Ok... I now have all of Smokey Bear's veterinary records all the way back to the shelter he was at. I also contacted the shelter directly for even more information. We've also had him in at our vet. Here's what's up:
1.) My Grandma adopted Smokey Bear in April 2004. According to the shelter he was less than 6 months old. According to his vet records, he was born July 2003. So either way he was under a year old and now is only 4 years old not 10 like I was originally led to believe.
2.) Like I've mentioned before, when he was admitted to the shelter he had been mutilated by someone who did a "self neutering". According to the vet reports, they cut off the tip of the penis and sheath as well as severely damaged the testicles. Smokey Bear was unable to urinate much... but was leaking some urine at random. They said his bladder basically remained full. They inserted a catheter to help him out.
3.) He was also, at some point in that first year of life, hit by a car which broke his pelvis and leg. And he had some kind of facial swelling, cause unknown but was treated.
4.) After my Grandma adopted him, the vet did a procedure called a Perineal Urethrostomy to help him be able to urinate again. But that vet said that there was still going to be a chance that he'd always dribble urine.
5.) The other stuff on the records were just the usual yearly shots and Revolution, etc.
So that's what we know so far about his past. Now to the current. He is settling in very well, already gets along with the other cats and is a very sweet boy. His mood swings have ceased so I'm attributing those to just the stress of the trip. Here's the rest of it:
1.) He will always walk funny due to his past injury and may need to be put on an arthritis medication in the near future, but it's not really affecting him too much.
2.) The big thing now is still his urinary issues. He does still dribble urine, and probably always will. The vet doesn't think it can be surgically fixed anymore than it already is and there's no medication to stop it. His suggestion was maybe to keep Smokey Bear outdoors so that he isn't leaking on things inside.. but that isn't going to happen.
I don't know what to do about the urine leaking. He loves to sleep on the bed with us but we've woken up wet two mornings in a row from him leaking. He doesn't leak ALL the time, but it's often enough that I'm having to keep him in his large dog crate with litter box and bed and food/water at night and when I can't supervise him. I hate to do it but not sure what else to do at this point.
Diapers maybe? Would that even work on a cat?
So that's where we're at. If anyone has any suggestions or advice on any of it, it would be greatly appreciated!
1.) My Grandma adopted Smokey Bear in April 2004. According to the shelter he was less than 6 months old. According to his vet records, he was born July 2003. So either way he was under a year old and now is only 4 years old not 10 like I was originally led to believe.
2.) Like I've mentioned before, when he was admitted to the shelter he had been mutilated by someone who did a "self neutering". According to the vet reports, they cut off the tip of the penis and sheath as well as severely damaged the testicles. Smokey Bear was unable to urinate much... but was leaking some urine at random. They said his bladder basically remained full. They inserted a catheter to help him out.
3.) He was also, at some point in that first year of life, hit by a car which broke his pelvis and leg. And he had some kind of facial swelling, cause unknown but was treated.
4.) After my Grandma adopted him, the vet did a procedure called a Perineal Urethrostomy to help him be able to urinate again. But that vet said that there was still going to be a chance that he'd always dribble urine.
5.) The other stuff on the records were just the usual yearly shots and Revolution, etc.
So that's what we know so far about his past. Now to the current. He is settling in very well, already gets along with the other cats and is a very sweet boy. His mood swings have ceased so I'm attributing those to just the stress of the trip. Here's the rest of it:
1.) He will always walk funny due to his past injury and may need to be put on an arthritis medication in the near future, but it's not really affecting him too much.
2.) The big thing now is still his urinary issues. He does still dribble urine, and probably always will. The vet doesn't think it can be surgically fixed anymore than it already is and there's no medication to stop it. His suggestion was maybe to keep Smokey Bear outdoors so that he isn't leaking on things inside.. but that isn't going to happen.
I don't know what to do about the urine leaking. He loves to sleep on the bed with us but we've woken up wet two mornings in a row from him leaking. He doesn't leak ALL the time, but it's often enough that I'm having to keep him in his large dog crate with litter box and bed and food/water at night and when I can't supervise him. I hate to do it but not sure what else to do at this point.
Diapers maybe? Would that even work on a cat?
So that's where we're at. If anyone has any suggestions or advice on any of it, it would be greatly appreciated!
