Holy cow, this thread has saved my sanity. I wanted to create an account to say thank you to everyone who has posted before me on this thread - thank you for sharing your experiences and concerns and for creating a place for us cat moms and dads to have an open dialogue about this tricky procedure. I'm just beginning my journey with PU surgery, but I know I will reread this thread as my kitty recovers. I spent hours yesterday reading and researching and this thread was so incredibly helpful!
Alba (the orange and white kitty in my avatar) is the kitty in question. In 2013, shortly after I met their cat dad, I noticed that his behavior was a little unusual. I grew up with cats all my life so I knew what normal looked like, but my SO had never had cats before. Alba kept going in and out of the litter box, not peeing much. When my SO spotted blood-tinged urine, I told him to bring Alba to the vet. First guess? UTI. Antibiotics helped, but the problem persisted. An x-ray showed stones in his bladder. We tried to dissolve them with prescription food, hoping they were struvite. Alas, they were calcium oxalate. He had a cystotomy in September 2013 and they successfully removed 10 stones.
That was my first experience with kitty surgery. Recovery was emotionally draining, but totally worth it. He was peeing larger amounts than I'd ever seen from him, and he appeared to be his normal, happy self. He had a completely smooth and beautiful recovery. The only new development was that he occasionally drips a drop or two of pee after running out of the litter box, but the vet said that was not a concern. He's been on Royal Canin Urinary SO since (wet twice a day with a dry food treat midday).
Flash forward to 2016. Alba's behavior has been normal and consistent. He's still fussy about the litter boxes, but he is peeing decent amounts. On Wednesday night, I noticed that he dripped on a table, and when I went to wipe it away, I noticed that it was pink. Not good. I called the vet Thursday morning and we brought him in. We just thought it would be a UTI. Another x-ray showed a completely clean bladder, but a lot of mineralization in his urethra. So much that we thought it was an actual bone in his body. A solid line of crystals.
Trying to stay calm, we talked through the options. We decided to take him in to a nearby veterinary hospital that specializes in complicated surgical procedures. We brought him in through the ER on Friday morning and spoke with a couple of surgeons, and they spoke with the head of surgery. They said that they would first try to flush the stones/mineralization back into the bladder by using a catheter. If that works, cystotomy #2. If that doesn't work, PU.
Once Alba was prepped, they tried the catheter. Didn't work. They couldn't even get the smallest catheter to even enter the urethra at all. All of the doctors and surgeons we spoke with were amazed that Alba could still pee at all. It looked like a full blockage based on x-rays and the attempted catheterization, but our miracle baby was somehow still able to pee. I'm so happy we brought him in when we did. I can't even imagine what might have happened if I hadn't spotted it.
Our surgeon suggested PU, and we agreed. He did share that some of the mineralization may be above the point where he could surgically reach. That if he was unable to remove that mineralization, they would have to do a prepubic or subpubic urethrostomy (relocating the urethra somewhere else on the abdomen). I could hardly find any information about that procedure, but everything I found suggested that it doesn't really help the cat's quality of life. Who knows if he could control his urination? How would we be able to effectively care for him? If it came to that, we would have to discuss whether or not to put him down.
Alba went into surgery and we prayed and hoped for the best. Fortunately, our miracle baby pulled through once more. Our surgeon was able to remove all mineralization and crystallized tissue! He was able to do a standard, traditional PU, and it went smoothly. We're keeping Alba at the vet until Monday morning (two days post-op) so they can keep him catheterized and monitor his intake. We just got a call that he's doing really well and ate a huge breakfast (classic Alba), and we are going to visit him soon.
I'm worried about his recovery period at home, but I know that we can create a safe and comfortable environment for him. I'm mostly concerned about a stricture or the incision healing improperly. Does anyone know how likely that is? I know all cats are different, and obviously I'm going to ask the vet as well, but I thought I'd put out some feelers here too.
Sending love and good vibes to all of your kitties today!
Alba (the orange and white kitty in my avatar) is the kitty in question. In 2013, shortly after I met their cat dad, I noticed that his behavior was a little unusual. I grew up with cats all my life so I knew what normal looked like, but my SO had never had cats before. Alba kept going in and out of the litter box, not peeing much. When my SO spotted blood-tinged urine, I told him to bring Alba to the vet. First guess? UTI. Antibiotics helped, but the problem persisted. An x-ray showed stones in his bladder. We tried to dissolve them with prescription food, hoping they were struvite. Alas, they were calcium oxalate. He had a cystotomy in September 2013 and they successfully removed 10 stones.
That was my first experience with kitty surgery. Recovery was emotionally draining, but totally worth it. He was peeing larger amounts than I'd ever seen from him, and he appeared to be his normal, happy self. He had a completely smooth and beautiful recovery. The only new development was that he occasionally drips a drop or two of pee after running out of the litter box, but the vet said that was not a concern. He's been on Royal Canin Urinary SO since (wet twice a day with a dry food treat midday).
Flash forward to 2016. Alba's behavior has been normal and consistent. He's still fussy about the litter boxes, but he is peeing decent amounts. On Wednesday night, I noticed that he dripped on a table, and when I went to wipe it away, I noticed that it was pink. Not good. I called the vet Thursday morning and we brought him in. We just thought it would be a UTI. Another x-ray showed a completely clean bladder, but a lot of mineralization in his urethra. So much that we thought it was an actual bone in his body. A solid line of crystals.
Trying to stay calm, we talked through the options. We decided to take him in to a nearby veterinary hospital that specializes in complicated surgical procedures. We brought him in through the ER on Friday morning and spoke with a couple of surgeons, and they spoke with the head of surgery. They said that they would first try to flush the stones/mineralization back into the bladder by using a catheter. If that works, cystotomy #2. If that doesn't work, PU.
Once Alba was prepped, they tried the catheter. Didn't work. They couldn't even get the smallest catheter to even enter the urethra at all. All of the doctors and surgeons we spoke with were amazed that Alba could still pee at all. It looked like a full blockage based on x-rays and the attempted catheterization, but our miracle baby was somehow still able to pee. I'm so happy we brought him in when we did. I can't even imagine what might have happened if I hadn't spotted it.
Our surgeon suggested PU, and we agreed. He did share that some of the mineralization may be above the point where he could surgically reach. That if he was unable to remove that mineralization, they would have to do a prepubic or subpubic urethrostomy (relocating the urethra somewhere else on the abdomen). I could hardly find any information about that procedure, but everything I found suggested that it doesn't really help the cat's quality of life. Who knows if he could control his urination? How would we be able to effectively care for him? If it came to that, we would have to discuss whether or not to put him down.
Alba went into surgery and we prayed and hoped for the best. Fortunately, our miracle baby pulled through once more. Our surgeon was able to remove all mineralization and crystallized tissue! He was able to do a standard, traditional PU, and it went smoothly. We're keeping Alba at the vet until Monday morning (two days post-op) so they can keep him catheterized and monitor his intake. We just got a call that he's doing really well and ate a huge breakfast (classic Alba), and we are going to visit him soon.
I'm worried about his recovery period at home, but I know that we can create a safe and comfortable environment for him. I'm mostly concerned about a stricture or the incision healing improperly. Does anyone know how likely that is? I know all cats are different, and obviously I'm going to ask the vet as well, but I thought I'd put out some feelers here too.
Sending love and good vibes to all of your kitties today!