Feeling Defeated. (chronically ill cat)

[hazardbliss]

My cat suffers from chronic urinary tract blockages, and just had a PU surgery done to widen his urethra, and hopefully save his life. He blocked for the first time about year ago... I came home from school and found him in a coma and completely unresponsive. Immediately, I took him to an emergency vet and miraculously he was revived and recovered well after two stressful weeks in the hospital. For some reason I was confident that it would never happen again. I did all the "right things"... switched him to wellness cat food and added broth to his meals, bought him one of those nifty "fresh water fountains" and filled it with bottled water, religiously gave him a veterinarian prescribed UT strength medication twice a day, a teaspoon of pure cranberry juice via a syringe into the mouth once a day, and tried my absolute best to keep him happy and stress free. But even after all that, he blocked again two weeks ago, and when I saw him straining in the litter box I lost it and began to cry, because I knew what we were in for. So at four in the morning I wrapped my infant son in a blanket, placed my beloved cat in his carrier and headed for the emergency clinic. At the clinic he was unblocked, and I went home a wreck, but I was hopeful that he would recover as quickly as he did the first time. Well, after only a week home he reblocked and had to spend another three days in the hospital. He was sent home and after less than 24 hours he reblocked yet again. It was then that my vet recommended a perineal urethrostomy, and after some serious consideration, I opted for the surgery.

This ordeal has drained me emotionally and I'm exhausted and reeling from the constant worry and fear that he might die. I check on him constantly throughout the night, and I can't sleep or focus at school. It's been 48 hours since he's had his surgery and he is now at home. He's wearing an uncomfortable plastic e-collar, and his stitches are horrific to look at, but he seemed to be doing quite well. However, just a couple of hours ago I noticed he was not able to urinate. I'm at a loss. I don't know what to do anymore... if I can handle this anymore. A PU surgery is a "last resort". What do I do now?

I'm going to take him to the vet first thing in the morning.

Please send out some good vibes for my beloved kitty.

Peace.

[carnelian]

hazardbliss, I'm so sorry you and your kitty are going through this! I'll keep your beloved baby in my thoughts and heart. :hug:

[Amy SF]

Same here, for your cat and for you as well. :hug:

[Katt Fink]

Oh, wow.. I know just what you are going through (been having continuous rat cancer problems since the summer). I am so sorry. He sounds like he has an indestructable will to pull through! All I can offer you is my deepest sympathy and to let you know that you and kitty are in my thoughts. Please keep us posted. I wish you and kitty the best.

[hazardbliss]

<-----My cat. His name is Askim. :smitten:


Thank you everyone for the support. I'm still hoping that he'll urinate tonight. Maybe it's just too painful to pee? He's been trying to lick himself and he hasn't had his painkiller in a couple of hours, maybe it's just discomfort from the surgery and not blockage afterall. Here's hoping...

And Katt Fink, I'm so sorry to hear about your rat. He s/he in remission? I know the stress you're under all too well. Your rat is in my prayers.

[MollyCat]

My Oscar has been blocked three times in his 12 years and I know how heart-wrenching the whole thing can be. I still watch him use the litter box just in case and often Oscar will 'call' me into to bathroom while he pees so I can praise him for being such a good kitty.
I'm hoping that it may be just too painful for Askim to pee right now. Did the vet say he'd have trouble urinating for the first few days?
Having a sick pet is just the same as having a sick child. Neither can tell you what the problem is and you're always sick with worry.
I'm keeping Askim in my thoughts. Let us know what the vet says.

[Katt Fink]

What a heartbreaker he is! He reminds me of my Pixie with the black mask and white triangle.. they have almost the same muzzle, and the eyes are dead on. Here she is. (http://home.comcast.net/~katt_fink/pixie.JPG) :love:

Well, I basically just got the results of Frankie's biopsy.. that's him in my avatar and if you look really close you can see a weird discoloration on his right cheek. It was a HUGE exposed mass that has since been removed for the fifth and hopefully final time. His Zymbal's gland is/was the culprit, but the doctor is not sure whether or not she actually removed the whole gland last time because she said his insides were just "mush," and since that was the surgery for sending off the sample to biopsy she didn't yet know she was supposed to be looking for it. It's been slightly over a month and the lump hasn't started to grow back *fingers crossed* and that's been the longest he's gone without it growing back. He is such a tough guy and it tears me up to keep putting him through all this but he is sooo understanding and forgiving. So sweet he makes my teeth ache. If he's out on the floor exercising, he follows me wherever I walk and as soon as I sit down, he's in my lap... looks right into your eyes, the best a buggly-eyed poor sighted rat can! I hope Frankie will be an inspiration to Askim.. rats are very good luck, so I will tell Frankie (and the other 3 boys) to send his thoughts to Askim :D He will make it through this! You let us know how he's feeling in the morning.

