldn't be in pain hes on alot of medication!

 

[meow.rchl]

I know being at the vet was traumatic for him. I would be concerned about constant meowing though since he had a blocked urethra. I don’t know what procedures were done but cats usually meow to get your attention. Is he quiet when you comfort him? I am just wondering if he is in pain. Is he acting normally other than that? If he is not urinating properly now, I would be calling them back. If there are any other symptoms at all, I would be calling them back. I expect he always had the ability to meow but did not have a reason to yell before. I just can’t picture this as being a behavioral issue. Maybe I am wrong and it was traumatic but I would want to be sure if this was my baby. Yelling in his sleep does not seem like something to ignore IMHO.

Oh and no he doesn't stop when i comfor him, he just kneads my face and chest.

 

[Jcatbird]

Some medications can cause different reactions and some may not agree with him. I can only tell you that I would be looking for answers from my vet, other than to “just let him get the noises out!” I would want to know why they think this is what should be done!! What is causing him to meow like this! Is it the medication? If so, I would make sure they know he cannot sleep. He must be able to test, eat, go potty to heal!! Will this meowing pass and when? How quickly!
white shadow knows a lot about medications for cats. Maybe we could get some other information. Can you post the names of the medicines? I would definitely want more answers from the vet.

 

[meow.rchl]

Some medications can cause different reactions and some may not agree with him. I can only tell you that I would be looking for answers from my vet, other than to “just let him get the noises out!” I would want to know why they think this is what should be done!! What is causing him to meow like this! Is it the medication? If so, I would make sure they know he cannot sleep. He must be able to test, eat, go potty to heal!! Will this meowing pass and when? How quickly!
white shadow knows a lot about medications for cats. Maybe we could get some other information. Can you post the names of the medicines? I would definitely want more answers from the vet.

Ugh I just discovered that he's also not peeing again, which makes no sense given what's he's on!
.5ml gabapentin every 12 hours (when he went to the SPCA on the 22nd he was on 1.5ml)
.5ml prazosin every 12 hours
1.8ml pradofloxacine one a day

 

[Jcatbird]

Is there an emergency vet you can call?

 

[meow.rchl]

Is there an emergency vet you can call?

I called the vet he came from that's 24 hours, they said to bring him back in, but i spent my last dime on the bills today for him.
My only option is to wait 10 hours for the SPCA to open, bcuz they do payment plans. Theres nothing i can do. Hes peeing very tiny pees in the box.

 

[Jcatbird]

Well , get him there ASAP. I understand about funding and vet bills but if he is blocked again or toxins are be building up, it can turn bad quickly. He is peeing a little so I am glad he is getting something out. I am so sorry he is sick. I know this must be very stressful for you and for him.
In future you might want to look into other resources to help with vet bills. There are some programs these days that might help or supply other payment programs. I hope he feels better very quickly. They may need to switch the meds. Please do keep us updated!

 

[trishc59]

Hi!
So my boy Jaxx was very sick with bladder crystals and a blocked urethra and had to spend 2 days at the vet.

When he was a kitten he was attacked and the dr said his vocal cords were severed. He is 4 years old and the only noise he has ever made was an open mouthed "ENH".

Now he WILL NOT STOP just meowing, screaming, howling, and doing those super ugly meows that get really deep and loud at the end. He was even yelling in his sleep.

Could he just have always been able to meow but was in so much pain for so long he just never did? Or maybe the stress from the vet reawakened his vocal cords and he's learning how to use them?

I don't mind it, it's just that I don't know how to respond as they sound so sad and hurting. I was told to treat him like a human baby and just let him get the noises out, and only give him attention when he's quiet?

Thank you so much in advance!

I pray your Jaxx is getting better, each time I had to bring one of my cats to and especially if it was an emergency cat hospital trip, they would act differently for a while, sometimes they would follow me around meowing, once just recently my girl made a comforter I put on the floor for her it was her safe spot for a little over a week staying on that only and coming off only to eat or use the litter box. Eventually they fell back into their routines. I believe it is so hard for us at times because they cannot speak to us, and we do not want to read the signs they give wrong. I will keep Jaxx in my prayers for a full recovery.

 

[Kflowers]

hold him and comfort him, he's kneading on you when you do. this means it does make him feel better. he's still trying to explain what's wrong. Ignoring a crying animal even if it's human is wrong and the vet shouldn't have told you to be cruel. I'm glad you ignored that bad advice.

Prayers sent.

 

[meow.rchl]

I pray your Jaxx is getting better, each time I had to bring one of my cats to and especially if it was an emergency cat hospital trip, they would act differently for a while, sometimes they would follow me around meowing, once just recently my girl made a comforter I put on the floor for her it was her safe spot for a little over a week staying on that only and coming off only to eat or use the litter box. Eventually they fell back into their routines. I believe it is so hard for us at times because they cannot speak to us, and we do not want to read the signs they give wrong. I will keep Jaxx in my prayers for a full recovery.

Thank you so much, me too!

