Urinary Blockage Recovery

[Emily Parker]

Hello, my male 7 year old cat, Abe was just released from the vet (earlier then anticipated due to peeing without the catheter) I was nervous he has another blockage due to peeing small amounts and quite frequently. He is eating and drinking and he just started the CD diet. Anything anyone has experienced that I need to look out for? It's hard to tell how much he is going but I have seen urine aND feces in the litter box. I am soo absolutely terrified he is going to block again and I am making myself a nervous wreck!

 

[mservant]

I don't have any experience with this but if you can see he has been using his box this sounds encouraging.

Try not to worry because our cats pick up on our anxieties and this can cause them to get sick. One of the best things you can do is keep his litter cleared regularly so you know how often he is using it and if there is a change in volume etc indicating any recurrence of his problem. That and following the dietary advice from your vet.

I know there are plenty of cat people around the site who do have experience of this issue so hopefully some of them will see your question and offer more advice.

 

[lalagimp]

Tommy blocked November 30th. Urethral blockage secondary to FLUTD. 2 days in the hospital. awkward recovery at home the next twelve hours dribbling on himself and back to pretty much normal the next day. His pH was an 8. We put him on canned duck Nature's Variety Instinct, then moved him to Nature's Variety raw chicken medallions, then onto homemade raw with ground rabbit and chopped turkey thighs; all within the month.
Middle of February he blocked again. I recognized it right away while I was cooking and he was spending minutes in the litter box. His pH was at a 7 at the hospital and they said they weren't certain it was crystals as the catheter slid in easily. They sent him home a day and a half later and he peed like a champ that night, but with a bit of blood. They told me the blood should clear up but it didn't. It got worse the next morning and he was peeing less and less and hiding under the bed, declining to be comforted so I took him back. He was blocked again. This time his bladder was flushed out with hemorrhagic tissue. Again the tech told me the catheter slid in easily. We scheduled surgery at a hospital the next state over and had them home him for almost 48 hours with the catheter and fluids and let the inflammation go down. We transported him with his catheter still inserted and it was up to the surgeon to remove it for the procedure.
As soon as he got home we started adding Cranberry Relief to his raw food. He lost all this male genitalia in the operating room. That's what the PU procedure does in order to widen the urethral.
We never really considered putting him on prescription because they are full of ingredients we'd rather not be feeding him.
If you want some heavy reading check out catinfo.org
He's 7 as well. He turns 8 next month. His surgery was 9 weeks ago. He pees like a grown man and you can hear him from the next room. He's full of energy and loves to be included in everything because, after all, it's his house.

 

[mservant]

Aww, poor Tommy has been through a lot. No wonder you are fretting about him. At the moment it all sounds good (not intending to reference his litter tray habits there but yes, that too).

Tommy is just over a year older than Mouse and I've spent the last 6 years worrying away about him as he spent his 1st year with me back and forth from the vets with terrible mouth problems. I understand your anxieties about prescription diets but believe that sometimes there is a need to prioritise our choices. Mouse has spent all his adult life on prescription dry dental food due to the issues he had. I know it is higher carb', his weight is higher than I would like and there is always the risk of crystals, diabetes and constipation. However if I stop the dental food and tooth brushing his mouth becomes so sore he stops eating, he could start to get infected sores in his mouth and throat again, and all that is more immetiately life threatening. It is always a decision to be made carefully, and in discussion with your vet if you trust them.

 

[mrsgreenjeens]

Hello, my male 7 year old cat, Abe was just released from the vet (earlier then anticipated due to peeing without the catheter) I was nervous he has another blockage due to peeing small amounts and quite frequently. He is eating and drinking and he just started the CD diet. Anything anyone has experienced that I need to look out for? It's hard to tell how much he is going but I have seen urine aND feces in the litter box. I am soo absolutely terrified he is going to block again and I am making myself a nervous wreck!

It's always a worry if they are prone to blocking, but having on the prescription food SHOULD help. It has worked wonders for many,many cats, so lets hope Abe is among them. Does he like the food?

As the others have said, all you can really do at this point is try to relax your self, and just keep a close eye on Abe's output. Also, make sure he's taking in lots of moisture. Not sure if he's eating CD dry or wet, but if he needs as much moisture as possible. Even add extra water to his food if it's wet. Does he have a fountain to drink from? Many cats enjoy drinking from faucets, so they also like fountains. AND, stress also plays a factor in this. If you can keep his stress level down by extra playtime, that helps. Here's an article on that: Six Surefire Strategies to Reduce Stress in Cats

 

[Emily Parker]

I don't have any experience with this but if you can see he has been using his box this sounds encouraging.

Try not to worry because our cats pick up on our anxieties and this can cause them to get sick. One of the best things you can do is keep his litter cleared regularly so you know how often he is using it and if there is a change in volume etc indicating any recurrence of his problem. That and following the dietary advice from your vet.

I know there are plenty of cat people around the site who do have experience of this issue so hopefully some of them will see your question and offer more advice.