post hospitalization

[amyhenderson2]

hello! i recently had to take my cat (3 year old neutered male) to the vet for a urinary blockage emergency, which my vet said was caught very early. before this incident, bailey has been in great health. eats regularly, drinks regularly, normal litter box usage, active etc. this clearly was a scary and emotional course of events. he was cathaterized for 24 hours, ate normally, peed on his own, and was released to me. i have had him home for two days and his personality seems normal - licking me, rubbing my legs, hopping up on the sofa, window sills, etc. he is eating normally (new diet of c|d wet), drinking minimally and using the litter box occasionally. his pees are about the two inches in diameter immediately after hitting litter, there is no sign of blood and neither crying nor whining. i am cleaning his pan out immediately. he has only had three bowel movements, first two were loose, which was expected as per my vet. the third was firm, much like ones before this emergency. he is on antibiotics, which i feel are helping. my concern is with the time frame before he really starts to be bailey again. he doesn't not really show signs of pain at all. i know, i have only had him back two days, and i know he's tired from being out of his element... but i would just like to know if anyone out there has experienced something like this. he is my first cat. i have always been in a family with dogs, so this is totally new to me. i love my little fur ball and would be heartbroken if i were to lose him to this. any advice would be more than appreciated.

[mamabear]

amy, good that you caught it in time. stress can lead to kitty's behavior, each cat is different and it might take a few days. If kitty is eating drinking and jumping where he usually does then what do you mean by his behavior is off? that might help me better to know.

Is he lethargic?
Is he drinking more or less than usual?
Does he seem dehydrated?
If he seems dehydrated call your vet asap and talk to him about this.

Is kitty on dry or moist diet food? the wet might help bring more moisture into his body.

[Traci]

If I understand, you're just asking how soon he will recover and be back to normal, yes? Usually within a week or so. The catheterization can leave slight inflammation and pain sometimes, and in worst case scenario- scar tissue, bleeding or infection. Continue to monitor his urine flow and output, keep a note of this and notify your vet immediately if any of the following occur: straining, producing little or no urine, producing blood, squatting in unusual places, crying out, painful abdomen or lower abdomen, hiding/withdrawal, lethargy, refusal to eat or drink, pacing, obvious distress.

It would be normal for the first couple days after catheterization to see a small urine flow or amount, this might be due to inflammation as a result of the catheterization. However, he needs to be producing his normal amount within a couple days, and with the same normal frequency to use the litterbox (frequent trips to the litterbox means you will need to get him seen immediately).

Did the vet do a urinalysis/culture and rule out urinary crystals or uroliths? Because there was a blockage, I assume crystals are a concern, ask your vet if the urine was gritty or sandy, and if the sediment indicated there were crystals present, or might be present higher up in the urethra. If crystals are indeed found and identified correctly, then dietary management at the beginning should help, but followup with your vet after the course of the antibiotics are up, to get a new urinalysis to determine crystal formations, number and size, etc. (or sooner if kitty develops any signs mentioned above).

Since he has had a blockage and has had to be hospitalized, he may be prone to frequent urinary tract infections AND blockages, so you will need to followup with the vet as he recommends. Proper dietary management should help prevent the re-occurance of crystals/blockages, but there is always the potential risk that diet alone may not be manageable or curable, so you'll have to be in tune to your kitty at all times, and notify your vet at once should any of the symptoms/signs above are seen by you. Hopefully this was only a one-time occurance, but if crystals are present, they may reoccur again at some point in time, so be prepared to keep kitty on a managment diet (C/D) for life. Ensure he is always properly hydrated, and keep stress reduced at all times, since stress is a common precursor to reoccurance of UTI's and FLUTD.

Back to your original question, if you feel he is not healing quick enough or is developing ANY problem whatsoever, no matter how slight, contact your vet immediately for further advice/treatment.