Worried: Lower Urinary Tract Blockage

[nansiludie]

Such good news on Tintin! He's surely a handsome fella in his own set of black kitty fur.

 

[danitaielle]

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• danitaielle
• Mar 23, 2016

He's finally decided to nap.

 

[danitaielle]

Update: At 3pm (30 minutes ago) I gave him is pain meds. However since about then he has been in and out of the box and producing just small drops of urine. He has been in there for almost 3 minutes now. Could this be because of his pain medication wearing off? I called the emergency vet, but the tech I spoke to wasn't very helpful.

 

[margd]

Some of it could be the pain meds wearing off since the sensations are making him feel like he has to pee even if his bladder is empty.  However,  from what I understand, it's very normal for urination to be quite irregular after this procedure and urine often comes in dribs and drabs.   The main thing is that he keeps producing something.  Sometimes cats do reblock shortly after being unblocked so you do need to keep an eye on him, though.   Hopefully with all the water he's drinking, he'll produce more urine soon and reassure you that he's okay.  

It's unfortunate that the vet tech wasn't more helpful.  You just dropped a lot of money at the vet there so it's perfectly reasonable to expect your follow-up questions to be answered.  I'd call again if Tintin continues to just squeeze out a few drops at a time and ask them point blank if this is something to worry about.

 

[hellomisskitty]

Some of it could be the pain meds wearing off since the sensations are making him feel like he has to pee even if his bladder is empty.  However,  from what I understand, it's very normal for urination to be quite irregular after this procedure and urine often comes in dribs and drabs.   The main thing is that he keeps producing something.  Sometimes cats do reblock shortly after being unblocked so you do need to keep an eye on him, though.   Hopefully with all the water he's drinking, he'll produce more urine soon and reassure you that he's okay.  

It's unfortunate that the vet tech wasn't more helpful.  You just dropped a lot of money at the vet there so it's perfectly reasonable to expect your follow-up questions to be answered.  I'd call again if Tintin continues to just squeeze out a few drops at a time and ask them point blank if this is something to worry about.

I agree 100% with Margd. I'm guessing Tintin is also taking an anti-inflammatory to quiet down the inflammation in his bladder and that will take time to happen. With that said, keep an eye on him and don't hesitate to call the vet (hopefully you'll get someone a little more helpful, in the need arises!)

Hang in there!

 

[danitaielle]

After 30 minutes hes finally stopped trying to pee. I called the vet again and they don't seemed too concerned since he's still producing urine. Im ready for this to be over.

 

[hellomisskitty]

Hang in there! It took me a while to get over my girl's bladder/urinary "episode" (as I call it). It was traumatic for her and for me. I do remember that she bounced back long before I did and I'm still very watchful how much and how often she pees. Just keep doing what you are doing and you will start to feel more confident that Tintin is on the mend. It's hard because they can't tell us what they are feeling so we have to collect clues by observing and checking with the vet. I'm glad to hear that the vet was not alarmed. Just take things day by day and try not to let this overwhelm you. I would imagine that once he has more of his meds in his system, his urinary output will normalize and then you can really relax!!!

 

[margd]

After 30 minutes hes finally stopped trying to pee. I called the vet again and they don't seemed too concerned since he's still producing urine. Im ready for this to be over.

It's nerve wracking, I know.  When Chula had her UTI I was a wreck, constantly worrying that I should be racing her back to the vet. She did the same thing - just producing drops.   Even though I knew female cats rarely get blocked, I was sure she was the exception.

   As long as the vet isn't worried, I think that's the main thing.  My experience is that vets usually want you to come in if there's any chance of trouble so Tintin's behavior probably falls within the normal range at this point.   Just keep checking.  If he stops urinating completely, you'll have time to get him back in. 

 

[danitaielle]

You guys are awesome. I have been exhausted and my boyfriend told me to nap. But I didn't want to stop watching Tintin. But Tintin was such a sweet boy and napped on my lap the entire time I slept, which allowed me to nap on peace. That's 40 minutes away from the box. I'm thinking that means the pain killers kicked in! Woo!

