1st post-health problems with my cat

[RobLynn]

http://www.roblynn.org/images/sox.jpg

This is my cat, Sox. I call him boi brown, buddy bar, mahogany brown, sox, buddy, boi, all sorts of things. He's basically my best friend.

I dislocated my shoulder in April, and he spent a lot of time with me, while I sat in the recliner. I didn't think anything of him not getting off of my lap for 16-18 hours at a time. Then he started throwing up. I figured he was just eating too much, and tossing it up. This progressed (over the next few days) to where he was not eating, and still throwing up. I checked his gums and his ears, and they were pale in color.

We immediately took him to the vet. The vet took an X-ray and saw that he had a large bladder. They tried to massage his bladder to get him to pee. He peed after they left the room, it was this bloody, gritty pee.

We took him home, but his throwing up started right back up.

We took him back to the vet, and they cathed him and were flushing his bladders. They were giving him SubQ fluid to keep him hydrated, but he wouldn't eat.

After a week, we took him to a different vet, who said the only options were euthanisation, or surgery. A PU surgery, where they remove the cats penis. I guess male cats have a narrow urethra and become blocked easilly. The PU surgery removes the penis, and gives him a wider urethra.

He came home, and was put on a large amount of medicine. Baytril, Winstrol, Clavamox, and Hi-Vite drops. He was eating minor amounts, but I was forcing fluids in his mouth (pedialyte). He seemed to be improving, then he started to turn.

He would just sit in this same spot over and over again, and if you moved him, he would go back. He would pee, but he wouldn't eat. I tried to get him to eat, but it wasn't happening. I started to give him his pills loaded with peanut butter, thinking that the PB would peak his appetite and he would eat more.

It didn't do anything. Monday he was feeling hot, so I took his temperature rectally. It was 104.5 I took him back to the vet Tuesday. His temp was 102.5 at the vet.

They took him off of the Baytril and Clavamox, and put him on eutrythomiacin (I probably spelled it wrong). I am to continue the Winstrol and the Hi-Vite drops.

Last night, he didn't want anything to do with anyone. If you went near him, he would meow, and meow when you picked him up. This is very not like Sox. He is a people person, and loves attention (the more the better). We were very worried for him.

I force fed him baby food in a dropper. I think it spiked his appetite because I heard him at the food bowl. Then I opened some tuna and have been hand feeding him tuna every 2 hours. He keeps eating, and I want to keep feeding. I don't want that appetite to stop at all.

I'm worried, because I know that when a cat doesn't eat, it wreaks havoc on their kidneys. He went days without eating at the vets office, but was getting fluids and drops. Here he was eating, btu not enough, and not drinking enough.

I'm so worried about my boi cat. He's just so damn precious. I'm out of work right now, because I had to have surgery on my shoulder. I'm not rich by any means, but I'll do everything I can to keep him alive. The vet bills keep adding up, after the first night, then the weeks stay, then the surgery, and then last nights visit. They keep getting their money, but Sox isn't getting is health.

I'm afraid of anything happening to him. He's only 5 years old, and to have to fight for his life like this. I don't know if he realizes what is going on or not, and if he thinks we're just torturing him.

My poor kitty :(

[Donnaj4962]

First of all.... welcome to PT! Your boi is certainly adorable, and I am sorry to hear that he is feeling bad.

I have no advice to offer you, other than to say that the people here on PT are GREAT! So many people have been through so many different things with their furbabies that I am sure that you will get some wonderful and helpful advice.

Also, it has been shown over and over again that the power of PT prayers are awesome! Many pets have been found, and many pets and people healed by the many voices that are on this forum!

Many prayers and positive thoughts coming your way from Indiana that the vets find the problem with your boi and that he is soon feeling much better! Please keep us posted on how he is doing!

[Lizzie]

You are going through a rough time with Sox and I hope you can pull him through this.

