Please help, what's wrong with my cat?

[Tiwi]

We have a maine coon (hes also mixed with something else) who is 6 right now, but turning 7 next July. His name is Sammy.
Right now he's just laying in my parent's bedroom. Here's the situation.
He was the first cat we got, and we stupidly declawed him as a baby. Ok well, years and years later we got another cat, who is a female.
They are CONSTANTLY fighting, she really beats the crap out of him. (She even beats up her son?)
So when Sammy doesn't want to put up with her, he hides in their bathroom. Usually he's out within a day or two but.. this time he just lays there like a rag doll. They moved him into the main bedroom and he has water and food, but he won't eat.
My mom said when he tries to, he just moves his nose around in the bowl like he forgot how to eat and he dips his beard in his water bowl.
He LOVES treats, so an hour or so ago I went in to check on him and tried giving him one but he turned it away.
He's just not responsive at all. Is he going blind or deaf or something?
We're so worried, but we can't afford to take him to a vet.
When I noticed his mouth was a little open when he was laying down, I tried to check it out but he got up, wobbled, and layed down a few inches away.
He's only 7, I don't want him to be leaving us... :-( Is he just depressed?
He doesn't respond to his name like he always does, he isn't eating the things he loves, and he's defecating through out the house.. he's been like this for a few days.
Here's a picture I took while he was in the bathroom.
http://i48.tinypic.com/117tjzm.jpg
PLEASE help.

[MoonandBean]

You need to take him to the vet. Call your vet and describe the situation and tell them what you can afford to pay.

[sasvermont]

Well, it is sad that you cannot afford a vet. I don't know what else to tell you other than, take him to a vet. That is the problem with having a pet you cannot afford to keep. Vet bills can get very expensive, I know. When you have pets you need to make sure you have the excess funds for emergencies like this.

Good luck. Try to find a vet that will let you pay in installments!

[Pinot's Mom]

You absolutely need to take him to the vet - cost is not an issue (and sometimes negotiable), there's a beautiful helpless baby in pain, and he's depending on you. Please let us know what happens.:(

[Freedom]

That cat is in serious distress and needs to be see by a vet asap. Please, PLEASE get him in!

[Tiwi]

Thanks for the replies. I think we may be able to get him to a vet soon.
Also, I forgot to mention he pees and theres drops of blood in it?
I googled it and I'm guessing it's a UTI, I also read that his kidneys may fail. I'm so scared.
I tried getting him to drink but he won't. I know he's dehydrated because he's making weird sounds with his mouth, and it's agap a little.

[Grace]

You really need to get him to a Vet NOW. You are neglecting him and causing him to suffer by not seeking medical assistance :(

As the saying goes, if you can't afford the Vet, you can't afford the pet.

[Catty1]

If he has a UTI he is almost totally blocked and is in pain. Please take him to an emergency vet.

Have the people call friends and relatives to chip in a bit.

OR - he can be surrendered to a no-kill shelter if they can't afford the fees, and the shelter will get the vet work done. This might be a good option as it is plain he is beat up on where he lives now. The shelter can find him another home.

If he can't pee, he will die of uremic poisoning, or his bladder will burst. Get him to a vet now and worry about the money later!

[Tiwi]

My mom is taking him to a vet now. We're using an emergency credit card.
I feel bad hearing how i'm neglecting him, i dont mean to i just can't drive so I can't do anything myself, i've just been sitting with him all day and periodically trying to get him to drink.
I posted here and looked up everything I could find as I waited for my mom to get home.

We have other pets, we can afford to keep them all happy and healthy and give them the best, it's just lately money has been very hard. : (

They're leaving now.

[Anikaca77]

You haven't been neglecting, you are doing the right thing by having the cat go to the vets, it's very hard $$ wise sometimes I know.

But try to have a vet that regardless of $$ you can still go to or try to go to. My vet is very understanding and allows me to post date checks.

I hope he feels better soon,
Melissa

[TommyCat]

Tiwi,
Sammy is a beautiful kitty! I'm glad your Mom is taking him to a Vet. Let us know when you can how Sammy is doing.

