Post PU Surgery Worries

[RoxieHeart]

My boy Artemis is officially 2 weeks post-OP on Monday but he still pees very tiny small amounts and gets very upset that he can't lick right after, will just keep trying to through his cone for several minutes. Is this normal? I know I was warned to expect this in the beginning but everything I can find says he should be pretty close to back to normal by now. He was obstructed twice in the same week which is why he got the surgery in the first place and I'm just an anxiety ridden mess. I've spent pretty much 24/7 with him since the surgery, even sleeping in the same room as him in the guest bed instead of my normal bedroom. He eats and drinks ok. Pinched the skin on his neck and it snaps back so I guess he isn't problematically dehydrated, and I'm feeling for his bladder a lot because I'm paranoid now.

 

[Kira85]

Thought I’d just come on to send you a message to let you know I’m in the same boat. I’m absolutely terrified and have serious anxiety since my cats op. I’m in a similar situation to you with my cat. My cat Bolt had PU surgery five days ago. Since then he’s been eating well and visiting the litter box, but only doing medium sized pees. He’s desperate to clean himself after he’s visited the litter box, he seems depressed that he can’t get to it due to his cone. His incision looks great though. He’s still on pain meds and antibiotics. I’m here if you need to chat. I’ve searched the net time after time and all I can find is unsuccessful stories. So would be nice to know your progress!

 

[RoxieHeart]

Oh my goodness I'm so sorry you're having to go through this too. It is literally the worst right, it's like you're primed to hysterics from the repeated blockages (cost and fear for their life all in one lovely clump of stress) and then you have to also take care of a surgery baby for weeks. There's just no chance to breathe. ;n;

THE ONLINE STORIES TOO!!! Ahhhhhhh I hate this so much ahahaha. I've at least like, reassured myself enough that he can't be blocked again (I saw him strain when he was blocked twice before and this isn't that, gratefully) but I think I'm gonna get him looked at on Monday.

If it's any consolation, it is actually super normal to have more numerous smaller pees that early on. Though i absolutely understand how scary it is :') ♡ I hope Bolt heals up nice!!

 

[Kira85]

I’m sorry to hear you are going through the same with Artemis. How is he doing in general?
It’s an emotional rollercoaster but we will get there in time. Especially when we’ve watched our fur babies suffer with blockages, straining etc However, I never thought the recovery would be just as hard to watch!

I don’t know where you live but I’m in the UK. My cats stitches won’t be removed until two week post op. I’m constantly checking he’s done a pee and that is new parts are looking good. I must be driving him crazy haha!!!

What day post op did he start to have some energy back? Bolt is sleeping ALOT but waking to eat. I took his cone off supervised this morning and let him wash his face. I’m thinking he’s more down due to the cone of shame.

Do you feed Artemis on any special diet now after his op? Sorry for millions of questions…..I’m a nervous wreck

Kira x

 

[RoxieHeart]

Artemis is such a huge baby it's kind of been the opposite for me lol. He came from a bad home before us (his sister's eyebrow whiskers were cut short when we first got them ;n so he was just pacing around and crying and just being really upset for a lot of early on. It was so hard to calm him down enough to clean him off from peeing and pooping in his carrier :'). He still hates his cone, hates the weird paper litter and haaaates being stuck in this room!!! But he's calmed down a whole lot. He apparently didn't eat for 4 days at the vet but gobbled up everything in sight once he was home.

I feel you on the constant checks, he still acts like it hurts if I move him too much which is definitely something that spooks me (but he's also always really vocal so it's hard to tell if this is normal. Talk about nerves!) I do think sleeping a ton after anesthesia is normal for sure. Painkillers too yeah. Artemis's medicine made him a bit wired because it gave him a fever so he's finally sleeping more now that he's off it. ♡ Cats already sleep so much but if he doesn't seem to be gradually getting better I'd at least give the vet a call for a vote of confidence. Mine's got the sutures that dissolve over time but 2 weeks sounds pretty standard for removing the thread kind if my panic reading and clearly copy-pasted release papers are to be believed.

Oh and yeah! My vet prescribed him this food that's supposed to dissolve urine crystals that he's eating for the rest of his life. I put a spoonful of wet food of the same stuff in there to make sure he stays hydrated (this was the vet's rec.) Ours is like... Hills Prescription Diet C+D I think? Vet's swapping him over to W+D once we're low on it because he tends to get a bit chunky though.