 

[red top rescue]

I had a struggle with my rescued girl when I first got her home.  Got her on antispasmodics, pain meds and an anti-anxiety medicine for awhile.  She had been in pain for such a long time and she would not go to the litter box to pee, she wanted to pee on my desk, on my foot, in the middle of the floor, on the stove, on my neatly stacked papers, etc. and I had to keep my cool because if I got angry, that would add to her stress.  I put an incontinence pad in a litter box and left another litter box totally empty and she used both of those!  I do think she was trying to show me her problem, because as her urine pH came down and the blood disappeared, she used the boxes more and more.  Now she's become an elevator butt, the kind of cat that starts peeing squatting down and then raises her butt as she pees and sprays the whole wall beside the box.  (I have covered boxes and open boxes, and she seems to prefer open boxes.)  She still finds creative places to pee once in awhile (would you believe in an empty ice cube tray that was sitting on my kitchen counter???), but I just grab a test strip and make sure her pH is still fine and then I clean it up.  She was never an elevator butt when she was sick!  BTW her amounts kept getting bigger but it didn't happen all at once, and sometimes she would get into that straining in the box, but usually that was when I could give her the antispasmodic.  She got buprenex for pain every 12 hours for the first week and it was just a tiny amount under her tongue, so no struggle there.  Reading this reminds me of where we were back in September.  By November, she was completely healed and off all meds.

 

[hellomisskitty]

Just checking in to see how you and Tintin are doing this morning?
Hope you both got some much needed rest!

 

[danitaielle]

Thanks for checking in.

Tintin is being a trooper, taking all of his meds without much fuss, eat and drinking good amounts, and most importantly, peeing like a champ! I found a huge pee last night and a lot of good sized ones this morning.

Tintin's mom (me) on the other hand. Not so much. So my 2 female cats are having some non-recognition agression. Which is hard on all of us. But the cats all sleep in the same bedroom (door closed). So obviously, I couldn't have Tintin with his sisters last night. But he eats cords, and my very handsome boyfriend builds computers. So we have them everywhere. So I spent the evening on the couch. Trying to keep Tintin out of trouble. Hopefully his sisters get over his smell today. Mommy needs to sleep!

 

[hellomisskitty]

I'm beyond thrilled to hear of lots of pee....HUGE relief and great job nursing him through this crisis, mom!!

I hope the girls settle down soon now that Tintin will hopefully be smelling more like himself now that he has been home a while. I only have one cat so I've never had to deal with this issue.
Bitter Apple spray on cords as someone previously mentioned works incredibly well. I've only purchased it at smaller, local pet shops so I don't know if a Petco type store sells it or not. I think you would quickly break Tintin of cord chewing with some Bitter Apple spray. It worked wonders with my girl in a very short time period and is not toxic for him.

I'm so thrilled to hear that Tintin is peeing consistently and without distress! The other issue with his sisters will work itself out...hang in there!!!!

 

[margd]

This is the best possible news!  Well, not the best possible news - even better would be if you didn't have to sleep on the couch.  

   Did you try the vanilla trick?  I've never tried that before but from what I've read, it works pretty well.  Anyway, I am so glad to hear that Tintin produced a lot of pee.  This must be a tremendous worry off your mind - he's off to a good start.  Now for those grumpy sisters.  Tell them that if they don't start behaving themselves, all three cats will have to have baths.  That's another option if scent swapping and vanilla don't work.  Nonrecognition aggression usually passes on its own in a couple of days, though, so hopefully life will calm down again soon and you can finally get a good night's sleep.  

 

[danitaielle]

You guys are the best. The girls are settling down. My oldest is pretty much over it. But my young girl (Lulu) is kind of a mean cat in general, so it's hard to change her mind. She's already growling, hissing and swatting at me and the dog too. But today she can at least stand to be in the same room.

I'm going in to town tomorrow and will stop by the pet store and pick up some bitter apple. I've seen it there before. I think I will try the vanilla trick. I hate that this is stressing all the kids.

 

[red top rescue]

I just ran across another thread about someone dealing with the post-vet visit redirected aggression and thought you might want to read it.  Much worse than your situation, evidently.

http://www.thecatsite.com/t/315290/anyone-ever-seen-this-kind-of-aggression/30

 

[danitaielle]

Update: We had a good day. Still peeing pretty well. I can tell when his medicine wears off. So I'm trying to stay on top of it.

The only thing we are still having issues with is his sisters. I hope they start being sweet to him again soon. He's clearly confused.

 

[margd]

Poor Tintin.  He's shoved into a carrier, subjected to painful and invasive medical procedures, separated from his loved ones and when he finally comes home, all he gets is grief from his sisters!   Fingers crossed they get over it soon.  

    Great news about the pee!   

 

[hellomisskitty]

So glad Tintin is peeing well! Poor little man must be wondering why his sisters are being so mean. I wish I had some advice to share on how to hasten peace between the kids.....it will likely take time and they will sort it out in their own time. To you, this week has to have felt like an eternity but cats operate according to their own timeframe [emoji]128556[/emoji].
Do you have Feliway that you can put in the bedroom the usually share? Maybe that will help calm the girls down?

Hang in there!

 

[nansiludie]

What if you were to rub a towel over Tintin, then place that towel in the girls room, near the food bowl, especially around mealtime. I think they'd start to associate his smell with something good. Also do the same for Tintin. I'm glad he's peeing well.