Vibes for Wellington and Bonaparte needed

I can't believe that I had two cats sick with different conditions that both needed minor surgery on the same day. I already had an appointment today for Wellington to monitor his skin - he has been pulling tummy fur out and we can't work out why. The vet today took over an hour with him, including sedating him and doing a skin biopsy that she examined (nothing to be seen) and will now go to the lab for allergy testing. He is now home in a plastic collar, 2 stitches on his belly and with a bag of hypo-allergenic food.

But it was Bonaparte who really frightened me. I found him this morning straining on the litterbox, then trying to pee on a rug and on the floor tiles, all without success. I phoned the vet and got an appointment an hour ahead, and when I went up to dress, he followed me and vomited on the bedroom floor. Anyway, it turned out that the poor boy was full of gravel and stones, with some crystals for good measure. Theya re doing a full analysis. He has been sent home with a catheter inserted and a bag of RC urinary food, apparently more suitable than the Sanabelle Urinary I have been feeding him for two years. SO they are both isolated ( I have put Biscotte in with Wellington of course) and will be very carefully monitored for the next few days. Bonaparte goes back to the vet on Friday, Wellington when the lab results come through. All very frightening, for them and for me.

Both cats are as well as can be expected this morning. Bonaparte is leaking a lot of bloody drops from his catheter but I think that is to be expected. He ate and drank well and had a purring cuddle session, as well as traking his medicine like a trooper! Wellington also ate fine and took his tablets. So Bonaparte goes back on Friday to have the catheter out, and another urine test, while we wait for the lab results of Wellington's biopsy. He will have his stitches out next week. The house seems quiet with three cats shut away in their own special rooms.

I am very scared for Bonaparte. This morning his catheter is dripping blood all over hte floor and he keeps trying to go pee but can't. He has eaten and drunk well, and done a poo, though. I have an emergency appointment with the vet in an hour. Please more vibes for my poor boy.

Well, he had partly pulled his catheter out, which must be terribly painful. He is not reblocked, thank goodness, but the vet thought the irritation and pain made him want to pee all the time. His bladder is normal size, so I guess all his pee is coming out in drips on the floor! He is in a room with floor tiles and I have just kept wiping it.He is due to have the catheter out tomorrow afternoon, so we will see what happens then.

Bonaparte is much better this morning, though has not eaten very much. He is not dripping blood any more, and I think he has done a small pee, though he has so dug up the litter box that it is difficult to tell. I can't feel any hardness in his belly, so I think all is OK. He is so lonely though, as I can't put any cat with him as companion and Tasha, his special buddy, might be too much for him right now with the collar and catheter to
be careful of. I spent an hour with him this morning, and he ate from my hand in between masses of cuddles and head butts. But hopefully the vet this afternoon will take the catheter out, and then he can rejoin the others, except for mealtimes. Wellington is also OK, but he has his Biscotte as company, and they can remain together until we get the lab results next week.

The catheter is out, the collar is off and he came home, went straight on his litter box and did a proper pee!! Yay for pee!!. I will keep him in solitary for a few days to make sure I can monitor his peeing properly, but he is certainly much better. What is worrying is why it happened. After Wellington had a similar episode three years ago I put all the cats on a good quality urinary food (2 vets and I discussed the differences between 3 major makes today and they agreed with me that the one they are on is the best for them) and they are on low calcium water. The water here is very hard and full of calcium and both cats had calcium stones and gravel as well as struvite crystals. So what more can I do?

Thanks for the info, Laurie. My vet said much the same, and currently Bonaparte is on RC urinary formula. The vet said it would neutralise the urine and was lower in magnesium etc than the Sanabelle I have been using. But she thought I could revert back to Sanabelle when he finishes the RC. I have been thinking and analysing what could be the cause and I realise that he has often been caught eating Tasha's food. He is the only cat she will allow near her bowl and I do not always stop him as they are such friends. But I wonder if that could contribute to the problem - I know dog food is bad for cats, having ground-up bones etc in it, and I could kick myslef for not being more careful. From now on I am going to feed her where she sleeps, in the entry hall, where he can't get at it.