Blocked Again!!!!

[reba]

A month ago (almost to the day) my cat had his first urinary blockage.

When I got home tonight and I went to pet him he hissed at me and kept backing away. He ran under the bed but then came out and ate his full dinner. I managed to pick him and put him in his playpen (still up from the last incident) and more of the same - hissing, growling, etc. So I figured he was probably blocked again and off the the e-vet we went and yep - he gets to spend another 48 hours in catheter land.

Posting the bit about him eating and being feisty, because both times I’ve been surprised how hard it is to spot the signs of blockage. He wasn’t lethargic and his appetite was great.

Anyway, I have no idea the last time he peed because I have four cats - just talked to the vet and he said his urine was clear so hopefully I got it early again.

The e-vet said people usually have the operation after the third blockage. Does that square with anyone else’s experience. Opinions welcome - thanks!

 

[Azazel]

What are you feeding?

 

[MissClouseau]

There are special litters apparently that changes color with different cats so you can tell which one peed. I heard about this just on here so I don't have the details but something to look into.

There are special foods some of which are prescription foods for urinary problems. Do you use any? What about supplements? Did the vet recommend anything?

 

[reba]

I have them all on the veterinary urinary diets from hills, royal canin and purina. All wet food.

 

[fordfairlane]

I don’t have much advice as I am also struggling with urinary issues with one of my kitties and at a loss as to what to do about it. But I just wanted to wish you well and hope that he feels better. I’m sorry you are both going through this and hope he is soon cured!

 

[shadowsrescue]

I have a male cat that blocked twice within 4 days. We elected to have the pu surgery. It was a difficult recovery and required so much care. Fortunately I work from home and was able to watch him closely. The incision was large and he had to wear an e collar for 3 weeks. Yet he recovered nicely.

Then 2 years after the surgery ( this past April) he blocked again. This was due to a medication he was on that had been causing urinary retention. I was so worried. There was talk of another type of surgery (ppu) but the vets had him stay at the clinic for 5 days to watch him closely. He was taken off the medication. So far he is doing so much better.

He has always had a mostly wet food diet. I use 1/2 of the urinary calm morsels from Royal Canin and then just regular wet food. The key is water. Water, water, water. I add extra tablespoons full of warm water to each meal. My cat does not like to drink water from a bowl or fountain. I also give him d mannose when I suspect a flare and daily he is on alcohol free Cornsilk. I also use CBD to help with his stress levels. I would suggest you join the FB group called Feline Lower Urinary Tract. It is a closed group, but you can get permission to join easily. There is a wealth of info there.

Also for the pu sugery, I have heard that after the second block, they often will do the surgery as they don't want to catheter 3x. The catheter can cause so much damage and lead to incontinence.

I hope that all goes well and your kitty gets to come home soon. I have 6 cats and I worry so much about my blocked kitty. I now have surveillance cameras on all the litter boxes. I have to be sure that he is urinating daily.

 

[reba]

Thanks so much! What dd you use for the surveillance cameras? I have four cats and was scratching my head how to solve that problem. I have been sticking him in a playpen at night but the thing is huge. The vet warned me that the pu surgery is no a cure-all. I Bought a new fountain, but he doesn’t seem interested in it. He used to drink lots of water, but somehow got out of the habit. He’s on pred daily for his IBD.

 

[shadowsrescue]

Thanks so much! What dd you use for the surveillance cameras? I have four cats and was scratching my head how to solve that problem. I have been sticking him in a playpen at night but the thing is huge. The vet warned me that the pu surgery is no a cure-all. I Bought a new fountain, but he doesn’t seem interested in it. He used to drink lots of water, but somehow got out of the habit. He’s on pred daily for his IBD.

Water, water, water. It is the most important thing for a kitty that is prone to blockages. My boy never ever drinks water. Now he gets only wet food and I add extra water to it daily. He gets 2 T. of warm water on his wet food 3x a day. I also offer some Cat Sip cat milk that he drinks a bit. I also take a small portion of his wet food and set it aside. I add 5 T. of water to it. After he eats, he then will "drink" the mostly water mixture. It has been working well.

I use Amcrest wireless ip cameras. I have had them for years. You can find must cheaper on Amazon. My son bought 2 Wyze cameras for under $50 for the pair. They are pretty easy to set up if you have decent wifi in your house. You get alerts whenever there is movement from the camera. Then you can scroll through and see who went into the litter box.

 

[Jules89]

After my guy blocked, I made sure there were plenty of water dishes and a fountain around the apartment. Away from his food area of course. Like others said here, add some water to his wet food (weird I know). He took some time getting used to his water fountain, I took away all the added pieces so its just the fountain and bubbling water. Mine is the same with water and not wanting to drink a lot.

I'm so sorry this has happened to your fur baby