PU surgery/ still hasn't peed

Hi there, I'm new here. This is my first post. I came here because I'm a little worried about my boy Theodore. I'll give you a run down of his history.

He blocked last Monday morning. Rushed him to the emergency animal hospital because it was a holiday. They put a catheter in and kept him on fluids. He was kept at the hospital for 3 days to try and unblock him.

The catheter was pulled Wednesday morning. He was due to come home Wednesday afternoon. By 6pm he still had not peed. He is generally a little skittish and very weary of strangers. I could tell he was a nervous wreck. They put us in a room alone with him with some liter. But he wouldn't go near it. So we ended up bringing him home. As soon as we got home he got in the liter box and couldn't go. He got in and out, in and out, in and out. He could not go. He was still blocked. We brought him back 2 hours later and discussed PU surgery.

Friday afternoon he went in for PU surgery. The vet said he did very well. He stayed until Sunday afternoon. We were told he was doing very well and peeing well on his own. It's been 12 hours since we brought him home. Shortly after we brought him home he had some diarrhea. But no pee. He still has yet to pee. He is eating just little bits and drinking quite a bit of water. Should I be concerned that he hasn't peed?? He has no interest in the liter box though. He's attached to my hip, literally. Anywhere I go, he goes. Then he has to be on me. It's like he has severe separation anxiety. But what I'm most concerned about is that he still hasn't peed. I called the vet about 5-6 hours after we brought him home and told them he hasn't peed yet but had some diarrhea. They asked if he was straining and I said no. And they said as long as he isn't straining. But now its been 12 hours and still no pee. I'm just getting really worried.

Has he peed yet?

From what I've just read, Theodore, might have an inflamed or infected bladder, which is not the urethra.  That's only a might, though.  But, I can't find anything on how long is too long for him not to pee post surgery.

Him staying by your side is a better sign than him hiding, as hiding can indicate pain (from possible infection).  So, just coo gently at him, and stick by his side as much as he's sticking by yours, to reassure him that he's not going to be taken back to the scary hospital.  Spending any length of time in hospital seems like eons, time seems to warp in hospitals, this will be even more so for a little cat. 

Have you put newspaper down for him to sit on?  Cats like newspaper, as it's warm.  You can also then easily see if he has peed as the paper will absorb it and show up.  

I would phone the vet again if he still hasn't gone yet.  Your vet will be used to panicked parents and should be open to any calls from you about Theodore's continued not peeing.  

Keep us posted.  And try to stay calm.  Theodore will pick up on your panic and then be more anxious himself.

He still hasn't peed. He's on clavamox, there shouldn't be any infection there. He hasn't tried to pee. He hasn't even gone near the liter box. He runs to the kitchen like he's hungry, but he doesn't seem to want to eat, especially with the cone on. He's on prescription food so maybe he's just being picky (which is really is). I've been laying on the couch with him since I brought him home. He's been soaking up every bit of attention he can get. Just still hasn't peed

Well, he might just not need to pee yet.  He may be all peed out after his surgery.

Have you got any unsweetened cranberry juice, which is a diuretic and is safe for cats?  Parsley is also good for supporting the kidneys and the urinary tract, it also has diuretic properties.  I'm just trying to think of things you might have in your kitchen, which would help. 

As long as he's not going back and forth to the litter box and straining, then he should be ok.  If he does strain, get on the phone to your vet straight away.

Other than that, it sounds as though you're taking good care of him  

Twelve hours is not that long a time after a surgery. He will most likely still be a little swollen, too. I would definitely call the Dr. if he hasn't gone in 24 hours, they may have to cath him again. Keep your vet informed, they need to know what is going on. I'll pray for your little one to recover fully, sending healing vibes, please keep us informed on how he is doing!  

Unfortunately I don't have any of those things on hand. I called the vet (which was an emergency animal hospital where he stayed for 6 days and had the surgery). I'm not entirely sure if I was speaking to a tech or a receptionist, but there was no doctor on duty at that time. She told me it was a little strange that he hasn't tried to pee. It's been 16 hours since we brought him home. Like I said he did have diarrhea and I'm not sure if maybe he peed at the same time. It was very funny and watery. So maybe he did? Whoever I spoke to told me if I wanted to I could bring him in to check his bladder size. I think I'd rather wait until 9am when a doctor gets in and see what they say. But he just doesn't seem to have to go honestly. I even put him in it and he just got right back out of it.

Thank you so much I really appreciate it.

I actually just re-read your post. It's not 12 hours after surgery, but 12 hours since we brought him home. He has surgery Friday afternoon. It's now Monday. He stayed 2 days after surgery at the hospital. They said he was peeing well there. So I guess I'm just concerned now that we have him home and he's not peeing. He was on fluids at the hospital though. Is this somewhat normal or do I have cause for concern?

It's straining to pee and frequent, unsuccessful, trips to the litter tray that you should be concerned about.  But as he's not doing that, has been seen to pee whilst in the hospital, and had a spot of watery diarrhoea, I think he should be ok for now.  However, please do phone your vet again in a couple of hours, if he's still not been.  Even completely healthy cats only really need to pee once a day, i.e., once in 24 hours.  Try to relax and snuggle with him.

 

Ok,thanks again. I appreciate all of the advice. I'll call the vet in a few hours if he still hasn't gone. I mean come to think of it his water intake and food intake haven't been very much.

He peed!!! My boy peed! I could jump for joy. I just got off the phone with the doctor before it happened. The doctor didn't seem to think it was all that out of the normal but said that if he hadn't peed by late this afternoon I should bring him in just to check the bladder size. Well after we got off the phone I got out the canned food and gave it to him. He only took a couple of baby bites but as soon as he was finished he went to the liter box and peed. I don't think he peed a lot but he did pee and he didn't strain or anything. He didn't seem to be uncomfortable. I feel much better now.

That's wonderful news!  It sounds like your boy is well on the road to recovery.  He's so fortunate to have you.

That's great news!  Yours is the 5th good news story in a row that I've just been notified about      I'm so happy that everyone's on the mend.  

Well done, Theodore!

He just had another nice big pee!! And a diarrhea but I think that's from the meds. He seems to take better to canned food than the dry food. But only small nibbles at a time. I'll just keep offering it to him every hour or so. The cone on his head really gets in the way and I think it kind of hinders his eating. If anyone has any suggestions to help with this I'd really appreciate it. The vet told me I could take it off while he eats and then put it back on but honestly I'm too afraid if I take it off I won't be able to put it back on. So I don't want to do that. I want him to recover as efficiently and quickly as possible so I do think the cone should stay.

You'll have to hand feed him, if he can't manage with the cone.  Strips of chicken or wee chunks of fish might be easy for you to handle, whilst he takes them from your hand.  Maybe a nibble of cheese might be nice too.  You may have to syringe, or spoon, water into his mouth if he can't reach his drinking bowl     Tinned tuna juice is tasty    

I've tried to hand feed him he won't have it. He's also a very very picky eater. He's on a medicated diet. But aside from that he will not eat people food. In the past I've tried to give him chicken, tuna, tuna juice, cheese, etc. he just turns his nose up and walks away. This is so hard.

Try putting his food bowl up on top of a container or something so it's raised up from the floor. This way his cone won't hit the floor when he tries to eat. Also a bowl small enough that the cone fits over it would be helpful.

How's your Teddy today?  

 

@christinamh