First, I am rather shocked the treatment from your vets. While it is true that some male cats do need to have their penis removed in order to stop blocking, this is usually done only after other treatments have been tried and failed. A few people on PT have cats that have gone through this surgery and hopefully they will see this thread and respond.

Did the first vet take a urine sample and test it for bacteria and crystals? The blood may have come from irritation caused by the crystals or from an infection your cat has as well as crystals. You need to know which type of crystals you are dealing with - struvite or calcium oxalate. The production of crystals can be helped quite often by a change to a special vet diet. Also, there is a diet called SD that will dissolve crystals. Calcium oxalate crystals can be caused, in part, by cats eating nuts (I found that out after my Ted ate pounds of them because he loved them and then I felt huge guilt when he got crystals), so something other than peanut butter should be used. However, when things get this difficult, anything you can get them to eat is better than nothing.

Keeping your cat hydrated is very important and your vet can show you how to give sub-q fluids at home. It will help to keep his kidneys and bladder flushed out and make him feel miles better. Many of us here on PT have kept our renal failure cats going for many extra good years just by using sub-q fluids. If your cat is hydrated, he will have a better appetite (usually).

Where do you live? Perhaps someone on PT knows a vet in your area that they can recommend.

Try this web page for some good information: http://www.fabcats.org/flutd.html

You may want to post a new threat on Cats General asking people there to look at your thread in Cat Health and offer suggestions. Cats General has much heavier traffic and will garner more responses.

Please keep us updated because we are all going to worry about Sox also. He's a lovely looking cat and I've never seen such rich brown fur.

[smokey the elder]

What a stunning cat! I've never seen a brown tuxedo before. I hope he feels better. Urinary problems are the pits. How old is Sox?

[RobLynn]

First off, I want to thank each and every one of you for adoring Sox, and for welcoming me to the board.



Sox has a sister (well they are both adopted, but they don't know :P )

http://www.roblynn.org/images/tangerine.jpg

The first night, no tests were ran. He was blocked, and they massaged his bladder. He urinated A LOT. We figured that was it, and then when he went right back to throwing up, we knew that he wasn't well.

We had him cathed, and they said that the crystals were not forming as badly (I guess when they cath you, they also flush out the bladder, in hopes of removing the blockage).

I don't know if they did any urine work, or anything like that. I do know that, the 2nd vet was upset that the 1st vet didn't do blood work. When the 2nd vet did the blood work, they said his white blood cell count was up to like 40,000.

He had a raging infection. We've been treating it with serious anti-biotics. He had a temp, but now it's coming down.

I did the sub-q fluids today. I was nervous at first, because I didn't want to hurt the kitty. I pinched up a little tent, inserted the needle quickly, but not too forcefully, while talking to him, and petting his head (pretty darn difficult when you can't really use your right shoulder for crap (surgery).

After a little over 160 ccs (I let some liquid out of the tube to get the air out, so I gave just a little extra liquid to him, to make up for what came out of the bag. While it may look like he got 160, it was probably right around 150-155).

He got a big water pouch, and it's been dissapating well. That said, the peanut butter was only for getting the pills down, and hoping it would perk an appetite in him.

The good news is this, I have gotten him to eat some. I fed him baby food (not much, maybe a spoonful) and then that got him to go to the food bowl and eat some of the waltham food for urinary problems. I got some tuna out, and he enjoyed some of that also. Every 2 hours, I've been getting him to eat a small amount of tuna from my hand.

I was concerened when I read the ingredients on the baby food...onion powder. I also read the tuna, and it has vegtable broth in it. I was worried that it may have had onions too. I called the vet immediately, and let them know that he had maybe a teaspoon of baby food, that contains onion powder. I also let them know that the tuna has veggie broth in it.

