Bathroom Behavior

Okay, this is my opinion. Which I already posted, but then deleted it. but then thought, maybe it's okay to say it after all.

I don't like to think of a cat suffering any more than necessary. Perhaps the vets are not looking at it from that angle.

They are thinking, if he's not blocked it can wait. They are not thinking, "this is my beloved pet and he is in pain". I am thinking "If this were my cat I would have been at the vet yesterday getting him treatment and relief.

And what happens if he blocks overnight? And did the vets mention that the longer a UTI problem is left untreated, the more difficult it is to cure? Permanent damage can result. Scarring may make it impossible for him to pee at all, and then he will have to have a surgery called a Perineal Urethrostomy, a very costly operation.

I don't understand these vets casual attitudes, but in any case I would not take a chance. I don't consider money spent on my cats wasted. I'd rather be told I came in for nothing and have peace of mind. (though I do not think Andy's case is nothing)

I understand financial limitations. But I would not hesitate to go into debt for any of my cats. (and have done so)

UTIs are very serious in males, and I frankly do not understand why the vets you have spoken to have not told you this.

I won't nag anymore, however. I just can't stand to think of Andy suffering.

except to provide this link, don't know why I didn't think of it before:

http://www.marvistavet.com/html/urinary_blockage.html

please keep us updated on Andy, as you can tell, we care about him very much!

Andy has been peeing several times. Although still not large amounts, he has been going pretty regularly and not spending as much time. Though I've been told it doesn't matter, he has been eating and drinking, playing and napping.

I do not like the thought of my cat being in pain either, believe me. I have shed many tears over this and if it were soley up to me, I would have taken him already as well. I've tried to express this to my mother.

Finances and going into debt wouldn't bother me because I love my cats very much but you have to understand, I have no money, no cash, no savings/checking money in the bank, and no credit cards. My parents only have a few dollars cash [which judging by the prices that was told by the emergency vet, wouldn't be enough; I didn't even tell my mother how much] and a credit card and I cannot force my mom to take us there and use her credit card [if they take it].

She is under the firm belief that if he is passing urine like the vets said, then he will be fine til morning. She said that if 4 professionals have said he will be okay, then we shouldn't rush.

I have explained to her that there could be longterm complications if a serious UTI is left untreated for too long, and that a block can happen quickly and she said if it happens we will take him or if there is any sign that he's not urinating anymore.

I am doing all that I can at the moment.

I know you are all just trying to help and I appreciate it and I have asked many questions to the pros I've talked to in help to understand what I should do. I just feel like I am a bad cat owner and bad person because I haven't taken him and helped to ease his pain but I have no choices at this point. The decision is not in my hands.

Andy seems perky and playful and after having some fun he just laid down for a nap.

Please keep him in your thoughts still.

I'm sorry if I've disappointed anyone with my decision. :[

I do understand your position. I know it is not in your control to get him seen today. I didn't post to make you feel bad, I know you feel bad enough already, and is why I at first deleted my message.

On second thought I decided it may help someone else reading this thread to decide to take their cat in, so I reposted it.

I did give it a lot of thought first, not wanting to cause you any more distress. But it may help someone else.

I will keep you and Andy in my thoughts, and please do keep us updated.

My prayers for you and Otto - my boy was recently diagnosed with Struvite crystals and I more or less had the same experience as you, except that I"m fortunate enough to be 55, with a credit card, and living in an area chock full of vets and e-vets. I remember thanking God that it was Labor Day and good weather - and that I still had a balance open on my card.

I think you did the best you absolutely could in the circumstances - and I suspect your medical professionals were keeping in mind that an hour long ride to the e-vet could be very stressful for your cat, in and of itself - and stress is hell with blockages. They told you exactly what to look for that would make the long trip both necessary and of less risk than waiting. And, I suspect at least some of these vets know you personally and know you'll be observing your cat extremely closely and will not wait past the time they told you.

I'm praying that things are still going as well as possible, and that you'll be able to get all the treatment your boy needs tomorrow morning. Try to relax - stop reading the internet! that can scare you to death!! - and try to be calm for your boy - that will help him relax as well. And, again, good luck tomorrow morning, please let us know what happens

I have one FLUTD kitty at the moment, a female. That's my Mazy cat, she is on a prescription diet.

How is Andy tonight?

Andy is currently napping. Both of my boys are napping actually.

