11 yr old cat home from emergency overnight hospital visit.

[Talismom]

Arlo starting sitting in the litter box and crying. Took him to vet at 10pm and was told he had a urinary tract blockage. He was sedated and canulated and given fluids and antibiotics and a blood test. Poor guy is home now and eating a "crystal dissolving" diet from Science. Is this type of problem common and does it always or even often recur? We're totally freaked out and wondering how long the poor thing was suffering!

[ccjlld]

1. Poor little guy!

I'm so glad you got him to the vet right away! When male cats have blockages it can be life threatening for them.

There's tons of stuff out there. Just search on FUS and tons of stuff will come up.

Hope your little guy is feeling better!

[Talismom]

3. Thanks for the suggestion for info! I'll be looking it up soon. My 7 year

old daughter just told me that she thinks you're so nice to write back!
I think Arlo is better, but the procedure seemed to irritate his bladder and he's still going back to the litter box. I guess he's on the mend now. Thanks again!

[Beaverhausen]

2. Yes its common but you will learn to live with it

Just follow the diet the vet suggests and keep a little closer eye on Arlo. If you notice him "straining" in the cat box he's probably gettting blocked again. It's easily treated.

I had a male who had it - once we switched him to the "low ash" diet he was fine.

Don't freak out- you did the right thing!

[Talismom]

4. That's good to know. Thankyou! n/t

[amerikat]

5. A couple of my cats over the years have had the same trouble.

The vet showed me the crystals under a microscope. Very rough and jagged looking. He decribed it like trying to pee broken glass. He went on a low ash diet and never had the problem again.

[kestrel91316]

6. I have found that the vast majority of my FUS patients with

obstruction have one or both of the following risk factors:

1) Breed - Persians and Himalayans are overrepresented in the population of patients with lower urinary disease and/or urinary stones/obstruction.

2) Diet - diets high in magnesium and/or containing FISH are involved most of the time. Also, kibble diets with too much plant protein/not enough animal protein are involved. These lead to urine pH too high, and struvite crystals in the urine, and also the fish can simply cause irritation of the bladder.

Here is what I tell my clients to avoid FUS/cystitis problems in the future: Don't feed any food containing fish. Feed only a HIGH-QUALITY dry cat food such as Science Diet (not the fish flavor) or Max Cat, plus water. If you wish to feed canned food (bear in mind it will increase risk of gastrointestinal upset and dental problems), feed Science Diet or Max Cat in chicken or turkey flavor.

Once the cat is obstructed, it is vital to follow your vet's dietary advice. Is your cat now on S/D, the struvite stone-dissolving diet? Urinary obstruction is potentially life-threatening so watch closely for signs of a reoccurrence. Some of these cats have repeated problems and eventually need a perineal urethrostomy (major surgery) but your vet is the best judge of the need for this.

Good luck!

[Talismom]

9. Yes, he's on Science diet c/d --some canned and some dry.

I'm giving him amoxicillin also. He's a black, domestic short hair cat who's never been given fish--chicken and lamb containing food only and mostly dry.

[kestrel91316]

11. I have also seen some association with lamb now that you mention it.......

just an impression of disproportionate involvement.

Remember - no fish, no dairy, no people food or table scraps, no treats until problem resolved. Then if you give any treats, the Friskies soft-moist ones in the resealable cat-shaped pouch (chicken and turkey flavors ONLY) are fish-free. And don't go back to commercial dry food. That's probably the biggest risk.

Some of my patients with this problem eventually can go back on just Science Diet Adult, or Max Cat, but it depends on what they were eating before the problem started. Some cats are just extraordinarily sensitive to diet and prone to trouble.

Hope kitty stays well!

[Eurobabe]

7. Had same thing with my male tabby when he was only 4

He had blockage of crystals also. He projectile vomited on my daughter on the way to the emergency clinic. My advice, keep him on the Science Diet, and give him filtered water or bottled water only for awhile and see how he does. My vet said it could be something in my water. either Ph. or ?

Since I have done this, kitty has only had one reoccurence when he was 8, but we knew the signs and caught it in time before it became a full blown problem.

The water issue seemed to be the key for us. He is now eating regular food, and has no issues (knocking on wood!!!) Sorry your boy is feeling blue, but don't despair -- it can be controlled with diet changes. Keep us updated.

[Talismom]

10. Thanks so much. He is not blocked any more, but seems to be

irritated such that he's still hanging out in the litter box a lot of the time. Probably getting better with time and the diet. I'll try the water too.

[demnan]

8. My orange tabby Lucifer had this one time in his life

It was scary. He was about 12 years old or so at the time. I don't think they are sick for long (it would be hard to survive). It is lucky he found a way to tell you something was wrong.

The change of food should help. I watched Luci very closely and he never had this problem again.