Post Catheter...what are others experience of recovery?

My male 6 year old cat recently experienced some blockage.
We were lucky and caught it early one morning. He was able to get into the vet and be treated.
He was then given a catheter & IV. I was told that all checked out well and that he was on the mend.

They were going to keep him overnight to watch him for 24 hours.

The next day we were scheduled to pick him up at 5pm. His pee was clear, and going on his own.
He was then released with antibiotics and his attitude and appetite were almost normal (considering all he had went through). He peed once that morning & night.

That night I saw him squatting, not peeing, etc. I spoke to an ER vet and brought him in again. After being expressed and bladder agitated, we were given a muscle relaxer, pain killer to help him along, & fluids. The next morning we couldn't find any urine, and he had again been squatting and very little coming out. After speaking to the ER doc I was able to express him myself and he peed in spots around the house.

I brought him in again after speaking to a tech, and after seeing the vet she was able to express him yet again. She was happy with his stream and his urine was clean. She again said I can expresss him to help along and not to expect "normalcy" since he's been through so much in the last few days.
He still goes to his litter box and sits...yet I can still express him and get a good stream when he goes.

So...My question, what is others experiences with this and the recovery process?

In my case, the only option after repeated blockages was to go for the surgery that eliminated the problem and is giving him 2 years on what promises to be a nice, long life with virtually no complications.

Do you have catastrophic pet insurance ? Because it is expensive....But I personally could never feel comfortable micro-managing my cat's peeing for the rest of his life, and rushing him to the emergency vet every few weeks or months.

I trust the vets are consulting on this and every case is unique. Good luck !


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A cat's urethra can spasm for a period of time after a catheter is removed, thus the need for a muscle relaxant to ease the spasms associated with the catheter and pain meds to ease the pain from the infection.

If you've ever had a urinary tract infection, you know that you get a burning sensation and often think that you do have to pee. If he was still blocked, you wouldn't get anything out of him when you expressed him.

I think you are doing the right thing by staying in contact with the vet.

I have a cat with idiopathic cystitis who has blocked a few times. Until we stabilize his condition after the catheterization, he is in the litterbox more than normal. He goes in for even a tiny pee and it takes a few weeks for him to get back to a long, full stream.

I worry that the symptoms that caused me to bring him to the vet in the first place are seemingly the same symptoms after his catheter.

He squats in his box and nothing comes out. He is a neurotic cat so I think he is still having a disconnect b/t his body & brain.

Once he tries peeing he usually lays down and pees in fast drops with some "squirts" that have a stream. Especially if I help him along.

The vet says this is okay thus far...but if he's still doing this come Monday to check in.

Originally Posted by Momofmany

I have a cat with idiopathic cystitis who has blocked a few times. Until we stabilize his condition after the catheterization, he is in the litterbox more than normal. He goes in for even a tiny pee and it takes a few weeks for him to get back to a long, full stream.

Click to expand...

One of my females also went through a period of recurrent cystitis, but each time with an appropriate antibiotic + pain meds was back to normal in a couple of days. I can understand why the routine use of antibiotic therapy to treat FLUTD/UTIs/cystitis may be difficult to justify, especially if the tests for inflammation v. infection aren't determinative - all I know is that it worked for her. The switch to a canned diet took hold and we haven't had any issues since.

How often should a cat's bladder be expressed? or should he be peeing?

I helped him out this morning around 11am...not sure if he had squatted somewhere else, but found nothing in his litter box or else where....

is this okay?