Hi Everyone

This is only my second posting, so I guess I am a kitten
I found this site after going through one of the most stressful and emotional days of my life.

I have a black and white shorthair named Diablo who has been with me 7 years this September. He is an indoor cat who has had some medical probelms (worms, upper respiratory infection, etc), but the scariest was about 2 months ago when he squatted in the litter box and couldn't pee.

We took him to the vet right away, he got a shot and some antibiotics, and he was fine....up until today. He couldn't pee again, so we took him to the vet again. This time, there was a blockage. We had to borrow the $300 to cover the cost of a procedure involving a catheter.

The vet is keeping him overnight. This is the first time he has been overnight at the vet's, and I am so worried about him! I cried so much today, and when I think I can't cry any more, I start up again.

The vet said there were no stones or crystals, so her diagnosis is that it's a mucosa infection in the bladder. She wants to put him on antibiotics for 3 weeks, plus there will be dietary changes.

If you could all send him your love and positive thoughts, it would really be appreciated. I love Diablo more than anything, and just came here to vent with what seems to be a genuinely concerned and really nice group of people.

I need a hug!

:rainbow: I hope Diablo is back to his old self soon. I'm not familiar w/his problem, but this is a great site and you will get some good advice.

for Diablo.

-safron

let us know how he does. poor baby.

There's your hug, Emerald. Of course you're upset. Your cat is part of your family, and it's unthinkable that our pets could get sick. I empathize with you about borrowing the money. It's hard when you barely have enough to pay your bills, but I would have done the same thing. I ask God to help my animals. They are his little creatures, after all, so I don't it it's blasphemous.

Poor Diablo! It sounds like you have a good vet who can help get both of you through this. From what I understand about UT blockages, he can still lead a very long and happy life with a few changes. Keep up posted about his prognosis and everything!!

He is certainly in my thoughts and lots and lots of love is coming his way!

Big snuggles to Diablo and a big hug to you!

I would like to thank all of you for your kind words and well wishes!It is so nice to connect with people who understand! {{{hugs}}} to you all

We brought Diablo home yesterday (Saturday April 6) morning, and of course, he was groggy....they had to shave the insides of his legs...poor little guy!

He peed twice yesterday, and slept ALLLL day....we made sure we were with him all the time, and kept the house nice and quiet so that he could sleep undisturbed.

He is on antibiotics for the next 21 days....Baytril 50mg. He only has to take a 1/2 pill once a day.

We are having problems with this!!!! He is the worst patient ever when it comes to pills....we have tried everything. He is drinking lots of water, but hasn't eaten since yesterday morning when we brought him home. We do have a dropper, so I was thinking about dissolving his meds in water and administering them that way.

But that's about the only thing we can do - we try to crush the pill and mix it with his food, no dice. We did it the way the vet had suggested the first time, forget it! Even rubbing his throat doesn't work...he spits the darn thing out every time! He isn't declawed, so we have a few scratches from todays pill battle. It's very frustrating, as I don't want a recurrence of this problem. Does anyone have any suggestions for administering meds to the finickiest (is that a word? *lol*) of cats?

Ask your vet if there's a way you could get a liquid antibotic. Sometimes that can be a little easier than having to stick a pill down their throat.

You could try to hide the pill in like a glob of cream cheese but most cats are smart to it.

They also sell little pillers at the pet shops. You stick the pill on the end of it and put it in the back on your cats throat and push the plunger and it injects the pill in.

Just a few suggestions.

Emerald, when you have to pill a cat, you can get very creative. Is there anything he absolutely adores, like cheese? You can try folding a small strip of cheese around the pill. You can also try some braunswieger (sp?) and I've heard of people who have had a lot of luck with cream cheese. I'm sure you'll get some great ideas at this site.

BadHabit and spacecat, both of your ideas are very good....it's just that the vet instructed us that Diablo is to be on special soft food only, with no treats whatsoever. So there goes the cream cheese He also loves tuna, but that's a no-go as well....the pillers that BadHabit suggested might work, though.

The vet also told us that the pH and specific gravity of his urine is perfect, so I don't want to increase the acidity of his urine by feeding him any other stuff besides what he is currently on. Acidic urine will irritate his bladder infection, so I was told.

So frustrating! But I love him and will do all in my power to make sure he gets those meds!

Please keep the suggestions coming, though...we need all the help we can get...this is one stubborn little furball!

When you tried crushing the pill in Diablo's food, did you just leave it in the bowl for him, or did you smoosh it into a bit of food, then put it in his mouth for him?? I found that when I tried the pill hiding in the food trick, my cats found the pill, and avoided it. I had to smoosh the pill in a bit of food and shove it to the back of their throat and then clamp their mouth shut so they can't spit it out. Their only alternative is to swallow the stuff in their mouth. And rub their throat while you have their mouth clamped shut. But make sure you wear long sleeve shirts, to avoid the scratches!! Good luck. I wish Diablo well.

I just wanted to say welcome to you Emerald, and I am so sorry to hear your kitty has been having so many problems. Let's hope he is on the way to recovery now!!! As for the pills....the few times I have had to give them, I just had to poke them as far down their throat as I could with my finger. They hate it, but it is the only way I can get it down them, and I remind myself it is for their own good.