Oh Mishi!

[RedHedd]

Danged cats! I've been watching him like a hawk since my vet told me about Mishi's bladder stones that they saw on ultrasound. As I really can't tell if he is blocked, straining or in any discomfort and even though he does talk a lot, I can't understand what he's saying Last night when I came home I could tell he was in some sort of distress as he wouldn't stop meowing and kept pacing around his litter box. I checked his pee-pee area and it seemed swollen and red to me and he complained very loudly so I panicked and rushed off to the kitty ER. Good thing San Francisco does have a 24-hour ER for animals.

Mishi complained very loudly in the car on the drive over in San Francisco rush-hour traffic. Now I know what it's like to have a crying kid in the car and you really can't do anything about it until you get to your destination. When I got there, they were SO nice! I really like the vet there; she told me stuff my vet had NEVER told me, like it's very common for large, young male cats to have urinary blockage. I think this may explain Mishi's current kidney condition. He probably blocked at some point in the past and either I or his previous owners didn't notice, but his kidneys suffered as a result.

Good news, though, he isn't blocked, but because of his distress, she did give me some pain meds for him - kitty narcotics and a bag of Sub-Q fluids so I could hydrate him. $126 later we were back home and there I was giving fluids to one drugged Main Goon. <sigh> kids. He did give me a scare.

Question: What DO you look for? How can I tell if he's blocked? As I almost never see him actually using the litterbox, although I do see evidence that it has been used, how can I tell if he's straining?

[AmberLee]

Uh, I have NO idea, but I think KAK can give you insights when she gets home from work tonight.

Please snuggle the big guy for me!

[Barbara]

Oh no!!!
Of course I can't be of any help either. When Tigris had his UTI he went to the litterbox 6 times per hour and only peed 3 drops- that's an easy one.

However I'm glad that it's nothing serious. Mishi, you gave your mom a scare, you know!

[DJFyrewolf36]

Oh poor Mishi boy!!! . Feel better ok? *HUGS!*

I hope he starts getting better soon, and that he won't have blockage problems in the future.

Give him an extra snuggle for me. I really do love that big 'Goon of yours.

[Tubby & Peanut's Mom]

Oh how my heart dropped when I saw this thread!

What a relief to realize he's ok - relatively anyway - whew!

I can understand your panic, but unfortunately I've never had a cat that blocked before. Tubby once had a UTI and like Mishi, he kept pacing around the litter box but would also squat with little to no results so I immediately knew something was wrong. Other than that, I have no idea how to tell. Durn kitties, I sure wish they could talk sometimes so they didn't have to be uncomfortable while we dumb humans try and figure out what's wrong.

I know there are plenty of others here who have experience with blockage - Tracey, Randi, Jen, Glacier, and more that I can't remember - so hopefully some of them will chime in here and give you some clues.

{{{hugs}}} to you and sweet skritchies to Mishi and Mitzi too.

PS - Knowing my reaction to this thread, I can only imagine your panic last night, not to mention the total frustration at traffic! Didn't they know you had a sick kitty and they should get the h**l out of your way!

[Randi]

Oh, what a scare, and poor Mishy! Glad he wasn't blocked though. If he does get blocked, I'm sure you'll notice. Like Barbara said, he'll go to the litterbox several times an hour and pee 3 drops, and talk about it a lot!!

Hope he's feeling better now!

[RedHedd]

PS - Knowing my reaction to this thread, I can only imagine your panic last night, not to mention the total frustration at traffic! Didn't they know you had a sick kitty and they should get the h**l out of your way!

I was quite proud of myself and kept ALL my fingers on the steering wheel. When I got to the parking lot (wrong parking lot, but as I'd never been there before I didn't know that), there was a guy in an SUV just sitting there blocking the entrance. I politely knocked on his window and told him I had a sick cat and was trying to park to get to the ER, you should have seen the look on his face as I had interrupted his cell phone conversation He did allow me to park .... what a jerk!

I dashed Mishi across the street, where they told me their free lot was right next door to the hospital. It's an extremely crowded urban street, it was dark and the entrance to their "lot" really wasn't apparent. Now I know.

[kb2yjx]

You are an excellent Mom and Mishi is very lucky to have you!!! You did the right thing by wisking him off to the ER vet!! My Boo(RIP 5/11/04) would use the bath tub as her litter box when she had a UTI!! Once at 0430, to get her point across, as I was getting ready for work, she 'peed" a few drops of red blood! Needless to day, off we went to the ER vet!! Good luck!! Sandra

[jenluckenbach]

I would have taken him to the vet under those circumstances. Blockage is hard to distinguish from UTI at first. it is only later when it becomes more serious, and you wouldn't want to wait that long.

If he dribbles urine he is probably not blocked, at least not totally. But many attempts to use the box in a short span of time is a warning sign. Also standing in "the position" for a lengthy time waiting for something to happen is a warning sign.

Urinary blockages are LIFE-threatening, so never feel silly bringing your cat for help.

[krazyaboutkatz]

I'm so glad to hear that Mishi is doing well and wasn't blocked. What a scare you must of had.

Symptoms I Noticed In Storm:
1. frequent trips to the litterbox with little drops or no pee biscuits
2. frequent licking of his private parts
3. howling in pain
4. urinating outside the litterbox
5. blood in urine
6.staining in or outside of the litterbox
7. he was also trying to show me/tell me that something was wrong which is very unusual for a cat because they'll usually hide when they're sick

The first time he wasn't completely blocked and could only pee tiny drops and there was also blood in the urine. He ended up peeing on his favorite blanket right in front of me and that's how I noticed that there was blood in it. I called the ER and they told me to bring him right in. By the time they examined him, he was totally blocked. It doesn't take long for them to become blocked so in my opinion it's much better to be safe than sorry.

I think that the second time he was doing pretty much the same thing but was blocked. This time they couldn't even catheterize him because his penis had developed scar tissue on it. Sometimes this will happen when the cat has been catheterized a lot but he had only had this done one time while in my care. This is the main reason why he had to have PU surgery performed right away. The surgeon also said that he had a very tiny urethra and that it was just a matter of time before he had problems.

Hopefully Mishi won't ever become blocked but if he does at least you now know where your local ER is located. I'll be keeping him in my thoughts and prayers. Please get well soon Mishi.

[RedHedd]

Cats sure do bounce back quickly, at least Mishi has. Last night he was bounding around like a large kitten, chasing Mitzi and then he did the cutest thing - he fished a mousie out of the toy basket and proceeded to "kill" it all over the living room. I was having so much fun watching him I forgot to take pictures! Mitzi joined in my evening's entertainment by chasing her tail I love it when she does that.

The only real symptoms I've seen in Mishi is peeing outside the box which is frustrating the heck out of me, other than that, everything has been pretty normal except for this past Thursday evening. There's been no dribbles or blood. Every vet he's seen has commented on how small his bladder is, but other than that he is peeing what's been a normal amount for him for as long as I've had him.

I have played phone tag with one of the vets from his regular vet's office. We have an appointment for Wednesday for follow-up urinalysis and blood work, but for now the big goon is resting and looking perkier than he has in a long time. I suspect the SubQ fluids have something to do with that.

[jenluckenbach]

Glad to hear he is feeling better.

[krazyaboutkatz]

This is wonderful news!!! I'm so glad that he's feeling better and hopefully all of his tests will come back within the normal range.

When my Sunny was having some urinary tract problems, everyone was also telling me that he has such a small bladder. I wonder if this means that they're more prone to UTI's.

[Tubby & Peanut's Mom]

I'm so glad to hear Mishi is feeling so much better! What a wonderful way to spend the evening - watching your kitty kats being goofy.