He has played today and did his normal routine of meowing for treats and affection, wanting his belly rubbed and attention. He's ate dry food, a few pieces of wet food [he rarely ever eats wet anyway so this was not abnormal] and has drank a good bit of water. He has been peeing, while still in small amounts, it seems consistant and the last several times there was no sign of blood in the urine.

While we're not vets, we have felt him several times to check for any abnormal swelling etc in the stomach and he feels "Squishy" and normal as usual.

I called and left a message on the afterhours machine at the vet here in our small town and informed them that I'd be calling first thing in the morning to come in, and explained the situation etc.

Tomorrow morning can not come fast enough for me.

Thank you for all the support and please continue sending good vibes, prayers, and thoughts Andy's way.

Just checking in - and hope you have good news.

Any news? for Andy.

I took Andy to the vet earlier [and we got in a little late due to an emergency with a dog that had been hit by a car].

She felt him and said his bladder was small and not hard so that was good because it meant he wasn't blocked. She checked his eyes, ears, teeth, weight etc as normal and I explained to her all about the problem.

She said that she could either give me an antiboitic to treat it as just an infection [which it most likely was just from stress or whatever], or I could get blood work done, and xray. I opted for the blood work and xray to be safe.

We waited for a bit and she called me back and showed me the xray which showed no sign of any blockage or kidney/bladder stones or crystals. She also went over in detail the blood results which were all normal except she said his gluclose was a little high, probably from the stress.

So she spent time talking to me about how to keep a stress free environment, and told me to give him special food for urinary health [even gave me a sample bag for free]. She prescribed him Clavamox in case there is bacteria [which she said could be possible because of the blood in his urine before and wanted to take precaution]. She also gave me Buprenorphine [spelling?] to mellow him out also.

She told me to keep monitoring his bathroom usage and she was sure this would clear up within a few days and if there were anymore problems to call her.

I am hoping this will help and that everything will turn out ok. She said that there was really no reason to have rushed him to the e-vet because if he was blocked I would have caught it in time without a doubt, and he would have been showing a lot different behaviors such as not eating, vomitting, hiding, yowling in pain, not wanting to be touched etc. She told me not to worry about my decision to wait til today and that I did a good job watching him etc, which made me feel better.

Thanks for the support and good vibes. Keep sending them Andy's way while he's getting better! <3

Thank you for the update! I am glad you had the blood work and xray done, but the only way to know if he is having a problem with his urinary tract is from a urine sample. Did she take urine from his bladder?

I hope she is right and it is only bacteria (infection brought on by stress) causing the frequent squatting and blood, but if the symptoms return a few weeks after the antibiotics are done, be sure she does a urinalysis next time, because that means something else is going on.

The Buprenorphine is not to calm him down, it is pain medicine. Yes, it will make him dopey, and sleepy, but more important it will also relieve his pain so he won't feel like he has to pee all the time, while the antibiotics get to work. The pain medicine should be given to him so it stays in his mouth and is absorbed by his gums, not in his stomach.

Please do let us know how Andy gets on. If he has tummy upset or diarrhea from the clavamox you can give him a little probiotic every day, some of an acidophillus capsule, or plain yogurt, just a fingerful each day.

She didn't do urinalysis because she said that since his bladder was small and not full she didn't think that he would pee for us. But if he continues, or it happens again in the future, I will make sure that she does it [if she can].

Yes, she told me that the Buprenorphine would absorb into the gums/mouth.

He is playing and eating and drinking and stuff but he's still peeing small amounts, but its not going to fix with one dose, so I'll keep everyone updated as it takes its course.

So as I said, the doctor gave Andy, Clavamox and Buprenorphrine and I figured he would be sleepy after the days events and the meds, but he hasn't really slept. He's nodded off a few times just laying around/sitting around after playing etc but he hasn't napped or anything and he usually sleeps. Is this normal or should I call the vet tomorrow and ask her about it?

At my e-vet issue with my boy (pretty similar situation to yours, except I had credit card in hand and e-vet 15 minutes away - and, was worried about calling into work the next day after a holiday weekend! ). Anyway, my guy got a pain shot and a course of Baytril, an antibiotic. My e-vet had the same situation as your vet - small bladder, non tender on exam, and wasn't able to get a sample. My boy was supposed to be drowsy too - that didn't happen! If anything, he was more wide awake after the visit. In about 48 hours, he was back to nice big pees twice a day.

I did go in for a follow up check 10 days later to my regular vet - she was able to get a sample and she did find Struvite crystals. He's being treated with prescription food (which isn't that much more expensive than Nutro, really), and we didn't have luck getting a sample last weekend at his follow-up. I'm now waiting to catch him with my little pan of run-through litter.