The vet said I shouldn't worry about it, because the amount of onion powder is so low, and he had so little of the food, to not worry. They said that the tuna, even if it had some onion powder, probably had too little to worry about. I also informed the vet, that I wanted to stop giving him anything, with any possibility of onion in it (I called the customer service number on the tuna packet. They said no onions are in it). I tossed the baby food, and I am going to get tuna that is packaged in ONLY water.

Also, I bought special food from the vet, this Hill's something or other (cans are downstairs). He is eating the food, not much at a time, but about every two hours he is eating food from my fingertips. I dip my fingers in the food, and place it by his nose. If he doesn't perk up, I put just a little on his lips, and he licks it and then goes to my hand.

Today looks good. He received food, fluids, hi-vite drops, and his anti-biotic (which he'll be getting again in about 1 hour).

Last night though, I was very frightened. He would meow anytime we went near him, or if we picked him up. I was worried that maybe he was going to die. You know like, he knew it and wanted left alone to die. I kept trying to get him to eat. He stopped meowing when we picked him up, and he is eating. It's like, he's doing better it seems, but I'm still worried. I wish he would just eat an entire can of this food you know?

[RobLynn]

Also, boi with the brown coat, is part of a pretty unique breed. The breed is called Havana brown. He's a mix, and granted he isn't all brown, but his tuxedo is so darn cute!

[RedHedd]

Oh dear. Sounds like a rough time for both of you. My Mishi is a kidney kat and occasionally blocks up and we have to rush him to the kitty ER. The usual treatment is antibiotics and Sub-Q fluids. At first I was freaked giving him the Sub-Q fluids, but he's so good at sitting still and letting me treat him. He usually bounces back after a few days of TLC.

All I can offer right now is prayers. Hopefully knowing that others here on PT have gone through this and our kitties have pulled through will help you through this rough time. Do keep us posted. He sure is a cutie.

[kb2yjx]

The rough part is right now, when you don't see results right away. We have had several urinary tract cats and kidney cats(just gave fluids this evening). Sometimes it takes a bit of time for the meds to kick in. His temp of 102.5 is normal for a cat(so that is good). It also takes time for the cats to get use to a new diet(stay away from dry food!!). Prayers and patience for a good recovery!!! Will send prayers for both of you!!! Take Care!! Sandra

[jenluckenbach]

WELCOME!!!!! And such a lovely pair of cats.

Rutherford had PU surgery. His stones were calcium oxylate and he is now on Hill's prescription x/d. But I was lucky, he flew through surgery with flying colors and has been doing well ever since. He never lost his appetite nor did he throw up.

Did they xray (or ultra-sound) Sox to see if he has remaining stones in his bladder. Rutherford needed bladder stone removal at the same time as his PU surgery because of the size of his stones. They most likely would have broken up and tried to leave the body only to block him again. (even though the opening is now larger, doesn't mean that a LARGE stone couldn't cause blockage again.)

If your canned food is not prescription a/d you might want to ask about that. Great for kitties off theirfeed. Also nurti-cal paste which adds nutrition & calories and can perk up the appetite.

Hopefully all will start getting better from here.

[jazzcat]

I don't know much about his condition but I know there are several here who do, like Jen who posted above. Hopefully they can help you and Sox.

I'll be sending positive thoughts and prayers Sox's way.

[RobLynn]

It is Hills A/D prescription diet. I just got him to eat again. He's not eating a lot, but I'm feeding him every two hours. I take the can, put the food on my fingers, and let him eat off of my fingers.

So far, he's had about 1/4 of a small can. I'm going to try and give him even more of it in a few hours.

I just hope boi cat gets better.

[Lizzie]

You are doing very well and the fact that he is eating at all, showing that he has some appetite, and is keeping it down is a very good sign. The A/D is packed with calories and I know that a number of us on PT have used it to force feed our cats through some very rough times. As I said, the fact that Sox is eating himself and not needing to be force fed should make you sigh with relief - though I know you'd really like to see him gobble his way through a can in five minutes flat! That time will come, I feel sure.

