I am writing this post in hopes that it might help owners. I have noticed alot fo people trying to catch this early on before it got too severe so i'll post what I know since I caught two blockages in early stages yet I still have problems with my poor kitten. Maybe someone here is going through something similar, had it happen as my cat and if not perhaps in the future it might help other owners if the problem arises again.
Always bring your cat to the vet if you think something is wrong. These are signs I"ve noticed, each cat is different
Signs for Blockage- immediate loss of appetite (feeding your cat twice a day helps keep track of how much he eats and if he loses appetite)
- struggling while urinating (shaking hips, ears back, closed eyes, meowing lowly, twitching tail,)
- trying to urinate in other places (floor, bed, carpet, pillows)
- slight bloating to extreme bloating
- accelerated heart beat and breathing due to struggling to urinate
- full bladder when adding pressure and immediate discomfort on behalf of cat
Bring your feline friend to the vet immediately.
At the Vets
The procedure that the vet will take his heartbeat, checking the gums, pressure on the bladder to feel if its full or empty and feeling the blockage, urine analysis and blood tests along with x-rays to confirm the diagnosis. The cat will be hospitalized for 4 to 5 days where he will have a cathered (tube) inserted and during the days to come, he will be drained completely and watched closely.
If it happens a second time, they will suggest surgery (turning your boy into a girl). Basically the surgery consists of by-passing the penis completely so there is a wider area for the cat to evacuate from. I would suggest having your cat deblocked twice before paying for such an expensive surgery and i'll explain why from my perspective.
Rapheal's Story
Rapheal is my cat of 8months. In beginnnig June, he was rushed to the vet for blockage. I had caught it early on and he was deblocked and results showed he suffered NO permanent damage.
Exactly one month later (beginning July), he had a partial block and they suggested surgery.They ran a urine analysis and the results showed no crystals, no bacteria so the cause of the block was unknown. Surgery did not make sense to me so they gave me medication and went home with Rapheal. The following day, complete block and he was returned to the vet and got deblockaged again (which was a blood clot blocking him).
Two weeks later (which is this week), he showed signs again and I brought him in and they noticed again, he had nothing blocking the way but he was spasming when trying to pee. SO they ran more tests and everything came up negative. After the whole clinic talking over my cat's odd situation, they think the problem is at the sphincter. So he is getting adequan injection treatment (to fix the lining in his bladder) and medication (to relax him and stop spasming). Which proves that even with surgery, my cat would be in the same situation. The plan now is to find the right combination of medication to have him urinate correctly.
He is also on specialized s/o urinary diet that is canned food that is also mixed with water to ensure he has the proper hydration he needs.
If anyone wants to follow his story, PM me. I have a page up explaining in more detail everything happening to him compared to this post and all the steps I took and whats going on so far with this cat. So perhaps in the long run, it will help owners find the answers they need when a clinic is closed till morning.
