Kitty's having surgery

[zoebartlett]

Okay, so I feel silly asking for dust for my kitty who's undergoing surgery this week, but it's worked for others. So why not?

We took our male cat, Henry, to the emergency clinic last night because he was howling and moaning. At first, we didn't think anything of it because he's always been a pretty vocal cat. I say that he just likes to hear himself talk. Anyway, he got sick and then he kept hiding under chairs and tables, wailing, wanting to be left alone. That's not like him. So we took him to the vet and she said that it was a good thing we brought him in because he was so completely backed up and he was unable to urinate. He had crystal dust on his...you know. I don't know much about crystals in urine, but it's a really bad thing to have. I think they can cause kidney failure, which can result in so many other issues as well. He had a catheter put in, which has helped for the short term, but he's having surgery to fix the issue for the long term. He'll need to be put on a special (prescription) diet, also.

He has a heart condition (heart murmur) and he's on medication for that, and he broke his hip a few years ago. Poor guy...He did not need another thing to happen. He's a tough cookie, yet fragile at the same time. Our female kitty, Zoe, has no idea where her brother is, and she keeps wandering around (presumably looking for him -- that's what I think anyway).

Henry will be at the vet until Saturday, likely doped up and on lots of medication.

So, sorry to be so wordy, but I'll take any dust you care to throw our way. I know Henry's "just" a cat, but he's part of our family.

 

[yssie]

:UST:: for a successful surgery and quick and easy recovery!!

Our kitty had crystals too - and yes, it's bad. I won't go into the details here, but it's a very good thing your vet was able to catch this early, and plan to go in and fix the blockage! Ours is also on that prescription diet - poor thing is the pickiest eater in the world and hates it, and is constantly yowling for his old dry stuff - but if Henry is already a vocal lil' guy I suppose that might not be all that much of a change

 

[chemgirl]

Dust for your kitty!

Never feel silly about asking for dust for a pet. So many PSers are animal lovers and we know how it feels to be worried about a sick, furry, little friend.

 

[iheartscience]

Dust for your kitty!

Never feel silly about asking for dust for a pet. So many PSers are animal lovers and we know how it feels to be worried about a sick, furry, little friend.

Ditto chemgirl! Tons of healthy dust going out to your Henry! I hope the surgery goes smoothly and he's back to his old self in no time!

 

[siamese3]

Lots of dust for your kitty! Poor little guy..I hope he's feeling better soon.

 

[minmin001]

omg... LOTSSSS of dust for the poor kitty! best wishes for everything
!

 

[zoebartlett]

Thanks Yssie! The vet at the emergency clinic said that it was a good thing we took him in when we did, as it was a matter of life and death. It was scary to hear because we had no clue anything was wrong a few hours earlier. Oh, I'm prepared to hear a lot of whining from Mr. Henry when we switch his food. It will be a pain to separate Henry and Zoe when we feed them but we'll do it. Do you notice any changes in your kitty, now that he's had the same surgery. Am I wrong to think that they uh, reroute his plumbing? I have to admit that I don't fully understand this. I haven't had a chance to do much research.

Thanks Chemgirl and Thing2! I know there are a lot of animal lovers here. That makes me happy.

Thanks so much Siamese and Minmin!

 

[somethingshiny]

***dust*** for you kitty!

 

[merilenda]

My cats definitely aren't "just cats" either! They're part of the family. So I'm definitely sending lots of dust to you and Henry. I hope things go as well as can be.

 

[zoebartlett]

Thanks so much, SS and Merilenda!

 

[MishB]

:MUCH DUST: for Henry's complete recovery.

Our boy Ziggy had the crystals, he didn't need surgery but he was a very sore and sick little guy for a while, it was scary and worrying.

Now he's been exclusively on the prescription food for a couple of years he is terrifically fit and healthy.

 

[zoebartlett]

Thanks MishB! What is the name of the food your kitty's on, if you don't mind me asking?

 

[yssie]

Thanks Yssie! The vet at the emergency clinic said that it was a good thing we took him in when we did, as it was a matter of life and death. It was scary to hear because we had no clue anything was wrong a few hours earlier. Oh, I'm prepared to hear a lot of whining from Mr. Henry when we switch his food. It will be a pain to separate Henry and Zoe when we feed them but we'll do it. Do you notice any changes in your kitty, now that he's had the same surgery. Am I wrong to think that they uh, reroute his plumbing? I have to admit that I don't fully understand this. I haven't had a chance to do much research.

Thanks Chemgirl and Thing2! I know there are a lot of animal lovers here. That makes me happy.

Thanks so much Siamese and Minmin!

He initially lost some weight - flat out refused to eat, or keep what he was forcefed down. The vet had to give him appetite boosters to get his weight back up - but like I said, he's a real PITA when it comes to his food, always has been. He was super cuddly for a while, but once he resigned himself to the new diet and gained some weight back he went right back to his antisocial old self - so I wouldn't say any lasting character changes. He was mellow but functional when I got home two days after the surgery, and looked totally healed by about a week - I was only home for ten days, and he was back to normal by the time I left. The vet said that increasing his water intake would help so all his wet food is now watered down with warm water - it smells even more appalling, which he seems to appreciate!

