Urinary blockage

hello all. I am new to this forum, so i'm not sure if there are previous posts similar to what i am writing about, however, I am need of help asap.

On, 12/18, I brought my cat, Hank, to the pet hospital to discover he had a urinary blockage. The reason I had brought him was because it was clear he was in severe pain and not acting like himself. He stayed in the pet hospital for 3 days, where they inserted a catheter and drained his bladder. He was given medicine and discharged on 12/21. Since being discharged, he still appears to have no appetite and doesn't drink much. He still purrs and acts somewhat similar to himself. He hasn't urinated all that much, but doesn't express a blockage like he had before. He goes to his litterbox and releases a little urine. I think he might not be urinated all that much just because of the lack of water he's been drinking.

I am not sure what would cause this behavior and was wonder if this is normal after a urinary blockage. I would love to hear from those of you that have experienced urinary blockage in your acts and what it was like having your cat home afterwards.

P.S. We did bring our cat to my parents house over the holidays, so I was wondering if maybe the change in the environment may have caused him to not eat and drink as much (as soon as we got back last night, he drank lots of water, but today hasn't really drank much).

I would really appreciate comments from others. Thank you so much.

Oh yeah, and we did call our vet today and they told us to try other foods (even though we have tried the diet food they gave us, his old food, and even canned tuna). We are off to the pet store to buy a few other foods just to see if he eats something!)

I feel with you.

The thread "Farley was right" is more or less an parallell. You will perhaps have some use of that...

Good luck!

Hello, Please read the thread by Diggerled. They are going through urinary crystals. Did your vet specifically say that was your cats problem? If so,

there are different kinds of crystals that will block a male cat. Did your vet give your cat special food? You really can't just go out and try to find something your cat likes. There is a specific diet for his problem. He will need to eat a prescription food. What meds is he on?

I just went through this with my cat and years ago had another one with the same thing. My cat is on prescription diet s/d. He would not eat the wet, so vet gave him the dry. It contains urinary acidifiers. If he has the struvite crystals, this is what he will need to eat. You need to speak to your vet about this. I can't imagine a vet just telling you to "try another food". The contents of the food is so important to prevent this from happening again. And crystals are prone to reoccur. Also, water intake is crucial. He needs to drink as much as possible to keep his kidneys flushed out and crystals from having the time to develop. I bought an automatic water fountain for him. He drinks so much more when he sees and hears the running fountain.

IMO, I think you need to consult another vet. My vet would never have told me to look for another food. My cat has to have the exact food he prescribed and it has enabled him to recover from this nasty deal.

Crystals are nothing to fool around with. If your cat does have them, you need to find a vet that will give you the proper information on food. And water, water, water. That is just as important as the meds.
Be diligent about checking the litter box for urine. And try to catch him using the box to determine how much he is voiding.
Please keep us posted.

Originally Posted by StefanZ

I feel with you.

The thread "Farley was right" is more or less an parallell. You will perhaps have some use of that...

Good luck!

Click to expand...

okay thank you, i will take a look at that thread.

One of our cats had to be catheterized three times in a several week period, because changing a diet doesn't work overnight. Please make sure he's still getting urine out, because they can block again. We made a number of trips to the vet that turned out weren't necessary - kitty was straining, and it turned out the bladder was empty, not blocked - but it was a reflection of how painful and irritated the bladder still was.

If you read the thread everyone's referring to: http://www.thecatsite.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=209993 it will help you understand quite a bit about the different types of crystals, how to encourage your kitty to drink more, the food issue....

...and for your kitty!

Originally Posted by farleyv

Hello, Please read the thread by Diggerled. They are going through urinary crystals. Did your vet specifically say that was your cats problem? If so,

there are different kinds of crystals that will block a male cat. Did your vet give your cat special food? You really can't just go out and try to find something your cat likes. There is a specific diet for his problem. He will need to eat a prescription food. What meds is he on?

I just went through this with my cat and years ago had another one with the same thing. My cat is on prescription diet s/d. He would not eat the wet, so vet gave him the dry. It contains urinary acidifiers. If he has the struvite crystals, this is what he will need to eat. You need to speak to your vet about this. I can't imagine a vet just telling you to "try another food". The contents of the food is so important to prevent this from happening again. And crystals are prone to reoccur. Also, water intake is crucial. He needs to drink as much as possible to keep his kidneys flushed out and crystals from having the time to develop. I bought an automatic water fountain for him. He drinks so much more when he sees and hears the running fountain.

IMO, I think you need to consult another vet. My vet would never have told me to look for another food. My cat has to have the exact food he prescribed and it has enabled him to recover from this nasty deal.

