Urinary tract blocked for the second time in two weeks

[downton ali]

Five is not that old. As for the "fractious" term, that must be the officially politically correct term for difficult cats as it is always applied to my flame point boy, Rikki, when he is at the vet. He was sent home with a condition which was no where as serious as Luigi's for the same reason; the vet did not want to sedate him every time he got near him.

It sounds like you are doing everything the right way for Luigi.

Thanks. Glad I'm not alone in this. He's such a scooch, but he really is a lovebug when he's not scared.

 

[downton ali]

My kitty (age 2) had the same problem.....blocked and then blocked again a couple weeks later. They said if it happened again that they would have to cut off his penis or put him down. I started him on probiotic from theholistichorse.com and he went on to live 11 more years with no more problem. My chiropractor said it was good for people with bladder infections.so I took a chance it would work for my kitty's problem. You need to use one made for cats. It is a powder that you mix into their wet food ....or sprinkle on dry but wet is better. If you go to theholistichorse.com they have it listed under dogs, but it is for cats also. I tried others but he wouldn't eat the food......too strong a smell I guess. I give it to all my cats ever since. Saying a prayer for Luigi......and for you. It is very stressful. When one of my kitties has a problem I cannot concentrate on anything till he is better.

Thank you. I'll always welcome prayers for my little guy. I'll keep this in mind as a resource. At this point, he's had the surgery and it has been a rocky road, but he's finally doing much better the past 2 days. And, he actually likes the prescription food. Phew!

 

[downton ali]

I’ll just add my experience. My cat had blocked there times and then had PU surgery (over 7K here in upstate NY). It was a lot to put him through, especially given that he started blocking again and only survived about 18 months. From what I understand the research puts survival rates at about 2.5-3 years. I bottle fed him from 1 day old, he meant th world to me, but we couldn’t go a month without an infection or blocking. People here have different tolerances for the stress of waiting for the other shoe to drop.

He was terrible at the vet. They had to sedate him to even examine him. I think that was because he was in pain a lot, as well as the fact that these cats are typically anxious. He was only 7 years old. I wish things had turned out differently.

I'm so sorry to hear that Reba. I'm in downstate NY, btw. I was back at the vet a few days ago, however the vet said it was a mucus plug - not a blockage from crystals, thankfully. It was a scare! He has been really difficult to manage at home. He doesn't want the cone on, he's constantly trying to lick the surgical area and is causing some scar tissue, etc. He managed to get the cone part of the way off and got it stuck between his open jaw. I heard him hacking. If I wasn't home, what would've happened? Really scary thought.

I share your fear. My guy was abandoned by his mama at the start, and a college student bottle fed him for the first weeks of his life. He had no care at all for the first 15 hours of his life. I don't know what that did to him, but I wonder whether it's contributed to his nervous temperament. I got him when he was 12 weeks old. he's such a fighter. it's hard to think it might not work for him. I appreciate you sharing your experience, in full

 

[fionasmom]

My Jamie was found by me as a dying 4 week old kitten. He had clearly been without his mother or food for a while. He is very bonded to me, but has remained difficult about being handled, especially regarding medication. I also wondered if it does something to them when they have to fight like that.

 

[downton ali]

Ditto! I think that their moms lick them to regulate their body temperature, in addition to feeding them and cleaning them. i can't help but wonder whether it affected his brain at all. Luigi is difficult with meds, however I've learned some cool tricks from others if you ever want a couple of tips!

 

[fionasmom]

I am sure that a lot of people here would appreciate any extra tips that you might have about getting a cat to take his medication!

 

[downton ali]

I meant to ask how you found Jamie…

About the meds, I found another thread on it just today. I put the tablet in a clear capsule (available on amazon) and push it 1/3rd way down a Churu treat tube. (The capsule masks the bitter taste of the treat. I cut it in half to be to be able to use a tiny size 5 capsule.) I give him a little of the treat. He licks it and then I push the part with the capsule. He eats it and I keep pushing the tube to finish the treat. He accepts it as part of his treat and licks it all down! Voilà!

 

[fionasmom]

Capsules are a great way to give pets pills, especially bitter ones. There are a few people here on TCS who recommend it often, but I don't think that as many people try it as probably should as it can solve a lot of problems, even allowing you to combine small pill which can be administered in the same dose in the same capsule.

I heard a tiny, infrequent sound one night in July and traced it to my neighbor's yard. She is a lovely person who does not own pets and the fact that he was there had nothing to do with her. He made one attempt to run, but was so weak that he got as far as a hedge and I reached in and pulled him out. My guess is that there was a female tortie (he is an orange male) who was very young and wild, hard to trap. I finally got her and had her TNRed and released. I now think that she was his mother and that she abandoned him.

 

[downton ali]

Capsules are a great way to give pets pills, especially bitter ones. There are a few people here on TCS who recommend it often, but I don't think that as many people try it as probably should as it can solve a lot of problems, even allowing you to combine small pill which can be administered in the same dose in the same capsule.

I heard a tiny, infrequent sound one night in July and traced it to my neighbor's yard. She is a lovely person who does not own pets and the fact that he was there had nothing to do with her. He made one attempt to run, but was so weak that he got as far as a hedge and I reached in and pulled him out. My guess is that there was a female tortie (he is an orange male) who was very young and wild, hard to trap. I finally got her and had her TNRed and released. I now think that she was his mother and that she abandoned him.

awww. sooo glad you were there to help him. Little guy wouldn't have made it without you there

 

[Zuni Monster]

I know this is a few months old, but our cat had PU surgery over two years ago. We had it done at Colorado State University vet hospital, one of the top vet hospitals in the country. We also had a board-certified surgeon do it who had tons of experience. I include this because it did cost us a bit more, but we wanted to feel good about it.

He hasn't had a single problem since. We use pellet litter on the advice of the vet to minimize chance of infection. He uses his litter boxes just fine. He drinks tons of water (we have a cat fountain). We still feed him some prescription food, but also some regular wet food as well. He just had his check-up and he has zero crystals and is in good health.

So everybody's experience is different. I am sorry for those who have lost their cats, I know how painful that is. But for us it was a great decision that saved his life, and he is happy, healthy cat enjoying life.