Experience With Consecutive Re-obstructions In A Cat W/fic

[annarog24]

Hello, I am eagerly hoping from anyone whose cat has re-obstructed immediately after being put on a catheter/fluids and subsequently discharged from the hospital.

BACKSTORY:
Apple is a 4-year-old, neutered Maine Coon mix, strictly indoor, hyper-sensitive. Immediately following our out-of-state move, Apple started exhibiting extreme vocal signs of distress and was taken to the ER. He had a complete obstruction and had to be unblocked. Struvite crystals were found in his urine. At that time, we opted to take him home right after the procedure due to financial reasons. So he was not immediately put on a catheter/IV but was receiving antibiotics, pain meds, anti-inflammatories, and prazosin. Still, he re-blocked two days later and brought back to the ER. We scrambled to find the funds to have him properly hospitalized, and ultimately had him receive the recommended, "full" treatment including the IV, full bladder flush, and catheter. He was discharged after he was able to eliminate on his own, about 36 hours after intake. First day back home, he did wonderfully -- urinating like normal, eating, quite active. He started eating the Royal Canin S/O wet diet right after our initial episode. Now it's the second day back from the hospital and he seems to be doing much worse. Making hourly trips to the litter box (now there are three), straining, and producing only coin-size clumps. I also started seeing blood. He has eaten maybe 1/5 of a 5 ounce can in all, but drinking the liquid from the food bowl (I am adding water to the food and some tuna juice for flavoring). I am worried to death that he is obstructing again. (We started seeing similar signs after his initial re-block, only he is perhaps a bit more active this time). He already used up his last pain med dose.

PROBLEM: We are in a new town, no regular vet. All the ER doctors we are dealing with keep changing, so there is no consistent observation/source of advice. The last doctor I spoke to on the phone (who hadn't seen or treated Apple at any point, but did review his file) did not sound too optimistic. We can't go the PU surgery route, it's simply not realistic financially.

QUESTION: Has anyone had a similar experience and had the cat recover, without PU surgery? What was the outcome? We are trying our best in terms of minimizing environmental stressors (Felliway is plugged in; water fountain (but no signs of use, possible apprehension); three litter boxes) but Apple has always seemed on the skittish/reactive side and I can't help but to think the move was just too much for him to handle.

We are slowly coming to terms with the possibility of euthanasia if his condition continues to worse and/or it becomes clear he is distressed and in pain. But if anyone out there has had a better outcome in a similar situation, we could use the hope!

THANK YOU FOR READING!

 

[Jem]

My cat needed to be brought in for a complete blockage. He also presented with a small amount of struvite crystals. But it was not the crystals that blocked him, they formed because his urine stayed in his bladder too long. He was diagnosed with idiopathic cystitis, caused by extreme stress. We had a high volume of bears coming around our house one year and it terrified him.
We brought him to a vet who catheterized him but not for very long, as it was friday and they were not open for the weekend. We brought home at closing, and they simply suggested changing his food. He completely blocked again within 12 hours, so we brought him to the ER vet that was on call that weekend. He needed to be catheterized constantly, in hospital, for 5 days. On day 6, to ensure he did not re-block after having the catheter removed for the day, we could bring him home. He was put on an anti-spasmatic (you could actually see his poor privates spasming), an anti-inflammatory, a relaxant, an antibiotic (to be on the safe side due to all the trauma his urethra went thru) and an anti-depressant. He was pretty stoned and lethargic but at least he was calm. With all the meds and being catheterized for so long he was incontinent. It took about three weeks for the spasms to stop and for him to start peeing normal again. We kept him in his own room, with all the necessities, and even played calming cat music (it was a cd made specifically for calming cats, we just put it on repeat on a very low volume). He has not had a re-occurrence since, and did not need the surgery.
So these are some of my suggestions.
Maybe he needs to be catheterized for a much longer period of time, while on heavy anti-spasm, anti-inflammatory and relaxant medications, and to help with the stress even if he's stoned from it an anxiety / or anti-depressant (of course you need to find a vet to ask).
Maybe there is a way for you to be able to keep him catheterized at home if a week long vet stay is too expensive?
I would create a safe space for him that surrounds him with all of his smell, a place that he can call his own. It worked for ours, but he was not interested in roaming much because he was so stoned and of course we could not cover our whole house with puppy pads for the incontinence.
I honestly think that keeping ours in a "zombie" state, where he did not care about a thing, because he was most likely unaware and almost a week continuously catheterized was all that would have worked for him, and it did. So again, anti-spasm, anti-inflam, relaxant, anti-anxiety, anti-depressant.
He was also given a wet food called "recovery" to eat as it did not produce stool, it is made up completely of nutrients so no "out put".
If I think of more, I'll come back. Ask me questions too, it might jog my memory.

