What's considered "normal" after a urinary block?

[melonie]

my mom is also really insistent that he's fine for now since he's peeing, which is true i guess, the tech said he was okay as long as he was still peeing, but I'd really just like to have him seen anyway since the tech also said that she'd like to have him in. all of this is super stressful

 

[IndyJones]

As far as the money goes have you asked about financial assistance? Some vets will also allow you to set up a monthly payment too so it isn't all dumped on you at once

 

[melonie]

i think i tried at first but i don't think they do that -- i might be able to try now though especially since they've already seen him once, but if they won't allow that I'm not sure what I'll do

 

[melonie]

my mom called the vet again, they said it was pretty normal for him to be bleeding since he was completely blocked and that he'll be okay as long as he's peeing and his pee spots aren't getting smaller or stopping completely. thank you guys so so much for everything, i appreciate it endlessly. I can't even express how much it means to me

 

[shadowsrescue]

I hope he continues to do well. Keep us posted.

 

[melonie]

ahh, another update -- he seems a little weird but he's relatively okay i think.

I'm 300% sure he has earmites. did i mention that? he doesn't like me putting the medicine in his ears but it is getting in there. his ears are always pinned down (not aggressively, kinda like they're drooping) and he's always shaking his head and flicking his ears.

He's also hiding a lot? not really... hiding per se but going in relatively confined and quiet places (a drawer, my closet, etc). i don't know if the earmites would cause this or if something else is wrong, or if he just wants to be alone.

He's eating, but not very eagerly. I don't think he likes the water I put in his food but i worry that's the only way he's gonna get his hydration. i don't see him drink from any bowls or the fountain. he seems eager to eat but when i put the food in front of him he seems kinda meh about it. do you think it would be okay to mix in some regular wet food? maybe he's not a fan of the prescription food. but the vet said he was eating really well when he stayed overnight so I'm not sure.

the most concerning thing is his pee puddles. They were pretty good this morning and it took him a lot less time to use the box but throughout the day it's like they reduced to drips. i don't know if it's because his bladder is just empty (it's not enlarged, i can't even find it and when i gently squeeze him there he just kinda sinks into the litter box and starts laying down?? it's weird) or if it's something bad. he peed a pretty decent, quarter sized puddle after he ate. There's a little bit of straining, it's better, but still. no crying or any pain.

I'm thinking that he just thinks he has to pee when he really doesn't and he doesn't have much to eliminate but i don't know. he also tried to pee under my desk but i picked him up and moved him to the litter box and he went in there instead. again, just a drip or so.

I feel bad for tormenting him with his food bowl -- ive been trying super hard to get him to eat a can a day. he eats most of the can and leaves a teeny bit that i just give him in the morning.

he finished his medications. he tried to sleep in my lap which he doesn't usually do. he was never really a lap cat. he was also breathing pretty fast for a couple minutes when he was laying on me? something like 60 breaths a minute unless im counting wrong. it went away when he actually fell asleep. he wasn't running around or anything but i had just given him his earmite drops so maybe he was stressing about that.

i worry about him. he still just seems kinda wonky. i know it's only been almost 3 weeks (maybe less, i've been so stressed i can't keep track) but i feel like he should be okay by now at least. i don't know how long it typically takes for cats to recover from this. He was completely blocked and, unfortunately only hours away from dying. the vet said his stuff went down to normal but he did show early signs of renal failure. the vet did say he wasn't sure how his kidneys would bounce back, but that was before hospitalization.

sorry this is so long! I've just been trying to give him as much space as possible so he can rest but I get worried when he doesn't eat without me almost spoon feeding him. he gets interested when i hold a spoon to his mouth but not when i place his dish down. I have a feliway diffuser in my room.

how long did it typically take for your guys' cats to bounce back? did they ever? 3 weeks seems like a long time, but he was unfortunately deteriorating very fast... so im sure it would be a lot longer of a recovery than something caught quickly.

 

[shadowsrescue]

You really need to get him back to the vet. He is showing classic signs that he is not well. When a cat hides that should be the number one clue. Not eating well is another. The small pee puddles are very concerning.

He should have bounced back by now, but could possible need more medication if he still has an infection. Did you ever get the Cornsilk?

Please try to get him back to the vet. He is not well.

As for the earmites, did they treat him with Revolution? It really kills them very quickly and is just a one time application on the skin. He may need another application.

 

[melonie]

I don't think they knew he had earmites, they treated his fleas (which i didn't even know he had) but that was about it. the cornsilk is on the way as well.

I'm gonna try and call around and see if there are any nearby vets that do payment installments -- we're low income and we don't even have the money for an office visit so it's the best i can do right now -- my mom is very picky with things like gofundme and wouldn't understand or like that i set one up. I feel awful that i can't do more for him

 

[shadowsrescue]

Please please do call around. Explain your situation and plead your case. Ear mites can be treated easily with a dosage of Revolution. It kills both fleas and ear mites.

Has the other cat been treated as well. Both fleas and ear mites can be passed between cats. Do either of these cats go outside? Also are they spayed/neutered?

