Cardiac Arrest, High Potassium and a bladder block, need some advice and encouragement.....

Awe thank you so much for the sweet words, you made me cry and i just fixed my mascara lol He is suck a sweet boy! Everyone who meets him loves him, even my non cat loving friends (yes there is suck a thing )

The girls at the vet hospital love him and say how sweet he is. He is such a character too.  

Yes that is smart,  I will have to put notes in his file now, between the Baytril and the Ketamine they both caused serious harm to him.

Thank you he is such a pretty boy! I just love taking pics of him lol 

I just spend an hour with him at the hospital, he was so so sweet and purring, his vision is odd, he kept looking around and staring at things, he made eye contact with me a little bit but when i would talk to him he would look around even though I was in his face, he did seem to notice some movements ( vet tech came in and he looked at her and followed her around with his eyes, I waved my hand in his face and he watched ti back and fourth and also pointed my finger at him closely a few times and he seemed to notice, blink, try to lick it. It was like he could somewhat see and other time not. 

You are right though, I need to let it take time, when he is home i am sure he will adjust, will take time, i was so worried and scared and it was all hard to digest but just sitting with him now helped to ease that and feel hope. 

Good news is he was not running into the walls, there was a chair and a counter  he kept jump up on to so he could see something I assume right? 

I will look into those questions tonight when i meet with the Vet and pick him up, i asked a few of those and didn't get a straight answer.  I want to know though for sure.  Only neuro thing they said they noticed was the vision and they are still unsure how severe ti is or not. 

I had no idea on the Blue Buffalo,  i thought it was better food I sure hope that is not what gave him the urine  crystals, terrible to think I did this to him through diet. 

Ill get some wet food too then, i thought wet was bad for them because of it hurting their teeth, how about mixing some wet and dry?

Some photos of him at the lunch time visit we just had:

Here's my Honey.  Her fur is long but not as long around her head like your Mufasa.  And she's all tabby, only white under her mouth.  She loves the coolness of the sink.  

OMG She looks like his sister lol so pretty she is! He didn't used to have the long hard around his face, the last 2 years it has gotten much longer

Bellabet112 said:

 
Thank you he is such a pretty boy! I just love taking pics of him lol 

I just spend an hour with him at the hospital, he was so so sweet and purring, his vision is odd, he kept looking around and staring at things, he made eye contact with me a little bit but when i would talk to him he would look around even though I was in his face, he did seem to notice some movements ( vet tech came in and he looked at her and followed her around with his eyes, I waved my hand in his face and he watched ti back and fourth and also pointed my finger at him closely a few times and he seemed to notice, blink, try to lick it. It was like he could somewhat see and other time not. 

You are right though, I need to let it take time, when he is home i am sure he will adjust, will take time, i was so worried and scared and it was all hard to digest but just sitting with him now helped to ease that and feel hope. 

Good news is he was not running into the walls, there was a chair and a counter  he kept jump up on to so he could see something I assume right? 

I will look into those questions tonight when i meet with the Vet and pick him up, i asked a few of those and didn't get a straight answer.  I want to know though for sure.  Only neuro thing they said they noticed was the vision and they are still unsure how severe ti is or not. 

I had no idea on the Blue Buffalo,  i thought it was better food I sure hope that is not what gave him the urine  crystals, terrible to think I did this to him through diet. 

Ill get some wet food too then, i thought wet was bad for them because of it hurting their teeth, how about mixing some wet and dry?

Click to expand...

When you asked and didn't get a straight answer, I hope that maybe the vet was just a bit distracted, rather than not wanting to tell you the whole story.  You deserve a thorough answer, after all he's your pet.  Make sure you get a copy of his patient progress notes.  Our ER vet gave them to me every time I had Nat or Gracie there.  I didn't even have to ask.  The notes should include everything that happened during your kitty's stay, including the cardiac arrest.  

Dry food doesn't have the moisture required in their diets.  It could cause crystals or blockage, but you'd have to ask the vet what caused Mufasa's blockage.  I personally feed mostly wet food and a little bit of dry food because they really love the crunch.  But I feed Nature's Variety Instinct dry and not much of it.  It has mostly protein and no grain/low carb. 

Thank you!  She is smiling right there.  She's very sweet but she knows how to defend herself if her brothers get on her nerves!

Awww, bless him and his yellow boo boo!  I bet he can't wait to get rid of that IV.  I would also want to know what his last potassium level is and when it was drawn.  Hopefully today.  I'm so glad he's doing better!  What a beautiful kitty!

Bellabet112 said:

Sweet boy.jpg

• bellabet112
• Jan 26, 2016

Vet, Mufasa1.jpg

• bellabet112
• Jan 26, 2016

Water mufasa.jpg

• bellabet112
• Jan 26, 2016

Click to expand...

