- Joined
- Dec 30, 2023
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Hello and thank you for reading.
For context my cat is indoor/ outdoor (outdoor during the day, indoor at night), has a brother he’s been bonded with since a kitten, and is a bit chubby but not overweight at 5.5 kg. We have a big backyard/outdoor area, with both wild growth and more manicured spots. Because my cats prefer to go to the bathroom outdoors we never really monitored their bathroom habits much. Two weeks ago my cat Duncan started vocalizing and acting very much in pain, so we took him to the vet and it turned out he had a physical obstruction in his urethra, which was removed that night and he was kept at the vets with a catheter for about two days. We immediately made the switch to both wet canned food and wet royal canin urinary diet+ mixed in water. The day after bring him home it happened again and we had to complete the same process at an emergency clinic, it was obviously a stressful time for him. He was sent home with anti anxiety medication. After bring him home the second time I noticed he was still straining and peeing in very small amounts. I’m honestly not good with managing my own stress just regularly so I believe I over worried and called the emergency vet again in fear he was blocked and, we were asked to bring him in immediately. When we got there they told me it’s normal for him to be peeing in very small amounts as his bladder was still small, and that they can also get the urge to pee when they don’t actually need to go with his condition (why didn’t they tell us to expect this before hand?ugh). The vet prescribed him tamsulosin which caused a lot of incontinence, after a few days we asked about lowering his dose, and they suggested stopping the medicine completely. Then he started straining again and I started to stress about his full bladder. We were told to bring him to his GP which we did and he was prescribed 3 new medicines. That night he was hissing in his litter box, we called again, they asked us to bring him in again (which I hated doing knowing it was more stress for him every time)I think we ended up bringing him in too many times (total of 3 extra check ups), but each time I explained his symptoms over the phone they asked me to bring him in, and I didn’t think it would be wise not to in case it really was an emergency. At this point he’s on 5 different medications and we’ve spent over $10,000. I’ve had to borrow this money from my mother (which I feel badly about) as I’m 21 y/o, working minimum wage, and starting my bachelors next year while still working. I’ve been on break for the last week and a half but I start work again soon. Because of all these trips to the vet my other cat started expressing some non-recognition aggression, so Duncan is now isolated in my room with a balcony, cat toys, greenery, feliway, cat fountain (which he’s never used ofc). I’ve done a lot of independent research and have done pretty much anything we can, apart from PU surgery. The really upsetting thing is that I dont think I can afford to borrow another $6,000 (which is what we were quoted) to have it done. His symptoms haven’t really been improving (although he is urinating but I can tell its painful for him) and he just isn’t his usual self because of how drugged up he is, but he’s also in more pain/ discomfort without them. I’m having a hard time grasping the reality of the situation, I’m feeling super deflated and like a failure for the situation he’s in.
I would love any advice/ comments but I do also have some more specific questions as well;
After how long of consistent routine would you expect the symptoms to alleviate?
When is the right time to begin reintroduction with his brother?
When do you decide it’s worth bringing your cat into the vet, when it contributes to stress each time?
or just some moral support would be nice to tbh. Hope you and all your kitties are doing well, thanks.
For context my cat is indoor/ outdoor (outdoor during the day, indoor at night), has a brother he’s been bonded with since a kitten, and is a bit chubby but not overweight at 5.5 kg. We have a big backyard/outdoor area, with both wild growth and more manicured spots. Because my cats prefer to go to the bathroom outdoors we never really monitored their bathroom habits much. Two weeks ago my cat Duncan started vocalizing and acting very much in pain, so we took him to the vet and it turned out he had a physical obstruction in his urethra, which was removed that night and he was kept at the vets with a catheter for about two days. We immediately made the switch to both wet canned food and wet royal canin urinary diet+ mixed in water. The day after bring him home it happened again and we had to complete the same process at an emergency clinic, it was obviously a stressful time for him. He was sent home with anti anxiety medication. After bring him home the second time I noticed he was still straining and peeing in very small amounts. I’m honestly not good with managing my own stress just regularly so I believe I over worried and called the emergency vet again in fear he was blocked and, we were asked to bring him in immediately. When we got there they told me it’s normal for him to be peeing in very small amounts as his bladder was still small, and that they can also get the urge to pee when they don’t actually need to go with his condition (why didn’t they tell us to expect this before hand?ugh). The vet prescribed him tamsulosin which caused a lot of incontinence, after a few days we asked about lowering his dose, and they suggested stopping the medicine completely. Then he started straining again and I started to stress about his full bladder. We were told to bring him to his GP which we did and he was prescribed 3 new medicines. That night he was hissing in his litter box, we called again, they asked us to bring him in again (which I hated doing knowing it was more stress for him every time)I think we ended up bringing him in too many times (total of 3 extra check ups), but each time I explained his symptoms over the phone they asked me to bring him in, and I didn’t think it would be wise not to in case it really was an emergency. At this point he’s on 5 different medications and we’ve spent over $10,000. I’ve had to borrow this money from my mother (which I feel badly about) as I’m 21 y/o, working minimum wage, and starting my bachelors next year while still working. I’ve been on break for the last week and a half but I start work again soon. Because of all these trips to the vet my other cat started expressing some non-recognition aggression, so Duncan is now isolated in my room with a balcony, cat toys, greenery, feliway, cat fountain (which he’s never used ofc). I’ve done a lot of independent research and have done pretty much anything we can, apart from PU surgery. The really upsetting thing is that I dont think I can afford to borrow another $6,000 (which is what we were quoted) to have it done. His symptoms haven’t really been improving (although he is urinating but I can tell its painful for him) and he just isn’t his usual self because of how drugged up he is, but he’s also in more pain/ discomfort without them. I’m having a hard time grasping the reality of the situation, I’m feeling super deflated and like a failure for the situation he’s in.
I would love any advice/ comments but I do also have some more specific questions as well;
After how long of consistent routine would you expect the symptoms to alleviate?
When is the right time to begin reintroduction with his brother?
When do you decide it’s worth bringing your cat into the vet, when it contributes to stress each time?
or just some moral support would be nice to tbh. Hope you and all your kitties are doing well, thanks.