blocked third time need opinion asap

MissClouseau

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Feb 20, 2019
Messages
1,733
Purraise
2,126
Location
Istanbul, Turkey
I know there are different causes and different ways for getting blocked but just as an anectode, every cat I know who got blocked, two of which are in the family, got blocked after a stress. The ones in the family, after moving homes.

Some got better after just one blockage or two but for some others it takes time. Cousin's cat for example got blocked twice in 5 days. There are different treatments (including food) to try. If one clinic seems to not help, personally I would definitely try another clinic before considering putting to sleep. And re-check diet and water intake. 🌷
 

amandag1

TCS Member
Alpha Cat
Joined
Oct 12, 2015
Messages
405
Purraise
458
I have to be honest with you and I never know how to approach this with people and perhaps I should do so in a direct message - Im not and I’m willing to take the heat for it, but here goes.

A typical PU surgery costs $3,000, moreover your cat does not look as though he is hospitalized, he does look like he is suffering terribly. I spoke with the surgeon today and he said the most he would keep the catheter in is 7 days. I cannot think of a credible facility who would keep a catheter in for that length of time. Moreover, the reason they do the surgery after the third time is because the re-catherization causes more and more damage. 8 times is alarming, 8 times is torture, 8 times is pretty much guaranteeing the cat will die from sepsis, he clearly is not in a sterile environment.

This isn’t about the try - it’s about adulting - which means having coping mechanisms to withstand the very real pain of sparing our animals unnecessary pain.

I’m sorry to be so blunt everyone, but I just got back from the hospital where my cat is being fluids and pain meds through a sterile IV. He is surrounded by nurses who check him every hour. This cat has no IV, his paws are bandaged - it is simply one of the most upsetting pictures I have ever seen.
Very true and well said. I hope Riggs is okay but this is so sad
How come no one else replied to this?
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #23

reba

TCS Member
Thread starter
Super Cat
Joined
Aug 27, 2013
Messages
860
Purraise
654
Location
New England
Today's update: I went to visit him last night and he still had his catheter in. He was less energetic at first but maybe that was because I woke him up. At any rate we had some dinner and lots of petting. The surgeon stopped in and told me they were going to take his catheter out the next day, but the ended up doing it overnight. This morning they called me and said he peed (great news), but when I called this afternoon they said they wanted to keep him, but that I should come visit. So off I went and he was thrilled to see me, lots of purrs and asking to be petted. I fed him and we made an absolute mess, but at least he had a good appetite. Then the best thing happened he got in his litter box and peed again. Not a ton, but enough and at least that means he hasn't closed up again. The surgeon said maybe he can come home tomorrow night.

His rear end, as you can imagine, looks horrible. I really am surprised they can pee at all without enormous pain. I cringe even thinking about it.
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #24

reba

TCS Member
Thread starter
Super Cat
Joined
Aug 27, 2013
Messages
860
Purraise
654
Location
New England
"I know there are different causes and different ways for getting blocked but just as an anectode, every cat I know who got blocked, two of which are in the family, got blocked after a stress. The ones in the family, after moving homes."

I can definitely trace his blocking to eating more and more dry food. But he is a nervous cat, not a fraidy-cat nervous, but a big worrier. Nothing has changed in his life that should make him more nervous. I do wonder if he's always been in pain of some sort - perhaps it has always hurt him to pee. There was a definite change when he became a teenager or who knows if it was after he got fixed. As everyone says, if they could just tell us where it hurts.

Oh well, I"m off to read more about aftercare from PU surgery.
 