[lvpets2002]

:) I so aggree.. Please tell us your baby is going to be ok.. Poor baby = please get to feeling better soon ok.. Bigg Huggss & Whisker Kissess.. Your so Stunning with Beauty..
You haven't been neglecting, you are doing the right thing by having the cat go to the vets, it's very hard $$ wise sometimes I know.

But try to have a vet that regardless of $$ you can still go to or try to go to. My vet is very understanding and allows me to post date checks.

I hope he feels better soon,
Melissa

[Catty1]

I am glad you are getting him to a vet.

The vet may want to change his food...but no worries. I changed to a grain-free food that helps the pee stay at a good pH so crystals don't form. It actually works out less expensive since they don't eat as much of it...and it hopefully prevents extra vet visits that can add up!

HUGS and hoping for a good update on Sammy.

[Medusa]

I do hope that all turns out well w/your cat. Money is an issue for nearly everyone these days and I'm glad that you were able to find that emergency credit card. Our beloved pets have no voice so they show us through their behavior that something is wrong, that they're sick and/or in pain. The blood in his urine is a sure sign that he's sick. Please update us. That poor boy is obviously in distress.

[Tiwi]

Thanks so much for the support and kind words. He's at the vet right now and I'm classes, she's texting me updates.
His urethra is blocked and his bladder is toxic and it was ready to burst. He's undergoing an operation right now. I'm so nervous and upset I hope he pulls through. Its $1,200.. : (
Sfdgasafagd

[TommyCat]

Tiwi,
Oh poor baby. Thanks for updating us and hang in there. I can feel how much you love Sammy. I hope soon he will be on his way to recovery. Prayers for Tiwi and you.

[Catty1]

I hope this might help: http://www.carecredit.com/vetmed/

I am so glad he got there just in time. {{{{hugs}}}} to you and Sammy.

[TommyCat]

Tiwi,
How is Sammy doing today? I'm in southern California, so very early here, but he's been on my mind.

[Tiwi]

Thanks for that link!

I'm so touched by everyone's concern.
I don't know how he is right now, i'll find out when my mom comes home, she's at work and I can't call. You have no idea how happy I am that he got there in time, too. If it weren't for me who was home and googling stuff, and coming here, we wouldn't have ever known he had to get to a vet ASAP. We feel so incredibly lucky..

I'm so nervous. I don't know what happened. Last I heard from my mom, she was waiting for Sammy to wake up after his operation so she could visit him. My phone died while I was out, so I didn't receive any other updates.

[columbine]

The good news is, cats can recover fully from a blocked bladder, and as Catty mentioned, a food change will usually keep it from coming back. The vet will have to send his urine to check what kind of blockage it was (chemical or infectious) and will advise you on what to do next. You may need to give him antibiotics for a while, if it was an infection. If it was crystals, a new food will probably do the trick.

Generally, the longer you wait to take a cat to the vet, the more it costs when you actually do get them in. Cats are notorious stoics, and don't show pain until it's excruciating. I'm glad you saved your cat's life by getting him to the vet - but you can do your budget a favor in the future by doing it sooner if anything else goes wrong!

Love, columbine

[lvpets2002]

:love: Oh Thank You Lord.. I am so glad your baby is at the Vet.. I sure hope all has gone well with his surgery.. We will be sending lots of Prayers & Huggss.. Please keep us posted..

[TommyCat]

I second that -- Tiwi, I'm so happy to hear from you and pray that Sammy gets well soon. You, with the help of your Mom getting him to the Vet, did get him to the Vet in time. Bless you.

[Catty1]

It sounds like he made it through the surgery...thank God. They might give him extra fluids to detoxify him.

Just in time! Looking forward to updates and pics of Sammy and all the furbabies!:D:love::love::love::love:

[Tiwi]

We just visited him!
He's doing fine. Right now he has a catheter and he's being flushed out. He needs to stay only 1 or 2 more days til we can bring him home.
They brought him into the room and he was able to lay on the table so we could talk to him.
He was purring and very happy to see us I think, we petted him to near baldness. He's a lot more responsive to our touch and everything compared to when he was still home. He even tried rolling over for us to pet his belly, but since he was still loopy he couldn't complete the roll! I'm happy beyond words.

[sasvermont]

I am so happy to hear you have had such a good outcome with your sick kitty. That was a close call. Cats can be so stoic. Male cats can be very tricky when it comes to blockages.