 

[annarog24]

My cat needed to be brought in for a complete blockage. He also presented with a small amount of struvite crystals. But it was not the crystals that blocked him, they formed because his urine stayed in his bladder too long. He was diagnosed with idiopathic cystitis, caused by extreme stress. We had a high volume of bears coming around our house one year and it terrified him.
We brought him to a vet who catheterized him but not for very long, as it was friday and they were not open for the weekend. We brought home at closing, and they simply suggested changing his food. He completely blocked again within 12 hours, so we brought him to the ER vet that was on call that weekend. He needed to be catheterized constantly, in hospital, for 5 days. On day 6, to ensure he did not re-block after having the catheter removed for the day, we could bring him home. He was put on an anti-spasmatic (you could actually see his poor privates spasming), an anti-inflammatory, a relaxant, an antibiotic (to be on the safe side due to all the trauma his urethra went thru) and an anti-depressant. He was pretty stoned and lethargic but at least he was calm. With all the meds and being catheterized for so long he was incontinent. It took about three weeks for the spasms to stop and for him to start peeing normal again. We kept him in his own room, with all the necessities, and even played calming cat music (it was a cd made specifically for calming cats, we just put it on repeat on a very low volume). He has not had a re-occurrence since, and did not need the surgery.
So these are some of my suggestions.
Maybe he needs to be catheterized for a much longer period of time, while on heavy anti-spasm, anti-inflammatory and relaxant medications, and to help with the stress even if he's stoned from it an anxiety / or anti-depressant (of course you need to find a vet to ask).
Maybe there is a way for you to be able to keep him catheterized at home if a week long vet stay is too expensive?
I would create a safe space for him that surrounds him with all of his smell, a place that he can call his own. It worked for ours, but he was not interested in roaming much because he was so stoned and of course we could not cover our whole house with puppy pads for the incontinence.
I honestly think that keeping ours in a "zombie" state, where he did not care about a thing, because he was most likely unaware and almost a week continuously catheterized was all that would have worked for him, and it did. So again, anti-spasm, anti-inflam, relaxant, anti-anxiety, anti-depressant.
He was also given a wet food called "recovery" to eat as it did not produce stool, it is made up completely of nutrients so no "out put".
If I think of more, I'll come back. Ask me questions too, it might jog my memory.

Jem, thank you so much for taking the time to write such a thorough response about your experience. We were plunged head-first into learning all about FIC and it is such a cruel, frustrating condition. I am really glad that your kitty is ok and you and your vet were able to get him through this nightmare. The anti-inflammatory, relaxant, and psychiatric drugs seem very sensible and reading your response, I am surprised we weren't sent home with a more extensive regiment. Earlier today, the "phone" vet said he could prescribe an anti-anxiety but that it "may or may not work." He didn't sound too reassuring. We are expecting some CBD oil to come in the mail tomorrow (especially for pets) and debating if to take our changes with the CBD or the anxiety meds or both. [Sigh]. I really wish we had a trusted vet who could give us advice based on Apple's specific history. But in any case, I really do appreciate hearing your experience.

 

[Jem]

Have you looked at his "undercarriage" and notice any twitching or contractions? If so, again, just my experience, something to help with relaxing the muscles of the urinary tract is crucial. I've done a lot of research on cannabis, and cbd oil is indicated to ease spasms of the bronchi in asthmatic cats. So I would expect it would help spasms for the urinary system as well. It is also indicated for anxiety. You may not need to use an anti-anxiety if you find the cbd oil works.