 

[Willowy]

If he's making tiny pees, he's not blocked at least. It may just be irritation from being flushed. And the yelling might be from the gabapentin; it's a mind-altering substance, and that can be very confusing.

Do you think the ASPCA clinic will give good advice over the phone, or will they just say to bring him in?

 

[meow.rchl]

If he's making tiny pees, he's not blocked at least. It may just be irritation from being flushed. And the yelling might be from the gabapentin; it's a mind-altering substance, and that can be very confusing.

Do you think the ASPCA clinic will give good advice over the phone, or will they just say to bring him in?

This all started on the 22nd he went to spca for a a night then came home with 1.5 gabapentin, which got him really silly, now hes on .5, hes stopped screaming, just will wake up and yell for a second and then realize hes home and stop.

He can still fluff up and get super happy and purr with happy kneading hands.

Im waiting on a call from the spca, he can pee but its only a teaspoon/tablespoon, then whips out and licks his privates, he seems pretty frustrated and the only way he calms down to sleep is when i dose him.

 

[zoes]

If he is successfully peeing small amounts frequently (can you collect them over a few hours and see if it resembles an amount that would be reasonable for one normal pee?), I would agree that he's responding to the irritation from the catheter and isn't blocked again.

You can also palpate his bladder. Check a diagram online of cat anatomy and see where the bladder is located, then put both your hands on him (one on each side of his body near his hind area, where the bladder would be) and use the flats of your fingers to gently feel around. If his bladder is blocked and full, you will feel it and you will know it - it feels like a hard round balloon. If all you feel is soft, squishy masses, you're fine (you may also feel poop - also fine, unless it feels big/hard ie constipation.)

Now, if you don't feel it, it IS possible his bladder burst, so you'll have to use other clues to guide you. Is he eating? Drinking? Is he putting out SOME urine every time he goes to try to pee? Does he respond to affection, and do other fairly normal cat things (can he be enticed to play, for example)?

If his bladder is NOT blocked, if he's not starting to refuse food/water etc, and he doesn't react painfully to palpation, I would say you can breathe for a second and take a moment to assess and monitor, and wait until you can see a vet at a more reasonable cost and who has better advice than to let him "cry it out."

Also, gabapentin really messed my cat up when she was on it. Cats do tolerate it well overall, but it can affect their behaviour sharply. Mine was falling all over and could barely walk when I dosed her the night before her dental. So I agree with Willowy there too, that the weird crazy howling could be attributed to the gaba.

I wouldn't conclude he's all fine and dandy yet, of course. Keep a super close eye on him, because his symptoms could be just after-effects, or they could be signalling that he still needs medical attention.

And re the vocal chords, I suspect he had them all along. I too have a cat who does the "enh" sounds when she opens her mouth to meow. Occasionally, she will get a good howl going (usually in the middle of the night, I think she's going a bit senile) and it's always horrifying.

 

[zoes]

This all started on the 22nd he went to spca for a a night then came home with 1.5 gabapentin, which got him really silly, now hes on .5, hes stopped screaming, just will wake up and yell for a second and then realize hes home and stop.

He can still fluff up and get super happy and purr with happy kneading hands.

Im waiting on a call from the spca, he can pee but its only a teaspoon/tablespoon, then whips out and licks his privates, he seems pretty frustrated and the only way he calms down to sleep is when i dose him.

I just posted, then read this, so I just wanted to add:

When my cat had urinary crystals, she was not blocked (female, big ol' urethra, no blockage), but just felt irritation in her urethra, and her behaviour was exactly that. She always felt like she had to pee, so she'd go to the litter box about every 15 minutes, pee a few little drops, and leave. And lick her bum constantly. And repeat. It's kind of like having a urinary tract infection in yourself (if you've ever had one, you know what I mean.) Everything his poor urethra went through would leave him with irritation down there, so I don't find this behaviour alarming on its own. Like I mentioned above, collect his pees for the next hour or two and see what they amount to.

The howling now is starting to sound like confusion, if he's doing it when he wakes up, does that awful, deep throated howl, then stops and is like "oh, hi! what's up?" when he sees you. It's probably a mix of having been at the vet and all that turmoil, plus the gaba.

I don't want to be giving you medical advice here and obviously keep monitoring and keep your vet on speed dial, but if I were you and this were my cat, I would probably not be rushing back to the vet yet. Everything you describe has a logical explanation and until it got worse or didn't get better for a couple days, I would be cautiously satisfied that things are progressing normally.

 

[meow.rchl]

If he is successfully peeing small amounts frequently (can you collect them over a few hours and see if it resembles an amount that would be reasonably for one normal pee?), I would agree that he's responding to the irritation from the catheter and isn't blocked again.

You can also palpate his bladder. Check a diagram online of cat anatomy and see where the bladder is located, then put both your hands on him (one on each side of his body near his hind area, where the bladder would be) and the flats of your fingers to gently feel around. If his bladder is blocked and full, you will feel it and you will know it - it feels like a hard round balloon. If all you feel is soft, squishy masses, you're fine (you may also feel poop - also fine, unless it feels big/hard ie constipation.)

