Put cat down due to multiple urinary blockages

neitzelm

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I recently had to put my kitty to sleep. He was 2 1/2 years old and dealing with leaking at times, then blockages. He had this issue for over a year. We switched him to the Purina prescription wet cat food for Urinary Tract issues. He wasn't a fan of drinking water from a bowl, so we added 1-2oz of water to his wet food. His total water intake was about 8-9oz of water daily (He was only an 8lb cat and the water also includes what the canned food provided.) He was hospitalized 3 or 4 times -- the last time he was in the ER for 14 days. The vet didn't put the catheter in correctly for the first time -- causing major urine scolding on his rear end. They did the catheter correctly for another 7 days. A month later, blocked again. With his issue, PU surgery was not an option. His blockages and urethra damage was too far up close to the bladder. With multiple vet opinions, the only suggestion with the last blockage was to do the same 7 day catheter to help the urethra repair again. Our primary vet was honest with us and said that this option would help him, but wasn't sure if we would ever have a permanent solution to his blockages. In total, we probably spent upwards of $15,000 with all of these issues over the year (The 14 day emergency room stay was $6,500). Money was not a factor for my wife and I -- If I knew we could actually fix him and give him a good quality life, I couldn't put a price tag on it. With a lot of discussion, we decided it was best to put him to sleep. Feeling good for a weeks or a month, then blocking again, then lengthy procedures wasn't fair for him. It's been 3 days since we put him to sleep and I can't help but feel guilt like we didn't do everything we possibly could do. I did so much deep diving in google for ANYTHING -- I read up on stents, bypasses, etc. I truly don't think there was anything else we could. It would help me feel better if you could give you opinion on if we did everything we could. Thank you!
 

Furballsmom

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I agree with maggie101. His quality of life was not good, and since PU surgery wasn't an option with the damage being where it was, his future was bleak.

Bless you that you had the strength to do what is the hardest thing, but the most compassionate.
 
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neitzelm

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Thank you all for the reassuring words. It was a very tough decision that still haunts me for the last few days. A part of me irrationally thinks that I should have had the vet perform the 7-10 day catheter surgery again (Another $5,000-$6,000) even though he had this exact same procedure done, just to get blocked again a few weeks later. I think what makes it so difficult is that he was such an affectionate cat and was only 2 1/2 years old. I feel like I took his life from him and that wasn't right of me.
 

Furballsmom

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I feel like I took his life from him and that wasn't right of me.
HIs life was in big big trouble from the issues going on with him. We put our best friend to sleep a couple of weeks ago, and the vet told us she considered it a blessing to be able to ease their suffering when things are so bad like this :vibes::redheartpump::rbheart::redheartpump: :hugs:
 

Tik cat's mum

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I'm so sorry for your loss. But please try to be kind to yourself. You had no other option in my opinion. You had tried all you could and it's very common for cat's to get blocked again and again. It wouldn't be fair to your boy to keep putting him through that pain. I can speak from experience I lost my boy Tik to a blockage and made the choice not to do PU surgery because the vet said many still have problems after that even. In grief we always dwell on the what ifs and buts. You made the choice you did out of love and kindness, that's never wrong. RIP sweet boy you'll be in good company at the bridge. :rbheart:
 

JamesCalifornia

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~ I had a male cat with blockage — no damage. I was giving subcutaneous Ringers lactate a few times a week. Kept him around for over a year .
I believe that veterinary science has failed miserably in advancing effective treatments for common conditions our pets suffer with. Most veterinarians are close to useless.
 
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