Crystals are nothing to fool around with. If your cat does have them, you need to find a vet that will give you the proper information on food. And water, water, water. That is just as important as the meds.
Be diligent about checking the litter box for urine. And try to catch him using the box to determine how much he is voiding.
Please keep us posted.

Click to expand...

Yes, we bought a special diet food from the vet...but he won't eat it, and he won't eat his old food, or anything else i've tried. He did have the struvite crystals and i've been reading about feline urinary blockage like crazy. I almost think stress caused the urinary blockage rather than his food because of a traumatic experience he had and then behavior begininning to change that day and then the next. On 12/17, my boyfriend woke up to Hank frantically running around the apartment with a plastic bag caught around him or his head (i was away this day and he explained to me) and when he got it off the cat, the cat was just staring at the bag and my boyfriend also said the cat was so scared/traumatized he had peed himself. Then two time that day my boyfriend stopped back to apt to find the cat acting different, not greeting him at the door or being as affectionate. Then the next morning is when he started to show actual signs of urinary blockage, such as, moaning and not wanting to be touched, firm tummy, constant licking of genitals, and frequent trips to litterbox.

The vet we spoke to today was not the same vet that treated him and i was just as surprised to hear her say that about trying different food. We just got back from the store and I did get hank to drink a decent amount of water, however, he still didn't eat the different wet food that i bought him.

He's just taking antibiotics now to make sure no infection occurs. The vet put him on anxiety meds for a few days after catheter was removed, however i only gave them to Hank for two days because i didn't like how he was "stoned" on them.

If i put Hank in the litterbox, he will go, yet it is still only a very very little. He has been going to it and goes a little, but its still not a decent amount like it should be?

Thanks for the responses, and i'm going to take a look at the link to that thread right now.

Oh yeah, plastic bags can be horrible! I absolutely cringe anytime I see someone joking about cats loving bags - and including plastic bags. After that happened to Flowerbelle, we never left a plastic bag out (even with groceries in it) unattended. This happened to one of our little girls, Flowerbelle. She didn't get crystals or a bladder-stress related problem because of it, but I can see that happening in a male. I do think crystals are from the diet, not stress, but the stress does make them more prone to other bladder problems.

How many days has it been since he's eaten? Because the antibiotic may be making him feel sick and like not eating. I'd give him 3-4 days before getting too worried about it, especially after an experience like that. It can take them a little while to get over it.

We find that Gerber's chicken baby food with a touch of warm water mixed into it can usually entice a kitty to eat.

I have a cat, Muddy, with chronic struvite crystals and he has been catheterized 3 different times.

Avoid fish flavored foods at all costs. A single serving of fish canned food caused Muddy's last blockage. Stick with the prescription foods. There are more varieties than Science Diet out there. Muddy likes the Purina UR and the Royal Canin Rabbit flavor.

Stress often triggers flair ups in cats - anything from having a terrible fright, to drastic change in routine, etc.

A lot of water helps. Invest in a cat drinking fountain (Freshflow, Petsflow, Catit) to get him to drink more water.

If his appetite is low, ask the vet for a different antibiotic. Some cats simply cannot tolerate some of them.

After the last catheterization, I had to give Muddy muscle relaxers for a while afterwards because his urinary tract was spasming from having the catheter in him. They also gave me pain meds until the inflamation settled. Both relaxed whatever stress he had by his ordeal. Stay away from Metacam.

Sending positive vibes that he recovers quickly.

well, i just scrubbed and cleaned our water fountain that we have for the dog and cat. I had taken it away because my dog had been sick and then hank got the urinary blockage (but i took it away before i realized it was a blockage), so i had thought they both got sick from it. So now that its clean and back on the floor, i brought hank over to it and he spent a few minutes drinking. I think he just got a lot of water in him, which i'm so happy about.

As far as the food goes, its been a week since he's eaten a decent amount. I can get him to eat a few pieces here and there and the other day i let him eat some albacore tuna the other day (its the only thing hes showed the most interest it, but i don't want to feed him much of that in fear that it might cause crystals.) I also think that the antibiotics could also play a factor in his appetite. But, I hope that getting water in him will help him eat (dont know if that will help, but hoping it will).

As far as his behavior, he is pretty normal, cuddly, purring, moving around normal. He just lacks his playfullness which is probably affected by the lack of food in his body which would give him that energy. I've done nothing but obsess over watching my cats behavior, urination, food and water intake...i'm a worried mommy.