I'm not surprised that your second vet was angry at the first vet. To have a cat pee bloody and gritty urine and then send home saying it's fine because he pee'd is shocking.

[catlover4ever]

My cat Smokey had the PU surgery many years ago because he had chronic blockages and I made the decision to have this done after more than 20 visits in a two year time frame for crystals and blockages. He did extremely well with his surgery but it should be used as a last resort.

There are special diet cat foods for cats with these types of problems and I also found through my vet that there is a medicine that can be crushed into their food that helps to break down the crystals ..... it is called Methio Form, it is releatively inexpensive and you might want to ask your vet about it.

I do hope that Sox gets better soon, as someone who knows exactly what you are going through I know how upsetting it can be to see one that you devote your love and time to be sick .... it's such a helpless feeling.

Keep us posted. --- Meg

[Catsnclay]

Welcome to PT!

So sorry to hear about Sox, who by the way is VERY handsome! (I have a tuxie too).

On the baby food, the only brand that does not have oinion-anything is Gerber, but it is their 2nd foods. I give medicine every morning to 2 of my guys with it. It comes in chicken, ham, veal and beef flavor.

Another way to get your little boi to eat, warm up the food in the microwave - but make it just a few seconds! For some reason, the warm, stinky food is very attractive to them :rolleyes:

I have a friend who's cat got the PU surgery and is doing just fine. (he now jokes that his cat is the first one on the block to have a sex change operation - yes, my friend is just a little warped!)


Glad that you have joined PT, you will make a lot of nice friends here. :D

[allmypets615]

Hello there!
I just love the brown and white cat sox- very unique! I haven't seen too many with the brown coats.
I hope he is doing well. Sounds like you caught him just in time. I had to give fluids to alot of cats in my time. It is a little freaky at first, but it is very easy to do.
Missy

[rosethecopycat]

Welcome to PT.

I commend you for your dedication to Sox. You will see the light at the end of the tunnel.
I've nursed a lot of sick cats. One of my cats lived in a cat bag with only his head sticking out for 6 weeks. He paws were infected and he self-mutilated.

I'm sure Sox appreciates your efforts.
You are doing good by him.

I would continue the A/D and add Nutrical to it. Available at pet stores.
make it into a slurry and pull it up into a needleless syringe.

It only takes about 30 cc's a day to keep a cat going until the meds do their thing.

There is also something called Feline Rebound Diet. It can be used longterm.
It is an RX through your vet.

I hope you get to the source of his problems, so things can get back to normal.

We are here for you.

[RedHedd]

How is Sox doing? You've both been in my thoughts and prayers.

[RobLynn]

Hello all! Sox seems to be improving. He is still not too darn fond of the Sub Q's, and it didn't help that one day I messed up twice. I felt awful about it :(

Then yesterday, I forgot to warm the fluids in the sink, so he got them as they were room temp. His little body was shivering and I was wondering what I did wrong. Here poor buddy was just cold.

He has been eating the A/D from my hand, and also his Waltham from the bowl. It looks like he may have put on about a pound or so. He has been urinating just fine in the box. Well not just fine, he pees on himself, because he hasn't figured out how to work his new pee hole, but other than that, he's going fine.

I have to take a towel with me everywhere in the house, so when I sit him with me, I can put it between us, so only the towel smells like pee, and not both me, the cat and whatever we're sitting/laying on.

Him and I had to take a break today, we were going a little to fast, we went downstairs, and came back up. That meant we had to go lay down, and take a nap :) He enjoyed his nap.

I took off his cone, and put him on my lap last night, so he could bathe. When he went to his area, I just put my hand over it. It ticked him off though, but he still got to bathe a little bit.

Sox goes this week to get his stitches out. I'm so happy, because my little cone head probably wants to lick :)

[RedHedd]

Aww, Poor baby! When did he have his surgery? It sounds like he's on the mend and will be fine in no time. The M's (Mishi and Mitzi) send gently head-bumpies.