Beautiful Boy So glad he is doing well.

Bellabet112 said:

 
I had no idea on the Blue Buffalo,  i thought it was better food I sure hope that is not what gave him the urine  crystals, terrible to think I did this to him through diet. 

Ill get some wet food too then, i thought wet was bad for them because of it hurting their teeth, how about mixing some wet and dry?

Click to expand...

That's great that he seems to still have/be regaining his vision - that's a really good sign, even if it's not 100% there yet.  Any improvements mean he's on the right track!   

He doesn't even look upset in those pics from the vet - whenever I've had to pick mine up from the vet, they look totally pissed off until we get back home 

Male cats are a lot more prone to urinary issues than female cats, because they have a very narrow urethra - it doesn't take a whole lot to block it up.   Most folks on this site advocate a 100% wet diet.   The more water/moisture/hydration you can get into cats (esp boys) the less likely they will be to experience any urinary issues - the added moisture of course helps to "flush" everything out.    Even if you don't feed 100% wet (and unless your cat is one of the rare exceptions, you won't be able to just immediately get him to eat all wet anyways, not from the start) the more canned food you can get him to eat, the better off he'll be.    I still give my cats some kibble at night, but all their other meals are canned food (I have 3 boys and 1 girl, so I've done a lot of reading about optimal nutrition for the boys.....not that I don't love the girl too lol)

Your vet may suggest some urinary wet food for Mufasa - it's worth a try - not great to feed him the Hills (that's what brand the vets have) urinary formula "forever" but a lot of cats like it, and it's a good intro to wet food in Mufasa's case.    There's a lot of threads on here about transitioning 100% dry food cats to canned - also check out http://www.catinfo.org/  - there's a ton of info on there about food and how to get your cat to start eating canned food.   Wet is actually better for their teeth - when folks say dry food is better for their teeth, it's really not - it would be like us eating chips/crackers and saying it scrapes stuff off our teeth, it's just an old myth that won't die........dry food leaves behind residue on the teeth that turns into plaque, etc - wet food doesn't leave nearly as much residue on the teeth.   Just don't feed "fishy" wet food flavors to a cat prone to urinary issues - poultry/beef/rabbit etc only, no fish

I'm glad to see you had such a good update and that Mufasa is looking happy!

He is a beautiful boy, as a few have already mentioned, I think giving him canned food is a better choice than dry. If he only insists on dry one of the best dry foods out there is Orijen.

How's Mufasa today?

Hello there fellow Cat lovers, Update on Mufasa, 

He has been home with me since last Tuesday evening, i stayed home all day Wednesday with him, Vet said he did extremely well for the situation he was in and he usually sees more neuro issues in other cats given his situation so that is very good news. 

I was able to get the ER Vet report from when he arrested, he was given chest compression and drugs and was revived fairly quick. The Ketamine was to blame and they used another drug after to finish the procedure and he did fine with that one. 

Overall he seems to be doing good and his sight almost back, his near vision was lacking the most but I used a lazer light and he appears to see it up close now.  Thank goodness. He is eating (not as much as he used to) drinking and sleeping a lot, but also looking out the window and meowing and making noised at the birds or lizards he sees like normal. 

He is having issues pooping I had to take him back in on Friday for an enema and of course they needed to do an xray so that was another chunk of money.  He still seems to be constipated. 

He is peeing a lot but small amounts, when i took him in Friday for enema, he peeed on me and a lot of gritty white stuff came out so he still is showing sludge in there and our vet was very blunt and said e is concerned with him blocking again soon. 

I have been watching him like a hawk, super worried it will happen again, We have spent over $2500 this last week on him so I just hope he stays well, I really do not know what else I can do except keep him on the Urine SO wet food and force water on him when I am home.

He started inappropriately peeing on Saturday for some reason, worried me but i think it was because i have been not allowing up to go upstairs (per the vet due to the heart issues) so he started peeing on all my rugs, i picked the rugs up and let him go up the stairs and he started using the litter box again!!! 

He has a follow up end of this week (more money) not sure what to expect from that.  Just keep praying that he stays well for his sake of course and his heart (if they put him under again not sure he will make it or not) and also because we cant afford another bill like this. 

With that being said,

Had anyone used pet insurance? I am looking into it for him but saw they will not cover pre-existing issues so i assume this would count as that? Does anyone know of a company that would cover him with this issue?

Thank you again for all your help, comments and encouragement, really helped me get through this scary time with Mufasa. 

xoxoxo

I'm glad you have him back home with you    Sounds like his eyesight is coming back & improving, so that is great!  