 

[melonie]

Both are fixed, the new cat was diagnosed with earmites when she got fixed which is why i bought the medicine in the first place and started treating both of them. Vinny used to be outdoor/indoor but now he's strictly indoor. The other cat, baby, is also strictly indoor and i believe she always has been, but she was a cat our neighbors got from Craigslist so I'm not sure about earlier in life. but with us she's indoor.

he's eating right now, his ears are perked up but he was hiding still which makes me nervous. I'm gonna call around and see what i can find and also see how much he's peeing now

 

[shadowsrescue]

Check to see about getting some Revolution for both cats. It will kill the earmites and is just applied to the back of the neck. Check to see if there are any low cost vets in your area. Sometimes if you call a vet's office and explain your situation they can recommend someone to you.

 

[shadowsrescue]

How are things going?

 

[shadowsrescue]

melonie How is your kitty?

 

[melonie]

hi, so sorry!! thank you so much for checking in unfortunately i couldn't find anything as far as getting help from the vets, but i think there's one a city or so away that i might be able to get to if it comes down to it. i was never able to get him in anywhere unfortunately.

But he's doing much better!! eating very eagerly (i think he just didn't like the water I was putting in so i cut down on it so it's not as soupy) and his ears are perked up. he doesn't seem as miserable.

he's not peeing as frequently anymore, just a pretty average amount. his pee puddles aren't awful, they're not NEARLY as big as our other cats but they're more than just a dribble so im thankful. his bladder is so small that i can't feel it so I'm considering that good for now.

I've been using cornsilk (it came finally!!) and 1 d mannose capsule a day in his food and I'd like to think it's starting to help! when he does pee he doesn't necessarily strain... maybe a quick grunt or a push but nothing like before. he's in and out quickly, he's not spending so much time in the box. He used to spend almost a minute in it each time.

and i have the feliway diffuser in the living room where he is most of the time. he's back to watching stuff out of the window and staring at the fish tank. And sleeping. but I'm keeping a VERY close eye on him. he has a follow up on the 20th of this month so I'm gonna save some out of my next paycheck for the urinalysis and stuff, since i think they're gonna check for crystals again.

thank you so much for all of your advice and resources. it means everything to me!

 

[reba]

Wow. Reading this and glad to see your last post. My cat blocked twice and I just had him back because I could see he was going downhill again - but after a week on antibiotics he seems better. He gets a can of prescription food half in the morning and half at night and always with a tablespoon of water added. It is expensive. I have insurance and it’s still cost me over $2K and I always think about the people who can’t afford this.

The vet asked me if he was stressed by other cats in the house. He isn’t, but she seemed to think that was a significant factor.

As others have said, I think the best thing is to keep him on any wet food with water if you run out of the prescription. I also used this raw food for awhile and it was pretty reasonably priced, it’s only available in a limited geographic area though:

State of Nature

 

[shadowsrescue]

melonie thank you so much for the update. I am glad your boy is doing better. Keep up with the cornsilk and d mannose for awhile. Both are very soothing to the bladder. Do try to have a backup plan in place in case something happens.

 

[melonie]

hi again!!
he's still doing well, he's on c/d stress formula now and the vet said he was doing great, plus I've seen him drink water more often!! he's on the dry food (vet gave him the go ahead as long as we moisten it, which we do!)

but i did have a question! he's going in for another urinalysis on Friday to check for crystals and I'm a little worried. what should i expect from it? what happens if they find crystals? will they wanna hospitalize him again? they said a little crystal is okay, but i don't remember what they said about finding more than a little.

 

[shadowsrescue]

Since he is on the c/d diet that should be taking care of the crystals. Will they get the urine straight from the bladder? It is the best way to get a clean sample.

Are you still using the d mannose and cornsilk?

I do hope the vet visit goes well. Let us know.

 

[melonie]

im not sure how they'll be doing it, but hopefully they'll do it the best way they can! i trust they will

I am still using it from time to time, it's a bit hard to incorporate it into his moistened dry food since he doesn't always finish it but i did it this morning. he didn't seem very hungry before I left for work so I'm not sure if he ate it. i was using it every day until we started the dry food about a little less than a month ago

edit: he does have an appetite and he does eat regularly by the way! he was just more focused on trying to get outside this morning instead of being hungry, haha. ever since we started keeping him in 24/7 (after he came home the first time) he seems to be drinking more, which is really great to see

 

[shadowsrescue]

I know your vet gave the go ahead to feed dry. Yet if you think about it, this does not make any sense. Cats need moisture in their diet to keep the urinary system working properly. Dry food has no moisture. True you are adding water to it. Yet you must be sure he eats it all in a short period of time. If not it can spoil and make him sick. Wet food with added water really is the best bet. If you want to give dry food, use it as a treat instead of a meal. Cats are not big water drinkers. When dry food is fed and they don't drink enough water, this can lead to dehydration. This puts stress on the bladder creating more concentrated urine which leads to the production of crystals. If you can, try to go back to the wet food diet only. You do not want him to block again.

I no longer use prescription wet food. I feed the best canned food I can afford. I then add more water. Yes, it is soupy, but the more water the better.

To give the d mannose and cornsilk, you can always mix them with a bit of water and syringe it to him daily. I had to do that for awhile when my boy was not eating well.