Breanadb

TCS Member
Kitten
Joined
Feb 23, 2020
Messages
6
Purraise
12
Hello there,

So sorry to hear about your kitty. My male cat got 3 blockages over 3 years resulting in $1300 vet visits each time. They all hospitalized him over night, unblocked him and put him on pain meds and antibiotics. All this was a temporary fix until about 6 months later when it would occur again. In December of this past year he got blocked a 4th time. The vet suggested surgery but couldn't say for certain that it would correct the problem. After much thought I made the heartbreaking decision to put him down. I couldn't afford the vet visits or always hearing him cry out in pain knowing he's blocked again. I wish a better outcome for you.
 

stephanietx

TCS Member
Veteran
Joined
Dec 1, 2005
Messages
14,768
Purraise
3,490
Location
Texas
When he comes home, I would look into putting out Comfort Zone or Feliway diffusers to help his stress levels. Also, you can start supplementing with corn silk and other supplements. Also, work on transitioning him to either a raw diet or all canned food with a little bit of water added. There's a lot of really good information on the FB FLUTD group page.
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #27

reba

TCS Member
Thread starter
Super Cat
Joined
Aug 27, 2013
Messages
860
Purraise
654
Location
New England
Thanks for the well-wishes. To be honest, I'm still not sure I made the right decision about the surgery and faced with the situation again I might make a different decision. Even if he recovers it's going to be a worry for the rest of his life. Plus I have 3 other cats so the only way I've known he's blocked is he won't let me near him. This last time was the worst, I could barely get him into the carrier.
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #28

reba

TCS Member
Thread starter
Super Cat
Joined
Aug 27, 2013
Messages
860
Purraise
654
Location
New England
I bought his raw food that cured his IBD so he's definitely going back on that. I have joined the group on FB but I have a hard time navigating it. The first thing you see is that post about corn silk, but it doesn't say how to use it.
 

verna davies

TCS Member
Veteran
Joined
Feb 23, 2016
Messages
23,619
Purraise
17,456
Location
Wales uk
With the Cornsilk the FB group recommend 7 drops 4 times a day in 2cc of water during crisis and when the clumps of pee get bigger 7 drops x 3 daily until normal then 7 drops x 2 daily for 30 days to heal inflammationn. I have not used it on my cat so am only stating the usage as per the FB FLUID group. It is a difficult site to find your way around I agree.
 

LTS3

TCS Member
Veteran
Joined
Aug 29, 2014
Messages
19,209
Purraise
19,695
Location
USA
I bought his raw food that cured his IBD so he's definitely going back on that.
IMO, IBD can't be cured, only managed. Raw diets are often helpful for IBD cats but every cat is different. My IBD cat has always eaten a raw diet with different proteins and yet developed the disease. He's having a bit of a flare up at the moment so he's back on pred. His raw diet hasn't changed.

Hope your cat is doing well post-surgery:vibes:
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #32

reba

TCS Member
Thread starter
Super Cat
Joined
Aug 27, 2013
Messages
860
Purraise
654
Location
New England
It’s 3:30 on Thursday. They thought he might be able to go home today, but he hadn’t peed since 2AM. So I call to make sure he peed and he hasn’t but they seem to think he can go home. I ask them to double check with the surgeon because you know, in 12 hours his bladder should be filling up or something is wrong. So I guess the plan right now is to see if they can express his bladder.

A little concerned that I have to be so vigilant, not sure why they aren’t more worried.
 

shadowsrescue

TCS Member
Veteran
Joined
Apr 27, 2011
Messages
7,022
Purraise
5,083
Location
Ohio
My cat had PU surgery in 2017. He blocked and was at the ER vet for 3 days. He was full of crystals. They thought he was going to be ok and I was getting ready to go pick him up, when he blocked again. We opted for PU surgery. It was hard and the recovery was long. He needed constant monitoring. His back end looked like he had been beaten.