And unfortunately you are right about the urinary issues - any pet insurance company is going to consider this a pre-existing condition which would make any future urinary issues not covered.........and you're already doing the best thing for him by having him on the wet food urinary S/O diet - that's the best thing for him right now.   The best thing you can do is keep him as hydrated as possible - maybe look into getting a water fountain for him (I have the Drinkwell Platinum fountain, and it's a big hit at my house).  Water fountains really do encourage the cat to drink more - moving water is much more appealing to them than stagnant still water in a bowl.   It's like drinking from a fresh spring outside - I fill our fountain with those big bottles of spring water from the grocery store instead of tap water, and they really seem to like the good water much more than the tap water, they drink a lot more of it.   Another thing I give my cats is that Catsip milk treat (it's milk with the lactose removed, so it's safe for cats).  You can get it from Petco or any pet store probably.  Could also try raw goats milk, that's good for cats too.  Can also add some extra water to the canned food - anything you can do to get Mufasa to drink more fluids is going to help him out a lot.  I've also read that this supplement is great for helping urinary issues:


I've read great reviews of that product both on this forum and on the Internet in general.  It seems to really help a lot of cats with urinary issues - I've got some at my house ready to go in case we ever have this issue pop up.   If Mufasa is still taking any prescription medication, you can ask your vet to check out the ingredients in the Tinkle Tonic to make sure there won't be any contraindications with his current medicine.   But this has supposedly been a  godsend to a lot of cats.  

It can be tough for cats to recover from a blockage - they usually aren't fixed up 100% right away, it will take some time for him to be peeing 100% normally.  But you're doing the right thing by watching him carefully - and obviously you know the signs of an issue (crying in the litterbox, doing the "dance" of getting in & out of the box without really peeing, etc) so make sure to take him back to the vet right away if you suspect he has blocked again.   I know this is a tough road to go down, and I know you've given it your all, so I am praying that he stays healthy!

Glad to know he's doing better!  I've had pet insurance.  The company will reimburse you, but you have to pay the vet up front.   If you don't have the money to pay up front, it's kinda worthless, and the rates go up yearly.  Also they do NOT cover pre-existing conditions.  I tried to get Nat covered for his seizures and was told he might be since he'd gone for 1 1/2 years with no seizure and no meds for it.  They wouldn't.  So his phenobarb and his biannual blood work are not covered.  

It is so good to hear that Mufasa is home, doing well, and is regaining his sight! 

That is awesome!

My thoughts on health insurance~~~~ basically, forget it. They will say the heart, kidneys, bladder, vision, blood pressure are all pre-existing conditions.

I had a really tough time last year with insurance for my guy..too long a story to post on here....

I am wishing you so much luck, love, ((hugs)) to you! and Mufasa...scrinches to him.....

FYI: I add extra water to my guys wet food. I also use Miralax, 1/4 tsp mixed in water, twice a day for his constipation.

Thank you all for more well wishes and info, seriously can't tell you how appreciative I am and happy I found this site. 

Yes I have been adding water in his wet food, not too much or else he will not eat it lol 

Yesterday he would nto drink water at all, I am not sure why but he didnt want to have anything to do with it all day.  He did eat all his wet food and I snuck in the water to that. I also bought some of that urinary support elixir So i hope that helps too and i hope it is safe to give him. 

I am still worried he is not out of the woods yet, he is peeing but he is peeing small amounts each time. he also peed again last night on my rug but I had just moved his litter box up stairs for the night since they hang out up there at night now. he sat at the bottom of the stairs and peed while looking at me. 

He is also still constipated, I read some info on giving them Pumpkin? Ill also try the miralax. 

I am also switching Vets, his vet is not friendly and seems to just want my money, brought him in for the constipation on friday and they know they whole ordeal he and I went through last week and how much we paid and he decided to do an x-ray to see if he was indeed constipated, so i paid 150 for that and an enema and he barley pooed after and is still constipated. They called to "check on mufasa" yesterday and I told them he is still constipated and she said the Dr would call me back but he never did... I am a bit frustrated...

Tried the water fountain last night and they didnt care about it but the one I got didnt seem to make any noise or draw their attention so i think I am get another one and try again. 

You're doing a great job!  And you're right, it's good to add water to the canned food, but not too much lol - some cats like it soupy, others not so much.  If I make the food too  wet, mine don't like it either - it has to be perfect        And don't worry about the fountain - when we first got it, everyone looked it over, but only one out of my 4 cats started drinking from it right away (but he always loved drinking running water from faucets beforehand).  It took some time, but gradually everyone started using it - even more so when I stopped filling it up with tap water and started buying spring water for it.   I still leave water bowls out around the house just in case, but everyone drinks from the fountain now.   It may just take some time for them to realize  "hey, this is better!"    It's a good long term plan for getting them to drink more.   It appeals to their instincts - running water = fresh & good.......it may just take some time for that fact to sink in!