How long has he been without a catheter at this point? Does it seem that his peeing is "stable"? I know when Chewie's incontinence stopped (about 3 weeks) and he was able to pee "on his own" again, the sizes of his pee in the litter box were sometimes only 1 to 1.5 inches in diameter (usually 1.5). It took about another month or so after that for his pee size to increase to 2 inches (which I believe is the "normal/standard" diameter for a healthy cat's pee (in clumping litter).

If you are really needing some help finding a trusted vet, maybe call local dog/cat breeders and see who they use. Breeding is their bread and butter so they would want a vet who knew what they were doing (I would think). Also try contacting someone who fosters animals and works in the "animal field", groomer/kennels. They, I'm sure, would have a name or two for you, who they trust to keep fosters healthy and top recommendations from clients they speak to. Where I'm from, the kennel I trust also fosters animals and breeds, she was the who recommended my vet. She also asks her client's who their vet is when taking them in if there was ever an emergency, (and of course their permission to act if she can't get a hold of them.) So she does have an Idea of the most popular vets in the area, as well as negative feedback.

I think the reason in our case for the extensive drug regimen is that poor Chewie required such a long duration with a catheter. Did you also ask the vet about if the duration of being catheterized was long enough?

I totally get the stress and fear and worry when dealing with this. I truly hope Apple makes a full recovery. I'll check back again in case you have any questions.

 

[catlover73]

Have you looked into Care Credit to help with vet bills? A friend of mine used it to pay for surgery for her cat because he was poop blocking. My cat sitter and close friend used her Care Credit to pay for my Sonny to be hospitalized for three days due to a pee blockage caused by a severe UTI. My cat did not have any crystals in his urine though. My friend and cat sitter is also Sonny's former foster mommy. We did not do a contract when I adopted him from her due to our friendship. When I offered to try to pay her back she told me no because in the formal adoption contract she used while doing private rescue it was stated in the contract that she would take care of medical bills if the care taker ran into financial issues. She told me that even though we did not sign a formal contract she was going to honor the terms of her normal legal adoption contract. My cat sitter mentioned this to me recently when I once again offered to pay her back after hubby got a raise at work.

I am also going to post an article regarding how to get help for vet bills.
No Money For Vet Care? How To Find Help And Save Your Cat's Life

 

[annarog24]

Have you looked at his "undercarriage" and notice any twitching or contractions? If so, again, just my experience, something to help with relaxing the muscles of the urinary tract is crucial. I've done a lot of research on cannabis, and cbd oil is indicated to ease spasms of the bronchi in asthmatic cats. So I would expect it would help spasms for the urinary system as well. It is also indicated for anxiety. You may not need to use an anti-anxiety if you find the cbd oil works.

How long has he been without a catheter at this point? Does it seem that his peeing is "stable"? I know when Chewie's incontinence stopped (about 3 weeks) and he was able to pee "on his own" again, the sizes of his pee in the litter box were sometimes only 1 to 1.5 inches in diameter (usually 1.5). It took about another month or so after that for his pee size to increase to 2 inches (which I believe is the "normal/standard" diameter for a healthy cat's pee (in clumping litter).

If you are really needing some help finding a trusted vet, maybe call local dog/cat breeders and see who they use. Breeding is their bread and butter so they would want a vet who knew what they were doing (I would think). Also try contacting someone who fosters animals and works in the "animal field", groomer/kennels. They, I'm sure, would have a name or two for you, who they trust to keep fosters healthy and top recommendations from clients they speak to. Where I'm from, the kennel I trust also fosters animals and breeds, she was the who recommended my vet. She also asks her client's who their vet is when taking them in if there was ever an emergency, (and of course their permission to act if she can't get a hold of them.) So she does have an Idea of the most popular vets in the area, as well as negative feedback.

I think the reason in our case for the extensive drug regimen is that poor Chewie required such a long duration with a catheter. Did you also ask the vet about if the duration of being catheterized was long enough?