Again, i thank you all for your responses.

another update... I just brought him to his water fountain again, and he drank another decent amount of water. then i took him into the bathroom (where his food is) and put him on the countertop and he wouldnt eat, then i threw a piece of food in the sinkbowl (because for some reason he'll get a piece of food and eat it in the sinkbowl, why i dont know..just his thing to do), and then he ate a few pieces of food... so a little progress.

Still, only a little pie comes out when he goes to his litterbox, however, i think he has been very dehydrated and has had nothing to pee out, so we'll see how he does in a few hours and tomorrow as far as the urinating goes.

I'd suggest staying in close contact with the vet's office, especially if he doesn't start eating, and if you don't start getting some nice pee. But, his appetite might be depressed by the antibiotic - but, again, the vet should be open to updates from you and altering treatment as needed.

My boy was diagnosted with struvite crystals in September. He went on Hills CD, as well as a week of Baytril, and a pain shot. Luckily, he's done very well on the Hills. But there are other prescription foods out there, so ask the vet about those (and I'd worry a little if the vet doesn't try to find a food that works).

I did have to bring Dante in for a follow-up check up about a month after his diet change (urinalysis, etc.) to see if it was working.

I was going to suggest Hill's c/d -Royal Canin makes a Urinary SO food that many cats and dogs are on at the clinic where I work; Purina makes a Urinary SOx food as well. Wysong produces Uretic which is also a food for crystals. So there are some options for you. Just beware that these foods contain salt so you may want to keep an eye on your kitty's kidney functions and blood pressure as well. The salt is to encourage them to drink. You can try chicken broth and add a bit to the food or water. You dont' want a fish-based food as it is high in magnesium. Let us know how he does....

My vet had Beeba on urinary acidfiers two times a day. Struvites are hindered from growing by these. Also he was on a bladdar relaxant. I'd ask your vet why no acidfiers have been given. And bladdar relaxant as another poster mentioned. He was on these for a few weeks. As it stands now, your cat really isn't on anything to prevent these from coming back.

I am glad to hear he is drinking. That's a good thing. I became obsessed with his urinating patterns! It is very stressfull, but it is manageable with the right treatment.

Ask about the acidifiers....

Keep us posted and for this to get better.

We actually bought a bag of food from the vets the day we brought him home. We bought Royal Canin Urinary SO 33. The pills he was put on was an anxiety pill - - amitripyline 10 mg tablets, antibiotic - - amoxicillin 100 mg capsules, and phenoxybenzamine 5 mg tablets.

He has been drinking, and ate a little bit (still not much). He finally did #2 twice in his litterbox, however, still not a good stream of urine yet. But, his behavior is still normal. Lays in his favor spot, has showed interest in toys, and even jumping back up to window ledges to watch out window.

Are any of those meds he is on a urinary acidifier? If not, and he is not eating the vet recommended food, IMO you need to address this with your vet asap. You say he is not peeing much. That is scary to me. So in reality, he is getting nothing to acidify his urine.

We are looking at another holiday weekend and it will be difficult to contact your vet with these questions.

I sure hope your guy gets better. It is very stressful for you and him.

My boy Chaos blocked back in April and after being in the hospital for 3 days and then spending a few more days at my parents house to be watched and medicated while i was working and going to school, it took him about another week before he really started to act "normal" again once he was back at my house. so maybe just give him a little time and space? Hank has gone thru a lot with this stuff and he probably needs to get his mind right but I would definitely keep an eye on his food intake if it doesn't start to pick up. I would also suggest trying the Purina UR, I have to feed all my cats this food and not a single one turned their nose up at it

Originally Posted by farleyv

My vet had Beeba on urinary acidfiers two times a day. Struvites are hindered from growing by these. ....He was on these for a few weeks. As it stands now, your cat really isn't on anything to prevent these from coming back.

...Ask about the acidifiers....

Click to expand...

If the crystals were calcium oxalate and not struvite, kitty would not be put on an acidifier. Calcium oxalate crystals proliferate in acidic urine. The only way to control them is with diet - something like Royal Canin Urinary Tract health or Hill's Science Diet c/d.

Continued vibes for your kitty!

Originally Posted by farleyv

Are any of those meds he is on a urinary acidifier? If not, and he is not eating the vet recommended food, IMO you need to address this with your vet asap. You say he is not peeing much. That is scary to me. So in reality, he is getting nothing to acidify his urine.

Click to expand...

Muddy was on Urikare to acidify his urine, but once he started to eat the prescription food regularly, I was able to wean him off of them. If he's eating enough of the prescription food, then adding the acidifiers will be double dosing him. I don't think vets are well versed on using them, but I would call and ask about this anyway.