- Joined
- May 11, 2013
- Messages
- 125
- Purraise
- 34
Hi all,
I have a feral type male cat who I think may be working on a urinary tract blockage. He has been living inside since 2011 and all in all had adjusted better than I expected. He had the basic feral type cat behaviors, no sudden movements, no loud noises, no strangers, no real deviation from his routine. However, he would come whenever called and I could get him to jump up on the bed to visit and get pets. He was beginning to occasionally stretch out beside me and stay for awhile.
Recently, I had been seeing him in the litter box more than usual. I was concerned so I started to try and pay closer attention to him. Friday morning I saw him in the box again. He wasn't want you would call straining but he did cry a little and when I checked the box afterword there was nothing there. So I called the vet and made an appointment. I was concerned that catching him would be a problem but I was lucky in that he was in his cat tree when it came time to collect him.
At the appointment, he was so scared that he completely tensed up and the vet had difficulty palpating his bladder. He is a good size male and very solidly built. He is strong. She didn't think he was blocked but she wanted to take some x-rays to be sure and get a urine sample. So, I left him for the day at the clinic. Later that afternoon when they called me to come get him they said that the x-rays didn't show any stones or major blockage. They still wanted to rule out crystals or cystitis. They had not been able to get a urine sample, so they were sending him home with instructions for me to get the urine sample. I guess it was all they could do to get the x-ray. He almost got away from them and they didn't want to push it.
They did give him a shot of pain killer and antibiotic.
I was a little surprised they didn't sedate him so that they could work on him, but I guess they were being conservative.
I tried setting him up in a bath room as instructed but he was pretty freaked and bolted out into the guest bedroom when my husband opened the door. I decided to leave him there for the evening hoping that if I gave him some space he would calm down. By today, it seemed that he had not eaten, had not used the litter box and was not responding to me at all.
I called the vets again when they opened up. My regular vet was off for the day. At first I spoke to a vet tech. I explained my concerns and she told me he must had peed somewhere, just not in the box. I was a little take aback by her assumption. I asked her to please talk to the vet and explain the situation. She did and basically said the same thing again. He must have peed somewhere else in the room. They reiterated that I had to get him isolated in the bathroom. At the end of the conversation, I felt as if I was at a stalemate. There was nothing else they could do. This vet only has hours in the morning on Saturdays. After thinking it over I called back again and asked to speak to the vet directly. She said based on his x-rays he was not blocked. It was probably the pain killer making him act abnormally. Again she reiterated that I needed to get him isolated in the bathroom where I could monitor his urine output.
So now it is 9:00 in the evening. I finally broke down and took the bed apart to be able to get to him. He is just so panicked. I was surprised he wasn't growling or hissing. He did let me gather him up but I was on the ground with him and realized there was no way I could stand up and hold on to him. I ended up scooting my butt across the floor to get him into the bathroom. But the first time I went in to check on him he bolted. This time into the master bedroom.
He still has not eaten. He did use the regular litter box a little so I know he is not totally blocked, but clearly there is a problem.
Is this a case of Vets don't like ferals? I know that if he does become blocked it is an emergency. I was told today by a friend that not all blockages show up on x-rays; crystals for instance. The vet said that if he was blocked he would in the box straining and crying. If he wasn't then, chances are he is fine. That maybe true for a normal house cat, but is it also true for a feral type? How do I find a Vet who knows how to treat this kind of cat?
I have a feral type male cat who I think may be working on a urinary tract blockage. He has been living inside since 2011 and all in all had adjusted better than I expected. He had the basic feral type cat behaviors, no sudden movements, no loud noises, no strangers, no real deviation from his routine. However, he would come whenever called and I could get him to jump up on the bed to visit and get pets. He was beginning to occasionally stretch out beside me and stay for awhile.
Recently, I had been seeing him in the litter box more than usual. I was concerned so I started to try and pay closer attention to him. Friday morning I saw him in the box again. He wasn't want you would call straining but he did cry a little and when I checked the box afterword there was nothing there. So I called the vet and made an appointment. I was concerned that catching him would be a problem but I was lucky in that he was in his cat tree when it came time to collect him.
At the appointment, he was so scared that he completely tensed up and the vet had difficulty palpating his bladder. He is a good size male and very solidly built. He is strong. She didn't think he was blocked but she wanted to take some x-rays to be sure and get a urine sample. So, I left him for the day at the clinic. Later that afternoon when they called me to come get him they said that the x-rays didn't show any stones or major blockage. They still wanted to rule out crystals or cystitis. They had not been able to get a urine sample, so they were sending him home with instructions for me to get the urine sample. I guess it was all they could do to get the x-ray. He almost got away from them and they didn't want to push it.
They did give him a shot of pain killer and antibiotic.
I was a little surprised they didn't sedate him so that they could work on him, but I guess they were being conservative.
I tried setting him up in a bath room as instructed but he was pretty freaked and bolted out into the guest bedroom when my husband opened the door. I decided to leave him there for the evening hoping that if I gave him some space he would calm down. By today, it seemed that he had not eaten, had not used the litter box and was not responding to me at all.
I called the vets again when they opened up. My regular vet was off for the day. At first I spoke to a vet tech. I explained my concerns and she told me he must had peed somewhere, just not in the box. I was a little take aback by her assumption. I asked her to please talk to the vet and explain the situation. She did and basically said the same thing again. He must have peed somewhere else in the room. They reiterated that I had to get him isolated in the bathroom. At the end of the conversation, I felt as if I was at a stalemate. There was nothing else they could do. This vet only has hours in the morning on Saturdays. After thinking it over I called back again and asked to speak to the vet directly. She said based on his x-rays he was not blocked. It was probably the pain killer making him act abnormally. Again she reiterated that I needed to get him isolated in the bathroom where I could monitor his urine output.
So now it is 9:00 in the evening. I finally broke down and took the bed apart to be able to get to him. He is just so panicked. I was surprised he wasn't growling or hissing. He did let me gather him up but I was on the ground with him and realized there was no way I could stand up and hold on to him. I ended up scooting my butt across the floor to get him into the bathroom. But the first time I went in to check on him he bolted. This time into the master bedroom.
He still has not eaten. He did use the regular litter box a little so I know he is not totally blocked, but clearly there is a problem.
Is this a case of Vets don't like ferals? I know that if he does become blocked it is an emergency. I was told today by a friend that not all blockages show up on x-rays; crystals for instance. The vet said that if he was blocked he would in the box straining and crying. If he wasn't then, chances are he is fine. That maybe true for a normal house cat, but is it also true for a feral type? How do I find a Vet who knows how to treat this kind of cat?