Again, I am very happy you took him to the vet when you did.

Good luck with his recovery and by all means, keep us posted as his recovery.
:D:D:D:D:D

[phesina]

Oh, that's so great. I am so happy to hear how well he is doing and that your family got him to the vet in time.

Please keep us posted and tell us more about Sammy!

[columbine]

Bless you, little Sammy, and your hero Tiwi! :D I'm so glad he's all right! Even if all of your cats share food, getting him onto a healthier food will prevent this from happening again in the future. And cats don't usually object to grain-free food - overall, most of them seem to like it better. My Smudge is a fish fanatic, but he adores Indigo Moon, which is a chicken-based dry food. (Of course, his favorites are still homemade roast chicken and turkey and deli ham - and I admit, I do occasionally share!)

Love, Columbine

[Catty1]

YAAY! He sounds like a real sweetie! Best news of all!

[Medusa]

Oh thank goodness! It sounds like we have a Christmas miracle! I'm so glad that your vet was able to do what was necessary in time. He's going to need lots of TLC but I'm sure you and your mom have that in plenty of supply. We'd love to see pix when you have the time. Great news! :D

[krazyaboutkatz]

I'm glad to hear that your cat is now doing great. I hope he'll recover from surgery quickly.

[Tiwi]

So apparently the operation was just sticking the catheter in plus pushing the crystals/stones back into his bladder. To take them out would be a whole nother surgery... : (
the doc said he could get blocked in a day or if were lucky, a few months. We are hoping it doesn't happen until atleast feb when my parents will get their tax money. So that's that. My mom is really upset about it.

Other than that I think he comes home tonight, I'll be sure to take pics. :)

[Freedom]

Oh Sammy! What a close call THAT was!

Paws crossed you can find a way to help him feel better for good!

[katladyd]

I have a cat that can block up from time to time. My vet put him on amitryptiline. It's a very inexpensive medication, $10 for 100 pill from Pet Meds. It has kept Ming from any more blockages for over a year now, and he used to block up every couple of months. Ask you vet about this, it couldn't hurt.

[aTailOf2Kitties]

I assume he is neutered, right?

the catheter was just to relieve the pressure. It's more dangerous to operate on a full bladder. hopefully they can find a diet to dissolve and prevent the crystals from coming back.

He's such a handsome boy. He reminds me of my beloved Montego (http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y77/DirtyRat/My%20favorite%20things/Montego/montegolaying.jpg) who I lost back in January.

[Tiwi]

katladyd, thanks! I'll be sure to show my mom about that. Sammy deserves the best.
aTailOf2Kitties, yes he is, and I see. Makes sense. Montego is positively beautiful, I see the resemblance<3

Anyway, he is home! He is eating like a piggy and using his litterbox! We have him in a room all to himself and keeping the other cats out.

here's some pics

http://i47.tinypic.com/33mpnuo.jpg
http://i50.tinypic.com/sgplhe.jpg
http://i47.tinypic.com/2mdnrpl.jpg

[Catty1]

OH, he looks so much happier. What a sucky boy! :D:love::love::love:

If your vet knows money is tight and wants to try him on a crystal dissolving food, maybe the vet has some sample packs to try. Also, Innova Evo and other grain-free foods keep the urine at a good pH so crystals won't form. A vet told me about the pH, but do check with your own vet.

Sammy is gorgeous! I just wanna bury my face in that fluffy tummy! :)

[columbine]

There's also a supplement called Cosequin that, while it was invented as a joint strengthener, also strengthens the inside of the bladder and urethra so crystals can't cause so much damage. Might be worth asking the vet about that too. How soon will you know back what kind of crystals they were, and which kind of food the vet recommends?

If they're struvite (ammonium magnesium phosphate) crystals, you can also get a urine acidifier (here's an example (http://www.petnutritionproducts.com/mandccatberryplusutipasteforcats25oztube-p-139.html)) supplement to help dissolve them. I've also heard that you can let a cat lick a spoonful of spaghetti sauce daily to bring down their urine pH! Never tried that, though. But it will depend on what kind of crystals they were - if they were calcium oxalate, you'll need to take a different course (one with which I have no experience).

Sammy is a beautiful fluffy boy, and I hope you get some useful information soon to help you take care of him!