One thing that scared me to death to the point of visiting the emergency clinic at night though was like, he pooed a tiny little bit from fear when we first brought him home post op but then hadn't pooed for a whole week. Two things: It's hella normal to not poo much on opioids and anesthesia (slows down the process apparently), and an of course he wasn't pooping he didn't eat for 4 days. Little booger made sure to poo in his carrier once we were in the lobby, though. Biggest aggravated relief ever lmao.

 

[fionasmom]

Welcome to both of you to The Cat Site! We have a substantial number of threads/posts about PU surgery recovery
Search Results for Query: PU surgery
One member, Stargirl0623 contributed a lengthy account of her cat's recovery process.

I have not ever had a cat who had this surgery, but currently own a flame point boy who is on the "three strikes" list for possibly needing to undergo this, so I understand the anxiety and concerns that accompany this.

 

[RoxieHeart]

Some positive news! (still gonna check on him for the coin sized pee) looking at him today post hours long morning cuddles his scab has fallen off. Nothing but nice neat stitches below, big relief.

 

[silent meowlook]

Hi. A PU surgery is a big deal. It is expensive and a difficult surgery to do. Part of what you pay for in the surgery is also the aftercare. Please keep in constant contact with your vet. I promise you, you are not bothering them. If your cat hasn’t had a bowel movement, you need to let the vet know. If you are concerned about the amount of urine, please let your vet know. It is your responsibility to report any concerns to your vet and your vet’s responsibility to help you.

Keep in mind that cats can still block, even after the PU surgery. It doesn’t prevent it. So always make sure they are urinating.

Each case is different and there are different ways of preforming the surgery and different reasons for doing it. There are complications that can arise with any surgery, so what may work for one cat post op, may not work with yours. So please, contact your vet.

Also, use shredded paper instead of litter as the litter can clump onto the surgery site. If the cat has been having urinary issues for a while, they can develop a fear or reluctance to go in the litter pan, so your may have to get a different one.

 

[RoxieHeart]

Oh! The poo thing is a past issue he's done it every day since that false alarm emergency visit (they checked his vitals and if he was blocked free of charge for being so diligent in checking on him, the small pees were less concerning then since that was a thing we were warned about being the case for a while. Only a little spooked now because it's been 2 weeks since the surgery.) I have finally convinced the partner to let me call them and take him in when they're open again on Monday, and we've been using paper pellet litter since day 1 of being home (vet recommended yesterday's news and that's what we got.) Even hosed down the litter box before swapping. He's honestly doing fantastic the only worry is the tiny pees, but he doesn't seem to be in pain at all and even did a slightly bigger one today without a single yowl or attempt to crotch lick so I'm comfy waiting till Monday (obviously while checking his tummy for hard bladder and how much he's eating and drinking.)

 

[RoxieHeart]

I should also clarify the "ofc he hasn't pooped yet" was from the surgeon herself, we haven't been negligent I promise. ;w;

 

[Kira85]

Awwh I’m so happy his stitches are looking nice and clean! That’s such positive news

Let me know how you get on at the vets on Monday, fingers crossed the tiny pees are just part of the recovery process. He sounds like he’s doing super and you sound like the purrrfect cat mom.

I’ve been prescribed the Hills c/d wet food, he absolutely devours it. Just wondering, have you been prescribed wet and dry? Thinking about getting him the Hills C/d dry as he loves biscuits also.

Bolt wet himself today whilst laid on my bed, he was absolutely drenched in his own urine I also noticed a slight blood tinged pee on the puppy pad near his litter tray also. He’s been dribbling small drops of blood tinged urine. I immediately panicked and gave the vet a call. She reassured me this is very normal as is still early days. Their bladder’s are super sensitive and inflamed at the beginning. She said he wouldn’t have full control over his bladder yet. She did say this can last up to three weeks after the PU. I feel like we’ve hit another hurdle now…here I am hoping it’s just a temporary blip.

Just want my baby to back to his super energetic self, with his cheeky personality

 

[silent meowlook]

It’s best to avoid any dry food even prescription with this.

 

[RoxieHeart]

OH up to 3 weeks?? That's actually a bit of a relief for me. Still checking up on him Monday and ye I've been considering just switching to pure wet too. Vet said dry with wet was fine but idk, every bit helps right? He doesn't eat the dry as much even with wet mixed in, not to mention the extra moisture that would probably help my nerves in regards to his lil bladder.

I got really lucky on the incontinence front. They kept him there for 3 days after surgery so I probably just missed the worst of it, but just occasional dribbles on his bed were all I dealt with. They absolutely forewarned me that it could be way worse than it was though. Poor Bolt, no fun to get pee soaked like that at all.

 

[IndyJones]

It’s best to avoid any dry food even prescription with this.