I totally get the stress and fear and worry when dealing with this. I truly hope Apple makes a full recovery. I'll check back again in case you have any questions.

Wow, thank you for these suggestions and well-wishes. The support and resources from members of TCS like you have been truly wonderful. We definitely feel less alone in this now.

I've been checking his belly almost obsessively and so far, I'm not feeling the kind of lumpy, hard bladder I remember feeling before the second time he blocked. But beyond that, I'm not too sure what a "normal" bladder should feel like (but wish I had asked the vet to teach to demo this skill!) Earlier today, I thought the whole area was feeling a bit hot to the touch, but that seemed to subside somewhat this evening. I am not seeing as much blood tonight, either, which is heartening. His production at this point is about hourly -- maybe an inch clump or smaller. So in that sense, he's regular. I am really hoping the CBD oil will come tomorrow and get him started on that. I need to do more research about the interaction between CBD and other drugs so that there aren't any adverse effects. Right now, we also have cat music playing for him. I feel like it's helping, because he's been spending less time under the bed. (It's also helping keep the rest of the family calmer! -- Thanks for that great idea.)

 

[annarog24]

Have you looked into Care Credit to help with vet bills? A friend of mine used it to pay for surgery for her cat because he was poop blocking. My cat sitter and close friend used her Care Credit to pay for my Sonny to be hospitalized for three days due to a pee blockage caused by a severe UTI. My cat did not have any crystals in his urine though. My friend and cat sitter is also Sonny's former foster mommy. We did not do a contract when I adopted him from her due to our friendship. When I offered to try to pay her back she told me no because in the formal adoption contract she used while doing private rescue it was stated in the contract that she would take care of medical bills if the care taker ran into financial issues. She told me that even though we did not sign a formal contract she was going to honor the terms of her normal legal adoption contract. My cat sitter mentioned this to me recently when I once again offered to pay her back after hubby got a raise at work.

I am also going to post an article regarding how to get help for vet bills.
No Money For Vet Care? How To Find Help And Save Your Cat's Life

I'm so sorry you have gone through a blockage with your cat, too, but it should like Sonny has made a full recovery? I sure hope so. How generous and kind of your friend to cover the costs. We have also used CareCredit to pay for Apple's vet care, but are almost maxed out at this point. Still, I am happy we had CareCredit as an option; I don't know what we would have done otherwise.

Thank you for your response and fingers crossed for no more blockages for Sonny and Apple both!

 

[annarog24]

UPDATE on APPLE:

We had quite a close call today; or at least, so we thought. Apple's urine production continued to decline throughout the day, and earlier this evening, he started to become vocal, more lethargic, and less interested in food. As soon as we heard him low-growling, the way he had done before the initial blockage, we immediately took him to the vet, thinking sure enough he was completely blocked up again and in tremendous pain. We were in tears and broken up about having to prepare for the worst.

But to our surprise, the vet found Apple's bladder to be almost completely empty. He to told us that those strained, frequent trips to the litter box as well as small amounts of (often bloody) urine in his case were symptoms of his inflamed bladder. He prescribed more antibiotics, anti- inflammatories, Cerenia, anti-anxiety, and more pain meds in addition to the anti-spasmodic Apple was already on. For now, he said to hold off on the CBD oil and see how Apple does on the amitriptyline (anti-anxiety) for the next 30 days. So needless to say, our cat is on a TON of meds right now but hopefully they do some good. We lucked out that the emergency vet on staff tonight was the same one who admitted Apple initially. It was reassuring to have some consistency in who was treating Apple.

 

[catlover73]

I'm so sorry you have gone through a blockage with your cat, too, but it should like Sonny has made a full recovery? I sure hope so. How generous and kind of your friend to cover the costs. We have also used CareCredit to pay for Apple's vet care, but are almost maxed out at this point. Still, I am happy we had CareCredit as an option; I don't know what we would have done otherwise.

Thank you for your response and fingers crossed for no more blockages for Sonny and Apple both!

Yes Sonny has made a full recovery. I hope things get better for your baby too.