Love, Columbine

[TommyCat]

Tiwi,

Oh my gosh, I am so happy to see Sammy looking so good and on the way to recovery. You have a lot of support here and lots of good info from others. What a beautiful kitty! Bless you and Sammy.

[Medusa]

Sammy is such a big fuzz nugget; how handsome! I'm so glad that he's doing better. I do hope that your vet will give you some amitryptilene for him. It's really inexpensive and it does work from what I've read of the experiences here on PT. I've not had to deal w/crystals w/my cats (just about everything else but not that LOL) but I can sympathize w/you. Give Sammy some head scritchies for me. :)

[Freedom]

WOW, Sammy, look at you, TONS better!

Glad you posted some new pics of him, thanks for that!

[Tiwi]

I can't thank you all enough!　I'm so glad I came here. :love:
He went back to the doctor this morning for a scheduled check-up to see how he's doing. I told my mom about the info you gave me, I hope she talks to the vet about it. And he says thank you for all the compliments! I sat with him for nearly half an hour when I got home. He's still sort of wobbly, but he moves a lot quicker and smoother, he kept running to his food dish :p
I can't even look at that old picture of him, words can't describe how grateful I am for PT.

[krazyaboutkatz]

He looks great now. I hope he'll continue to do well.:) My cat Storm became blocked twice so he needed to have the PU surgery which makes his opening larger so he pees like a female cat. Since he's been on grain free food,Innova Evo, he hasn't had any more problems. Good luck.:)

[Tiwi]

I have bad news. Last night he got blocked up again. The doctor said the surgery to fix him would be over $2,000. So we're giving him to a pet sanctuary my mom's friend owns. It was either that or put him down. So they are going to take care of him.
He seemed fine and happy last night.. now we have to give him away. I asked if we could at least visit him and she said no. I'm going to miss him so much. I can't stop crying.

[krazyaboutkatz]

I'm sorry to hear this:( but at least the pet santuary can help him. That's too bad that your mom told you that you can't even visit him.:( I know how expensive these surgeries can be and if I didn't have credit cards there was no way that I would've been able to afford it either. I sure hope that his surgery will go well and that he'll recover quickly and live a long happy and healthy life.

[Catty1]

Oh sweetheart...I am so sorry, you must be heartbroken!

But the best news is that Sammy will be looked after and will be better!

I hope you will be able to visit him at some point - and at least get news that he gets a great home, and maybe you can get updates.

He is such a lovebug, I am sure he will get great humans to train.

I am so sorry that can't be in your family. You are all brave to do what is best for Sammy.

{{{{hugs}}}}:love::love::love::love:

[aTailOf2Kitties]

I've never had one block up.... but $2000 to un-block a cat? I worked at a vet and no single cat surgery in all of my years ever cost that much. That seems odd. I would get a 2nd opinion if possible.

And the fact that a sanctuary wouldn't let you visit from time to time seems a bit suspicious to me.:confused:

[TommyCat]

Oh Tiwi, I am so sorry! You have been thru so much, I wish there was some way you could keep him.

[Medusa]

Yes, I'm sorry, too. To go through all that and then to have to give him up. You're both going to miss each other terribly. BUT you're doing the unselfish thing by allowing Sammy to be w/someone who can give him the care he needs. Keep the faythe. :love:

[Tiwi]

I've never had one block up.... but $2000 to un-block a cat? I worked at a vet and no single cat surgery in all of my years ever cost that much. That seems odd. I would get a 2nd opinion if possible.

And the fact that a sanctuary wouldn't let you visit from time to time seems a bit suspicious to me.:confused:
the operation would be to completely go in and take all the crystals out of his bladder. And yeah, I asked my mom if we could ever see him or visit him sometime in the future and she said no because he was goin to belong to the lady who owns it.

I still can't believe he's not going to be here anymore

[Moesha]

Just keep reminding yourself that you helped to save his life. I'm so sorry that things are working out like this for you both.

[Catty1]

Sammy will have a healthy and long life. One day in the future I am sure you might be able to visit him. Hopefully his new meowmie will send some pictures.

{{{{hugs}}}}

[Anikaca77]

I'm so sorry. There are places to help with vet bills. United Animal Nations, CareCredit, etc.

I'm so sorry. Where do you live?

Melissa