And yes I've also read that canned pumpkin is good for both diarrhea and constipation.   Just make sure to get 100% canned pumpkin, and not pumpkin pie mix or anything.  I bet miralax would be good too!

It never hurts to get a second opinion - it's actually a great idea!  If you don't like your vet's service for any reason, I would get a second opinion.   Do you have all Mufasa's records from that vet?

and I'm glad you got the Tinkle Tonic!  It's just an herbal mix:

Active Ingredients  - Couchgrass, Echinacea (purpurea), Marshmallow, Dandelion, and Horsetail

Inactive Ingredients  - Vegetable glycerin USP, distilled water. Alcohol-free

• This tincture may be mixed with food, put on a treat, applied with dropper or syringe directly into mouth (wash with hot water after touching mouth to avoid contaminating the bottle contents), or mixed with up to 1/2 cup of warm water.

If you have a syringe, I would just syringe up 0.5 ml straight out of the bottle and either shoot it in the cat's mouth, or you could try mixing it in with his canned food (although you may run the risk of wasting the medicine if Mufasa doesn't eat all his food in one sitting.  If it were me, I would probably just syringe 0.5ml straight in the mouth 3 times a day - but my guys are pretty good about taking medicines & pills & stuff, so it just depends on the cat.    Is Mufasa still taking any medication, other than the S/O food from the vet?

Awe thank you! I just feel so bad when I read and hear how I should have been feeding him wet food or watching his water intake.  I also feel very bad because we got married in oct and left for 2 weeks, when we came home i noticed the peeing outside the box, i thought it was his brother who tends to be the behavioral cat and not mufasa, also thought it was just because we were gone so long (they had daily cat sitters check on them) Over the holidays we had a lot going on and the random peeing stopped but then started back up again recently once we figured out it was Mufasa, thats when I went online and saw it could be a UTI issue so we took him in and all of this happened. I just keep looking back and realizing the signs from him, licking his area, dragging his butt, the peeing and random crying. I just didnt know and can;t help but feel like I could have spared him all this pain.  But now I know and am watching him carefully.  Just hoping all this helps and helps fast before he has a chance to block again. 

I am runnign home at lunch today to give him some miralax and check on him. 

Ill try the water fountain again, think I need to get a better one online. Ill do liek you said and leave bowls around the house and give them better water, Can I just use the fridge filtered water we drink? We change the filter often

No they took him off the baytril when I took him in for the blockage, they did not send him home on anything, should they have?

Just the RC Urine SO food. 

I ended up buying a different elixer because i was inpatients and wanted ti right away lol I started him on it last night, this is the only one they had. thoughts? It appeared to be similar. 

http://natural-wonder-remedies.com/...act-Bladder-Health-SAVE-1000-TODAY_p_118.html

I put it in his food last night but as you said he didnt eat it all so this morning i put it in his mouth. 

I did get the records from the ER vet but not his normal vet, long story but i just recently (the day before all this happened) brought Mufasa back to this guy because I had moved away for a while. so they do not really have many records there.  He also told me if he ever blocks again I can't bring him to him i have to take to the ER vet. Is this normal or should i have a vet who can actually unblock him and keep him over night rather then always take him to the ER vet, this si so costly that it seems liek in a normal vet office it would be less expensive and keeping him with the same vet would be best rather then multiple hands on him. 

I checked the ingredients on that tonic, and it looks pretty similar to the Tinkle Tonic:

Echinacea, Uva Ursi, Goldenrod, Marshmallow root, Apple Cider Vinegar

Since he's not on any medication, there's no need to worry about any "conflicts" or anything - I think it's perfectly safe to give,  I'm only familiar with the Tinkle Tonic brand, but this one sounds pretty similar to it.  

And I think filtered water is just fine - the filtering will take off any weird tastes from the tap water.  

As far as what the vet's office should be capable of doing?  Really just depends on the clinic.  The little vet practice I used to go to (before my vet retired) was literally a tiny clinic - they didn't have any imaging or diagnostic equipment, so while it was great to go there for regular checkups and simple illnesses, anything more involved (like a block) would have required me to go to an E-vet.  But that's a good question to ask any new vets that you check out - ask them what kind of emergencies they are able to deal with - do they have X-ray, ultrasound, MRI capabilities, etc.    I loved the old vet I used to go to - but that's one of the reasons he had such good prices, because he didn't have any fancy equipment, but I knew that going in........and don't beat yourself up over the food or anything.  My husband had cats growing up, and they all ate Meow Mix and lived to be 20!  It's a lot of luck & genetics - it wasn't until a couple years ago that i really started reading about cat nutrition & learning how wet food is better.     I hope Mufasa continues to get better, he is such a gorgeous kitty