[hazardbliss]

The vet said he might have some blood in his urine for a couple of days, but she didn't mention anything about it being painful to pee. Actually, when he came home he was peeing really well. You see, he had a birth defect on his penis. For some reason the opening to his urethra was way off to the side and near the base of his penis, instead of at the tip. This made him really susceptible to blockage, and the doctor told me the defect was a "confirmational" reason for his problems. His entire life he's only been able to pee in little squirts, but after the surgery he had a normal stream which was amazing to me. I was so happy for him! I felt like this time he would actually be freed from his urinary blockage hell. He was doing so well, and now all of a sudden, he's not peeing at all. I'm starting to think that the new opening to his urethra has scarred over. He's been under so much stress, and I would hate to have to take him back for another surgery after all he's been through. I just don't understand why this is happening to him, and I'm wondering what'll happen if the PU surgery doesn't work. I'm so anxious right now. :sweat:

[hazardbliss]

What a heartbreaker he is! He reminds me of my Pixie with the black mask and white triangle.. they have almost the same muzzle, and the eyes are dead on. Here she is. (http://home.comcast.net/~katt_fink/pixie.JPG) :love:

Well, I basically just got the results of Frankie's biopsy.. that's him in my avatar and if you look really close you can see a weird discoloration on his right cheek. It was a HUGE exposed mass that has since been removed for the fifth and hopefully final time. His Zymbal's gland is/was the culprit, but the doctor is not sure whether or not she actually removed the whole gland last time because she said his insides were just "mush," and since that was the surgery for sending off the sample to biopsy she didn't yet know she was supposed to be looking for it. It's been slightly over a month and the lump hasn't started to grow back *fingers crossed* and that's been the longest he's gone without it growing back. He is such a tough guy and it tears me up to keep putting him through all this but he is sooo understanding and forgiving. So sweet he makes my teeth ache. If he's out on the floor exercising, he follows me wherever I walk and as soon as I sit down, he's in my lap... looks right into your eyes, the best a buggly-eyed poor sighted rat can! I hope Frankie will be an inspiration to Askim.. rats are very good luck, so I will tell Frankie (and the other 3 boys) to send his thoughts to Askim :D He will make it through this! You let us know how he's feeling in the morning.

wow! Pixie looks exactly like askim! That's amazing!

And thank you for sharing Frankie's story, it gives me hope. I always wonder if I'm doing the right thing for Askim, you know? The vet has mentioned euthanasia before, but I'm just not ready to give up on him... but at the same time I love him, and I hate to see him in so much pain. It's just an awful situation to be in.

[hazardbliss]

He DID IT!!!

He PEED! :vebo: :nana: :bobo:

He let out a huge meow afterwards, though. I think it just really hurts him to urinate right now, and that's why he's been avoiding the litter box, but I gave him his painkiller and he's resting comfortably. I'm gonna have the vet check him out anyway, just to be on the safe side. Poor little thing. He looks so miserable, and that darn e-collar is just driving him nuts.



Thank you everyone for the positive thoughts!

*so happy*

[MollyGoat]

Oh, thank god! Hurray! I pray that this will be the end of problems for your poor little buddy. I can't imagine how I would feel if my Meyer was going through this.

[Mollie]

poor wittle kitty....hope he is still doing fine....it might take some time for him to get use to peeing more now...

[mysteriouspoet]

:hug: for both you and Askim.

[bumble]

I am praying your little buddy has a quick recovery and can live a stress-free life..I am sorry for all your stress hun, bigg huggs to you and your kitty:)

[MollyCat]

HE PEED! HE PEED! WOO HOO!! That's such a relief! Keep us updated on his progress.

[Tom]

YEEEEEE-HAAA!

(We cat caretakers get excited about the wierdest things, huh?) :D

[MollyCat]

LOL Tom! I was thinking that too. It's all about pee pee and poo poo when you're dealing with kids.... regular or the furry kind.

[hazardbliss]

:lol: Yeah, it's kinda funny to be so excited about pee, but I can't help it. When you have a cat with FLUTD, peeing is a cause for celebration. :nana:

Oh, and Askim urinated twice today. Not much, but it's something. He's been pretty lethargic and depressed, though, and I think his e-collar is part of the reason why. He keeps bumping into things, and he can't lay down to rest or eat properly. So I did some reasearch and I found out about the soft e-collar. I ordered one for him, and I'm hoping it'll make him a little bit more comfortable. If anyone is interested, here's a link:

http://www.bonafido.com/page6.html

I think these soft e-collars are just fantastic, so much more comfortable than the hard, plastic lamshade my cat is wearing now!

[rabid_child]

I also just wanted to mention, sometimes post surgery, or post blockage, the cats will still have a frequent urge to urinate from all thats been going on in their bladder, so sometimes they'll squat and nothing will happen, because their bladders are empty.

Have your vet teach you how to feel for a bladder in a cat, so if he is acting iffy, you can at least palpate his bladder and feel if its full

[hazardbliss]

I have asked my vet to teach me how to feel his bladder, but she won't because she's afraid I might rupture it. Ah, well.