When we were able to bring him home, the same thing happened to us. He hadn't peed in 15 hours. They felt he was so freaked out about being there. The vet expressed some and felt he was ok to go home. Once home we were to notify them if he didn't urinate in 12 hours or was straining. Of course he wouldn't urinate. He was in and out of litter box. So back we went to ER vet at midnight. Ugh. He wasn't blocked and they expressed him again. I was told this is fairly common after the surgery. We went back home with more pain meds. The next day, the same thing happened. He hadn't peed all day. Straining started too. Back to ER again. This time we had a fabulous vet. She suggested we try gabapentin. It might relax him. It did work. Of course it gave him awful diarrhea. The other issue was his litter. We had to use a non clumping ( Yesterday's News). Dear goodness the worse litter on the planet. He hated it. Yet he could not get litter stuck to his back end. After 5 days, I mixed a small amount of his old litter into the box. This did the trick!!!

Wearing the cone 24/7 was HARD. He hated it. Yet if I took it off even for a second, he was trying to lick. I tried different types of cones, but he was able to get them all off. The hard plastic from the vet was the best.

My boy recovered after about 3 weeks. He now only eats wet food with lots of extra water added to it.

Unfortunately even after PU surgery he blocked again last year in April. This was due to anti anxiety meds he was put on to stay calm. They have a side effect of urinary retention. He was back to ER vet for 6 days. We thought he might need another surgery, but in the end once the anti anxiety meds were out of his body, he was much better.

Now I treat him with D mannose as needed and he is on daily Cornsilk extract. I dose between 2-3x a day. I monitor his pee clumps daily. I have 5 other cats so I have wireless cameras placed at each box so I know when he goes. It will be a life time of worry. Yet he is young (now 6) and I just could not put him down.

It's a hard condition, but with help and guidance it is manageable. I am so sorry you and your kitty are going through this. I hope that once home it will be smooth sailing.
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #36

reba

TCS Member
Thread starter
Super Cat
Joined
Aug 27, 2013
Messages
860
Purraise
654
Location
New England
Vet called two hours later and he had not peed. I figure this means he’s doomed and prepare for the worst - should I bring him home and try and bring him back in the morning to be put to sleep or just throw in the towel. So cry for half hour while driving to vet and I walk in and they said he peed. So I got to take him home yeah!

He’s in his playpen now. I sat in there with him and he ate and drank some water. Unfortunately the grouchies have set back in probably because he’s not on as much pain meds. Meaning he growls at me if I try and pet him. Right now he’s making a bang up job at concorting himself to lick at his incision. I tried to wipe him down with a washcloth and that didn’t go over to well. He is really trying to room himself which I suppose is a good sign.

The thing is isf he had a bigger cone I don’t see how he could eat.

Does anhyone have any recommendations for how to give him a sponge bath? He has to wear this cone for two weeks

Oh he just drank more water out of the bowl. The cone doesn’t seem to impede him.

So far he’s spent the majority of his time trying to lick the surgery site. I wish I could see how close he is getting the surgery site or if he’s just licking his tail.
 

shadowsrescue

TCS Member
Veteran
Joined
Apr 27, 2011
Messages
7,022
Purraise
5,083
Location
Ohio
So happy he peed and is home. Did they send you home with pain meds or any other meds?
It’s common to have some issues urinating after surgery. It feels weird to them and can be painful. So be sure you have pain meds.

The cone is absolutely necessary. I used to take it off when he ate and I was there to monitor. I felt so bad for my cat with it on but realized I spent so much money and it could all be ruined if he injured the surgical site.

As for bathing I never did anything unless there was a lot of blood. I was too afraid. I had to take him in for a recheck after one week so I had the vet clean him up.
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #38

reba

TCS Member
Thread starter
Super Cat
Joined
Aug 27, 2013
Messages
860
Purraise
654
Location
New England
I only have one syringe of Buprenorphine but they said that’s because he’s been in the hospital for a week. Then I have a bottle of Gabapenton 100 Mg. And 3 bottles of clavamox.
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #40

reba

TCS Member
Thread starter
Super Cat
Joined
Aug 27, 2013
Messages
860
Purraise
654
Location
New England
He’s passed out now, not in the bed though, he prefers the floor prob because of the cone. At least he stopped tyring to lick the incision it was constant for about an hour. I wish he wasn’t growly towards me but he was.
 
Top