[RobLynn]

Sox had his stitches removed from his PU surgery on Friday. We opted to do it without any tranqs at all. We decided that, even though he won't like it the side affects of the tranqs (possible loss of appetite) were not worth it.

I held him, and so did the vet's helper, and he still managed to tag the vet with a claw. He was a trooper though, and he didn't need anything. As soon as he was done, he was as happy as could be. He has maintaned weight (he was 8.2 lbs 11 days ago) and he is still 8.2lbs which, even though he hasn't gained weight, he has stabilized.

I'm still giving him sub q fluids, since his cone isn't coming off until Monday or Tuesday. I may take it off when I can supervise him tonight and tomorrow, but put it back on when I can't. I just don't want him licking that area. He's still getting 150 CCs a day. Yesterday, he managed to wiggle the needle out, and have a little drainage (which is odd so far, because even though the vet said it's normal, I've not seen him do that yet).

I still have to give him his Eurythromiacin (I know I butchered that spelling) until the bottle is gone. Sox has a trick for spitting out the liquid though, so I have to like hold his face so he gets it all down.

He isn't eating the hills A/D from my hand or a spoon or even the can anymore. He simply refuses, but he is eating at least a little bit from the food bowl. He goes a couple times a day, and we're thinking with that cone off and when he can eat a lot he'll do better. If worst comes to worst, I'll just force feed him. That A/D can mix down well in water, and can be given through my dropper, with him still getting most of the food without diluting it too much, and even still water won't hurt boi brown.

Well I just wanted to give an update, I would have sooner but for some reason I was logged out and forgot my password. I would like to thank everyone for keeping my precious boi brown in their prayers.

[RobLynn]

Update on Boi Brown (sox).

I took his cone off Monday, and let him around me where I could supervise. At first, he had no interest in licking his new pee hole, but then after he bathed his butt, tail, the fur above his pee hole, his legs and such, he went right for it. In 3 licks, I saw blood, so the cone went back on.

I removed the cone again today to see what would happen, and it went exactly the same way. He's eating from the bowl, and from my hand, and he's getting his fluids (sub q). I don't enjoy the amount of times I've had to poke him. Tomorrow or the next day (can't remember off hand) will finish up his 2nd bag of 1000mL. That cannot be good on the immune system with all of the needle pokes in him, his pee hole area needs to heal, not these pokes. I'm hoping that the cone can come off, and he will drink on his own once it's off.

He's been acting really pissy though. He has been sneaking downstairs, moving his foodbowl by the litter box, and kicking litter into the food bowl. I asked him, "buddy, that Waltham is like 35+ a bag, how about not wasting it by covering it in litter". No sooner I go back upstairs, I hear him downstairs kicking litter into it again.

He's being quite the irritable kitty :(

[jenluckenbach]

Poor baby. He sounds a bit miserable. But keep remembering......"this too, shall pass". Rutherford had the PU operation and the cone for what seemed like FOREVER! But it is long a distant memory now and well worth the bother.

[RobLynn]

Boi seems to be improving. He has been eating and drinking on his own. I have still been forcing him food and water at the end of the day. I see him eating levels that I'm happy with, but I don't mind him having "extra" calories and such right now, as he's really been sick. I've tried taking the cone off again, but he licks the area and he makes it bleed. The vet said if he just licks, it bleeds a little, but he doesn't pay a lot of attention to it, it's okay. He however is not doing that. He's paying a lot of attention to it. The sore was about the size of a pea, so it's the cone again until Friday. I'll try again at that point to see if it's bad enough to make it bleed. The vet said that it could have come off 2 weeks ago, so he's probably just healing slowly.

[Karen]

Glad he seems to be improving. I'd be cranky, too, in his shoes, once he's all healed, he should eventually forgive you the indignity of making him a conehead and be back to his old loving self. But you'll probably have to earn that!