Now, if you don't feel it, it IS possible his bladder burst from, so you'll have to use other clues to guide you. Is he eating? Drinking? Is he putting out SOME urine every time he goes to try to pee? Does he respond to affection, and do other fairly normal cat things (can he be enticed to play, for example)?

If his bladder is NOT blocked, if he's not starting to refuse food/water etc, and he doesn't react painfully to palpation, I would say you can breathe for a second and take a moment to assess and monitor, and wait until you can see a vet at a more reasonable cost and who has better advice than to let him "cry it out."

Also, gabapentin really messed my cat up when she was on it. Cats do tolerate it well overall, but it can affect their behaviour sharply. Mine was falling all over and could barely walk when I dosed her the night before her dental. So I agree with Willowy there too, that the weird crazy howling could be attributed to the gaba.

I wouldn't conclude he's all fine and dandy yet, of course. Keep a super close eye on him, because his symptoms could be just after-effects, or they could be signalling that he still needs medical attention.

And re the vocal chords, I suspect he had them all along. I too have a cat who does the "enh" sounds when she opens her mouth to meow. Occasionally, she will get a good howl going (usually in the middle of the night, I think she's going a bit senile) and it's always horrifying.

I expressed his bladder the other night andit was very hard, now i barely feel it which i know is great.
He does put some pee out every time he goes. And yes he eats, not drinking as much as he usually does which is concerning. But he loves getting love, and rests on my lap when hes feeling good.

Yeah i have the litter box right beside me and clean it every single pee, he also has really diarrhea, like it pops and bubbles coming out and just smells like the worst smell ever, when he got home from vet he accidentally pooped himself. This started when i discovered he was blocked on Saturday.

Thats what i was told by his dr he couldnt and it could've been either as kitten, he was trapped somewhere and screamed for too long, then a few months later was attacked n ragdolled by the neck. Im happy to know that he can, i just didn't understand what he meant by them like i can with his sister where each one is unique to what she wants.

 

[meow.rchl]

I just posted, then read this, so I just wanted to add:

When my cat had urinary crystals, she was not blocked (female, big ol' urethra, no blockage), but just felt irritation in her urethra, and her behaviour was exactly that. She always felt like she had to pee, so she'd go to the litter box about every 15 minutes, pee a few little drops, and leave. And lick her bum constantly. And repeat. It's kind of like having a urinary tract infection in yourself (if you've ever had one, you know what I mean.) Everything his poor urethra went through would leave him with irritation down there, so I don't find this behaviour alarming on its own. Like I mentioned above, collect his pees for the next hour or two and see what they amount to.

The howling now is starting to sound like confusion, if he's doing it when he wakes up, does that awful, deep throated howl, then stops and is like "oh, hi! what's up?" when he sees you. It's probably a mix of having been at the vet and all that turmoil, plus the gaba.

I don't want to be giving you medical advice here and obviously keep monitoring and keep your vet on speed dial, but if I were you and this were my cat, I would probably not be rushing back to the vet yet. Everything you describe has a logical explanation and until it got worse or didn't get better for a couple days, I would be cautiously satisfied that things are progressing normally.

Really? I was told the females pass all the crystals and never really have any issues with them! So that's really surprising to me.

Yeah thats what i was thinking too, he has separation anxiety as well so now the meows are making sense to me.

I appreciate it so much! You have no idea how much i needed to hear peoples thoughts that have been where i am, as anytime you call a vet about literally anything, they give no advice and just say to bring them in! So seriously thank you much im feeling much calmer now!!! ♡

 

[zoes]

Really? I was told the females pass all the crystals and never really have any issues with them! So that's really surprising to me.

Yeah thats what i was thinking too, he has separation anxiety as well so now the meows are making sense to me.

I appreciate it so much! You have no idea how much i needed to hear peoples thoughts that have been where i am, as anytime you call a vet about literally anything, they give no advice and just say to bring them in! So seriously thank you much im feeling much calmer now!!! ♡

Female can pass crystals much more easily that males, but it still can cause irritation in the urinary tract (and can cause bigger problems later on, but it's much less of an issue with females.) Mine didn't need much treatment for it, just some pain meds and a temporary vet diet that I'm half convinced was snake oil, and we just changed her diet to all wet food (with extra water mixed in for good measure) and she hasn't had an issue since.

Do keep us posted with how he's doing tomorrow! I feel optimistic he'll continue to improve.

 

[meow.rchl]

Female can pass crystals much more easily that males, but it still can cause irritation in the urinary tract (and can cause bigger problems later on, but it's much less of an issue with females.) Mine didn't need much treatment for it, just some pain meds and a temporary vet diet that I'm half convinced was snake oil, and we just changed her diet to all wet food (with extra water mixed in for good measure) and she hasn't had an issue since.

Do keep us posted with how he's doing tomorrow! I feel optimistic he'll continue to improve.

Thank you! Im curious if since he has it, then his sister has it too? Brother n sister same litter, but look totally different breeds. Theyre both now currently on Hills Urinary which god i hope helps.

Im keeping a positive energy that he will be just fine, hes so sensitive.