Cat in Emergency Care - could use some support (page 2)

Elsewhere

Poor kitty.

I also have two cats that are brother and sister from the same litter.

Keep us up to date so we know how things turned out.

Cats, despite their mastery of the arts and non-euclidian geometry, are not great rational thinkers. That combined with the boycats' urinary design flaws, make for problems. A urinary tract blockage is painful, as you heard. When cats feel pain, they associate it with the immediate environment in which they are feeling the pain - as I said, they're not deep thinkers - and they decide to avoid that area. Since his pain was experienced in the litter box, he will try to find other places without such painful memories and may relieve himself there. So you might want to have a second litter box somewhere else in the house, at least for a while.

If you give him canned wet food, mix an extra half to full can of warm water with the food. He'll enjoy the "soup" and it will help prevent the formation of crystals in his pee-pee. I have a neighbor who feeds her cat dry food floating on a couple ounces of water. The cat accepts this as normal, but he was raised on it. A cat familar with more conventional fare may wonder why he is suddenly asked to bob for kibble. His owner is a vegetarian, and he didn't eat chicken until I brought him a bit of chicken breast one day while I was catsitting him. He was profoundly grateful.

I'm a big fan of Pam Johnson Bennet. http://www.pamjohnsonbennett.com/index.html

carefully faded

Everyone - thank you all so much for your concern and thoughtful words. I've called the vet again but was told the same thing - that she was busy dealing with multiple cat emergencies and that she would call me tonight. I completely understand that she needs to help the other animals, but I would think my $800 should entitle me to a phone conversation with a doctor at least within the first 8 hours!

Jourles - sorry about your cats partial renal failure. Will you need to continue the injections for the rest of his life?

Littlerockguy - so sorry about your Bengal. I will definately keep a close watch for signs of infection. I'm bringing him from the emergency vet to his regular vet tomorrow morning; and he should be staying there for another day or so. I would expect that they would watch/test for infection. Good luck with your ocicat. :o)

TrailBlazer04 - whew! Glad you found your baby! Mine are indoor-only kitties - so they don't wear collars. But, if they ever become outdoor kitties - I'll definately make sure to take your advice. Thanks.

Carla - thanks so much for your story. I'm sorry yours has gone through this several times, but your story has given me hope that mine will be ok too. The vet told me that I will most likely need to change his food. You mentioned the little warning signs (blood spots). . . I started noticing them a little while ago - but I didn't put two-and-two together. Not bright blood, but watered down, brownish colored little spots on my duvet cover. I'm cleaning house right now and will certainly know what's going on if I ever see them again. Thanks so much!

Sunspot - your story is so sad - I'm sorry! I'm lucky in that my friend told me about her cat's experience with urinary blocks; otherwise, I would probably have done the same thing you did, as my initial thought was that he was constipated. I do hope I caught mine in time. Thanks!

JH and Elsewhere - thanks for your concerns. How old are your cats Elsewhere?

Nathan Natas - thank you for the education on our beloved tom cats. I'll be ready with the second litter box, but I think he'll be ok. He was trying to use his just moments before I left for the vet. I'll check out the Pam Johnson Bennet website.

Thanks everyone. I'll post an update if/when I hear from the doctor.

- CF

Es

Glad op went well....poor little thing. Wow im shocked at just how much it costs for pet emergency ouch es

Insomniac

faded- I'm sure your little guy will be fine- it sounds like you didn't waste any time getting him to the vet's, so the problem didn't get as bad as it could've.

My own kitty (Tut) had this condition a number of years ago. He had the operation, but it took a lot out of him and he had a long convalescence. Initially, he was too weak to feed himself, so I would hold him on my lap and moosh food onto his tongue with a popsicle stick. I knew that had gone on long enough when he started bringing the stick to me in his mouth, then climbing onto my lap and lying there with his mouth open like a baby bird! He had to start eating a different food to prevent a relapse, but he liked it fine. He lived many many healthy years, and died of old age about three years ago.

Best wishes to your cat, and a speedy recovery.

Double Edge

but I would think my $800 should entitle me to a phone conversation with a doctor at least within the first 8 hours!

Damn straight ! btw, when you get the bill, negotiate the fee. I've done that with higher bills at vets... always ended in a reduction anywhere from 20-50%..... you have nothing to lose, and money save. hope all goes well with your "guy".

D.E.

carefully faded

Insomniac, your cat sounded like a dear! He had you wrapped around his paw. Thanks for the encouraging words.

I finally heard from the doctor and she said that the preliminary lab results didn't show any crystals - which makes her think the cause isn't dietary. He did have quite a bit of blood with his urine and she said he does have an infection - so she thinks this may have been caused by a bacterial infection. She said there was quite a bit of blockage in his urethra and that they were able to get it out.

She also said he has a very small urethra which means he will probably have this problem again - I'm going to need to be very alert so that I catch it quickly.

From the xray, she could see that his heart was a little enlarged - which supports her murmur diagnosis. I will need to talk with his regular doc tomorrow about that.

Well, thanks to all for your support throughout the day. I'm going to try to get some sleep now - will be hard without him by my side. His poor sister kept looking around the house for him, so I explained where he was, that he was feeling much better, and that he would be coming home in a day or two (I know a lot of people will think that it's weird to talk like this to your animals, but I firmly believe they understand more than we think). She's stopped looking for him now.

- CF

jeanniebeanz

Carefully,

I'm glad kitty is out of the wood so to speak. Sounds like you really love the little guy!

J

carefully faded

He came home tonight!

No damage to the kidneys. His urine is much clearer, and he urinated without the catheter today. While the doctor doesn't think this is dietary related, he suggested I change his food because his urine has a slightly elevated PH which would make him predisposed to having dietary-caused urinary blocks in the future.

Anyway, he's home and I'm so happy. His sister is acting very strangely though. When she saw him, she went up to him and smelled him, and then started hissing. She's been growling and hissing at him anytime he comes near her. Either she is confused by his "new smell", or she got used to being the only kitty at home and is now jealous that she has to share me now that he is back. I think it is a combination of both.

Thanks to everyone for your concern and well wishes!

- CF

Satanus

Looks like she needs another explanation. Glad it's going ok.

S

Cat in Emergency Care - could use some support

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