Totaly agree here. These cats in particular need to stay hydrated to keep the bladder flushed and clean. Dry food can dehydrate a cat quickly. The odd treat hear and there is fine but their main food should be canned not kibbles.

Consider getting them a drinking fountain too. I got Kabuto one and he is much better hydrated than before.

They sell cheaper cutsy looking ones and more modern ceramic ones that blend into your decor. Kabuto's is ceramic. (He is the black and white cat)

 

[RoxieHeart]

AWW they're so cute!! Yeah I've been meaning to get a cat fountain for far too long. I'm very grateful to have the privilege to be able to afford said wet food but hooboy he's a 14 pound boy and not from being overweight (before everything went down he was slightly overweight at 15 1/2) and that's apparently 2 cans a day aaaaaa. Will probably take some persuading (I'm not the breadwinner) but even just like, to encourage Artemis to eat more too would probably be for the best. Appreciate you all for being these little text blips of reassurance, I'll def update on how his check up goes Monday.

 

[Kira85]

Totaly agree here. These cats in particular need to stay hydrated to keep the bladder flushed and clean. Dry food can dehydrate a cat quickly. The odd treat hear and there is fine but their main food should be canned not kibbles.

Consider getting them a drinking fountain too. I got Kabuto one and he is much better hydrated than before.

They sell cheaper cutsy looking ones and more modern ceramic ones that blend into your decor. Kabuto's is ceramic. (He is the black and white cat)
View attachment 462893

Beautiful kitties I have the exact same fountain, my three cats love it also!

 

[Kira85]

AWW they're so cute!! Yeah I've been meaning to get a cat fountain for far too long. I'm very grateful to have the privilege to be able to afford said wet food but hooboy he's a 14 pound boy and not from being overweight (before everything went down he was slightly overweight at 15 1/2) and that's apparently 2 cans a day aaaaaa. Will probably take some persuading (I'm not the breadwinner) but even just like, to encourage Artemis to eat more too would probably be for the best. Appreciate you all for being these little text blips of reassurance, I'll def update on how his check up goes Monday.

I feel you! It doesn’t come cheap, my boy is 14lbs also. He’s a big chunk They say he’s slightly overweight…he’s a bengal x savannah so I just think it’s his build. I will try the calorie control when things are settled though.

I’m sure we are overreacting but it’s always best to get the vets opinion. Eases our minds a little. I think I’m sleep deprived to be honest ahaha. This lil goofball decided 3:30am was the best time to get mama up, humph!!!

 

[RoxieHeart]

Back from the vet! Mostly fantastic news, and even the less good news is extremely validating. Cone is off and he can go back to the old litter, no more need for isolation (albeit I'm keeping his litter in my office forever so that I can catch him if something does go wrong again. ) and they're definitely encouraging of wet food if we can afford it. Less good news, yesterday he had a couple unsuccessful visits before eventually peeing, no straining though it was more like he just wanted to pee MORE but didn't have enough urine to do so. Drum roll... He has a uti. uwu Poor baby. So they put him on a 10 day antibiotic shot with a 24-48 hourish steroid to help with inflammation and we take him back in in a couple weeks to be sure it's gone. I feel so hecking validated hahaha. But we are finally over this mountain of stress, and vet even said being able to groom there again should help a lot too since the urine won't just hang out there and irritate things.

My friends have been calling him the Pee Warrior, I would say he's on his victory lap phase before this character arc is finally closed. Thanks again for all the advice everyone, this site really is great and I'll probably post some cute pictures in the less scary threads soon.

 

[Kira85]

Hey…just checking in on how Artemis is doing now?

 

[RoxieHeart]

Sorry I took so long to respond, holidays are hectic haha. So he ended up needing a second round of antibiotics and that's when I took charge cause he still wasn't drinking a ton and having a rough time. This very picky boy of ours will only drink a good amount when it's distilled water coming out of the tippy top of his ceramic cat fountain as close as it can be to the filter. Finally after about 2 weeks of this back and forth (albeit with his new urethra healing quite well!) he got completely better. Wet food, constantly clean litter, cat fountain, and me and the husband nodded that if we have to pay 3 dollars a week to get him to hecking drink his water so be it. His last acute visit was last Friday and he's completely cleared up! He's still a little skiddish, reasonably so since he already had a lot of separation trauma (he came from a bad home with his sister before us) but he rolled over for belly pets for the first time since this all began and I cried. Finally things are starting to go back to normal. I love this doofus so much and he was worth every penny. ;w; How's your baby holding up?!?!