Anyway, good luck to you - and glad that things went as well as possible.

Well this is the 3rd day of the Clavamox and Buprenorphine and Andy is pretty much acting normal; maybe a little dopey still.

As for his bathroom issue. He isn't going frequently like before, and he's back to covering up when he goes, but the couple of times today I've seen him go [which he's only went a couple], they still weren't enormous amounts. Yesterday he didn't go as frequently either but there were a bit larger places. He's not straining or licking afterwards like he was before. And he's still eating and drinking and what not.

How long does it usually take before you see a significant change back to normal?

Well today is Andy's first day off the Buprenorphine and I've noticed he's going to the bathroom pretty normally until the dryer sheet incident I posted about earlier. Since then I've seen him go in the bathroom two or three times and only pee a little and then leave.

Could it just be because the antibiotics haven't completely wiped the infection out yet and the Buprenorphine isn't masking the urge to go?

I don't know. I just shelled out $230 [which my grandmother payed 120 of] to take him to the vet for this. I just had to go get some stuff to give him for the piece of dryer sheet he ate earlier [which they put on my bill] and if I have to take him again I don't know what I'm going to do.

No one has answered my posts for awhile and I'm feeling really uncomfortable about this. We've never had to deal with anything like this before.

This is why a urinalysis is so important. Yes it was very likely the buprenex deadening the irritation that causes him to squat so often and just get out little bits.

Don't stop giving the antibiotic, because often it they go hand in hand, but it is my opinion that Andy has crystals in his urine and that is what is causing the problem.

Treatment of crystals requires special prescription food. The vet finds out from the urine tests (lab test) whether he has struvite or oxalate crystals.

Sometimes, if the struvite is severe, for example, the vet will prescribe Hill's s/o for a short time, check the urine again, and then put the cat on a maintenance of hills prescription c/d or royal canin prescription s/o.

What you need to do is get Andy in for a urinalysis. If you ahve to leave him at the vet to wait for his bladder to fill, do that.

This should not wait. This should not be put off until Monday. If the antibiotic has not helped yet he needs to be seen tomorrow, because the danger of blocking is still there. The crystals will continue to form.

Well up until about a half hour ago [where he went the couple of times small amounts], he's been going normally. Whether or not that has anything to do with the Buprenorphine or not, I don't know.

If I have to take him to the vet tomorrow I will but I have no clue where I'm going to come up with that much more money. I just spent over 200 bucks on the last visit :[. I don't think my grandmother can loan me anymore money and I really have no idea where I will get enough money to take him to have the urinalysis done.

The vet called to check on him this morning and I told her that he had one bowel movement last night [post dryer sheet incident] but not since. She told me to give him a bit of canned pumpkin to help him go. The problem is Andy will hardly even eat wet food. he wouldn't eat the pumpkin on his own so I don't know how to make him eat it. Should I basically forcefeed him?

He's been drinking lots and eating some. He's peed some bigger amounts today than last night.

When I told the vet there [who was coincidentally not the same one that saw him Monday], that he didn't have urinalysis run and that he seems a little better but not as well as he was on the Buprenorphine, she said that as long as he is peeing this weekend and he has a lot of his antibiotic left, keep giving it to him and if he's not any better/worse, to call Monday and try to come in.

They make it seem like it's not as big of a deal as I'm worrying. So I am just following doctors orders and hoping that he'll be a little better by Monday.

Just checking in, and I know you're worried - but just keep in touch with the vet, as you have been, and keep track of Andy's visits to the box. I know you're worried - and I bet you're like me and are checking the box every five minutes. Poor Andy probably can't figure out why mommy is following him so much!

Does Andy like tuna or baby food? You could try to mix a little of that with the pumpkin and see if that works. I'm not sure I'd try the force feeding, that might freak him out even more and add to the stress.

Have you been able to feed him the food the vet recommended? I know it's a lot when you buy it all at once, but it's really about the same price as Nutro (at least the CD is that I"m getting from my vet).

And maybe ask the vet about how much the urine test would be - Dante's test was abut $35 and a lot of the times the vet will try to work with you, as long as you're a regular client.

It would be good, if you can manage, to get the test to figure out if Andy does have crystals - but just try to stay calm, make sure Andy has lots of water, and keep in touch with the vet. I liked that they called you to check up. You and Andy are in my thoughts and prayers, and you're a good mom - you're trying your absolute best.