He had a struvite crystals blockage that presented itself rather dramatically he's okay now, we are very lucky. I'm SO glad that's not the case with Henry!! It's apparently more commonly problematic in males - I don't think they actually reroute anything, just - um. cut off the end, and widen the urethra a bit, and remove the crystals causing the blockage and start the new diet to prevent new ones from forming. At least, that's what I understood! He gets this stuff now http://www.hillspet.com/hillspet/utilities/commonDisplay.hjsp?FOLDER%3C%3Efolder_id=1408474395188764&FOLDER%3C%3EbrowsePath=1408474395188764&CONTENT%3C%3Ecnt_id=10134198673453746&bmUID=1252528068865&bmLocale=en_SG

 

[Ara Ann]

Our kitty had this issue too...and we had no idea about this health issue before it happened to him either. We found out his kitty brother died of the same thing, about a year previous to his bout. So if this is so prevalent and serious, WHY don't the vets TELL owners of male cats to watch for this condition!? The only reason we took our kitty to the ER is because I had mentioned his weird behavior to my sister (who we got him from, her cat had kittens) and she told me about his brother dying and to get him to the ER ASAP. That saved his life.

I now hear about it all the time from other cat owners, and no one had heard of it until their own cats developed it too. In fact our neighbor found their cat dead under her bed, he died from this. And my other friend's co-workers cat died the same way. I just don't understand why this condition isn't explained to all cat owners, just as heartworm, and other diseases are presented. Frustrating.


As far as the food goes...he was put on the prescription food from the vet (canned and dry) and while it helped our kitties crystals, it was not the healthiest for the rest of his system. And he still developed crystals for a second time. He passed away 3 years ago, not from a blockage, but he got sick because the food wasn't all that nutritional..he'd been on it about 3 years. I would check into alternative foods (I wish we had, he may still be with us)...that have more health benefits, other than just trying to treat the crystals.

Most kitties do very well, don't let our story upset you, just wanted to share my experience with this! Hoping your fur baby feels better soon!

 

[JewelFreak]

Gosh, there's no reason a vet-suppied cat food should be poor in nutrition. Most prescribe Hill's, which is a good food. Both my (male) cats have been on it for several years & are healthy & full of energy, even my fellow in his teens -- it saved his life; his kidneys are full of stones.

Urinary blockage is very common in male cats, usually due to dry foods. The urethra (ureter too, I think) is thinner than a human hair so easily prone to blockage -- and cats drink very little water, leading to particulates' not washing out well. Canned food has a fair amount of water in it & is better for a male cat in that regard. I had 2 females with the problem too, though.

I don't know why vets don't mention this as a matter of course the first time a client brings one in. It's excruciatingly painful & so easily avoided.

One clue is seeing your cat drink more than usual. For me that's a reason to take them in for a look-see & urinalysis; it means something is off.

Your Henry should be fine after the surgery & some time on a special diet. Never feel shy about mentioning pets around here -- we all love our little buddies.

--- Laurie

 

[violet3]

************************************************************dust for henry!!!!! *********************************************************************

 

[tyty333]

Kitty dust!

 

[Selkie]

Aww, poor Henry! Dust for him and hugs for you!

 

[zoebartlett]

Thanks for your explanation, Yssie. Our vet was able to cathedarize (sp?) Henry the other day, which was good. The vet at the emergency clinic was unable to do so because the blockage was so bad, so my husband brought him to our vet. He's out of the woods now as far as the crystal issue goes, but he's still having surgery today. While the term "rerouting" is one I used, I could have sworn that that's essentially what our vet said he was going to do. I need to check on that. I'm curious to see if he puts Henry on the same food.

Thanks for your story, Ara Ann. I did hear this is a problem for male kitties, but I only heard that recently. I have no idea if there was something we could have done to prevent this from happening in the first place if we had known about it. I guess we could have fed Henry (and Zoe) wet food or at least a mix of wet and dry, but we preferred dry because it's supposedly better for their teeth.

Thank you so much Violet, Tyty, and Selkie! I appreciate it.

 

[JewelFreak]

Zoe, teeth health is why I fed dry too. Now I feed canned because of the urinary issues -- but you can get chewies for cats' teeth as well as dogs'. I give my cats a tiny handful once or twice a week.

--- Laurie

 

[yssie]

I hope the surgery goes well today Zoe!!

 

[Gypsy]

Poor baby. Much dust and hugs and head bonks!

 

[zoebartlett]

JF/Laurie, Yssie, and Gyspy -- thank you!

Well, Henry's now officially Henrietta. The vet actually removed his boy part.
He's doing well and resting. He still has a cathader in until but they're planning on taking it out tomorrow afternoon. We're hoping to bring him home on Saturday.

 

[iheartscience]

JF/Laurie, Yssie, and Gyspy -- thank you!

Well, Henry's now officially Henrietta. The vet actually removed his boy part.
He's doing well and resting. He still has a cathader in until but they're planning on taking it out tomorrow afternoon. We're hoping to bring him home on Saturday.

Poor fella! Don't tell him he's Henrietta now!

I'm so glad he's doing well and more dust that his recovery goes smoothly!

 

[yssie]

Yikes! Poor little thing I didn't know they did that!


So glad the surgery went well though, and lots of dust for a quick recovery and Saturday homecoming!

 

[zoebartlett]

Thanks Thing2 and Yssie! I'm still shocked.