My cat, Rumble, got sick about two weeks ago. He had previously had a urinary blockage and although we still have him on the prescription diet all his behaviour seemed to indicate he was blocked again or retaining urine - so off to the vet we went only to find out he had an anal gland infection. Phew.
Skip forward 10 days to two days before we are supposed to move homes and he is licking at his but again. It is late evening, we have a follow up appointment for early morning so it is only 8 hours away and I assume it is his anal gland again. Wake up in the morning to a very angry cat who is lying on the floor in a puddle of urine screaming at me (I should say, he is very vocal. I don't doubt that he was uncomfortable but he is a serious baby and screams about everything).
We get to the vet and she says that his bladder is quite full. He has been on Prozac for a few months and we knew urinary retention was a rare but possible side effect and we were watching for that (hence, the quick visit two weeks earlier). This time his anal glands look fine. He peed all over the floor from the table and then seemed to be a much happier cat. They sent me home to finish my packing, sedated him and were then able to express his bladder. There was a plug which we have sent off for analysis and there were a few crystals in the urine but nothing crazy (like the last time). They flushed his bladder and sent him home.
The vet believes that it is likely that we created a perfect storm - the Prozac caused urinary retention, which causes the urine to be stronger, which can cause crystals, and in a cat that was already prone to crystals - TA DA!
So Saturday we are moving, he starts yelling at me from the floor again and all I could think was "Well, the emergency vet is right around the corner from the new house!" He finally peed on the floor in a few spots and then seemed to be a much happier cat. I decided to wait it out and call the vet on Monday.
But Sunday, we are in new house, different cat pees on the dog bed. Ok, he is stressed, new house . . . let's wait. Nope, the next day he peed on my couch, it was the foulest, strongest smelling pee ever. Good golly it stunk. We called time of death on the couch, I am never going to be able to get that out. And off to the vet Razzie and I go. Because moving isn't expensive enough, right?!?
Razzie has a UTI, all is good now it seems. Rumble, however, is still having problems. He peed on my bed last night (right before bed), on the floor today. He won't use the litter box and still seems quite uncomfortable when he urinates. He is on an antispasmodic drug to help him to release the bladder sphincter and still on an antibiotic from the anal gland infection (which was extended as a prophylactic after the catheterization). I spoke to the vet about him on Monday when I was there with Razzie (same vet) and she said we need to give the Prozac time to leave his system so as long as he is urinating and nothing else seems to change we should just wait it out. (In other words, don't go rushing back with him unless he stops peeing.)
My question is, has anyone ever had a cat on Prozac that did this? Or a cat with crystals that did this for a time after they were unblocked? Vet says it could take a week or more before things get back to normal, we are on day 5. Does that seem right? How long am I looking at here?
Things aren't going well at the new home in general (lots of little problems) and I am getting frustrated with the house and with the cats. I just really need the peeing to stop! Or at least to know when it might stop.
Also, I am running out of furniture. Seriously, they couldn't have done this before so I didn't have to carry everything into the new house? LOL
Note that after Rumble pees all over something, or the floor, he is fine and back to his cuddly, purring old self. He loves being medicated . . . please send blood transfusion.
Skip forward 10 days to two days before we are supposed to move homes and he is licking at his but again. It is late evening, we have a follow up appointment for early morning so it is only 8 hours away and I assume it is his anal gland again. Wake up in the morning to a very angry cat who is lying on the floor in a puddle of urine screaming at me (I should say, he is very vocal. I don't doubt that he was uncomfortable but he is a serious baby and screams about everything).
We get to the vet and she says that his bladder is quite full. He has been on Prozac for a few months and we knew urinary retention was a rare but possible side effect and we were watching for that (hence, the quick visit two weeks earlier). This time his anal glands look fine. He peed all over the floor from the table and then seemed to be a much happier cat. They sent me home to finish my packing, sedated him and were then able to express his bladder. There was a plug which we have sent off for analysis and there were a few crystals in the urine but nothing crazy (like the last time). They flushed his bladder and sent him home.
The vet believes that it is likely that we created a perfect storm - the Prozac caused urinary retention, which causes the urine to be stronger, which can cause crystals, and in a cat that was already prone to crystals - TA DA!
So Saturday we are moving, he starts yelling at me from the floor again and all I could think was "Well, the emergency vet is right around the corner from the new house!" He finally peed on the floor in a few spots and then seemed to be a much happier cat. I decided to wait it out and call the vet on Monday.
But Sunday, we are in new house, different cat pees on the dog bed. Ok, he is stressed, new house . . . let's wait. Nope, the next day he peed on my couch, it was the foulest, strongest smelling pee ever. Good golly it stunk. We called time of death on the couch, I am never going to be able to get that out. And off to the vet Razzie and I go. Because moving isn't expensive enough, right?!?
Razzie has a UTI, all is good now it seems. Rumble, however, is still having problems. He peed on my bed last night (right before bed), on the floor today. He won't use the litter box and still seems quite uncomfortable when he urinates. He is on an antispasmodic drug to help him to release the bladder sphincter and still on an antibiotic from the anal gland infection (which was extended as a prophylactic after the catheterization). I spoke to the vet about him on Monday when I was there with Razzie (same vet) and she said we need to give the Prozac time to leave his system so as long as he is urinating and nothing else seems to change we should just wait it out. (In other words, don't go rushing back with him unless he stops peeing.)
My question is, has anyone ever had a cat on Prozac that did this? Or a cat with crystals that did this for a time after they were unblocked? Vet says it could take a week or more before things get back to normal, we are on day 5. Does that seem right? How long am I looking at here?
Things aren't going well at the new home in general (lots of little problems) and I am getting frustrated with the house and with the cats. I just really need the peeing to stop! Or at least to know when it might stop.
Also, I am running out of furniture. Seriously, they couldn't have done this before so I didn't have to carry everything into the new house? LOL
Note that after Rumble pees all over something, or the floor, he is fine and back to his cuddly, purring old self. He loves being medicated . . . please send blood transfusion.
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