When kitty cant go potty

A few years ago, I made the fatal mistake of not knowing the signs of urinary blockages. I noticed my cat(neutered male) kept going to the litter box every 10 minutes or so, but thought it might be just a bladder infection like what us humans would get, and thought if he still was doing this I'd have him checked in the morning. Well morning came and I found him sprawlded out on the floor moaning. I quick called my vet(it was 7am) and said it was an emergancy my cat was near death. They said the vet wouldnt be in until 8am, and I said I'd be there waiting. As I sat in the front waiting area....waiting....my poor kitty died in my arms. They did not want to hear my story with him...they dismissed it as anti-freeze poisoning and said I should be more careful. So, I did my own research and learned everything there was to know about urinary blockages so I would never make that mistake again.
Last Saturday night at 10pm, my sister called me, and asked if I knew why her cat (neutered male) couldnt go potty and what should she do. I told her he had a blocked urethra probably from a crystal build up and if she didnt get him to an emergancy vet right away, he would be dead by morning. She rushed him in, and they took a large syringe and plunged it into his abdomen filling it twice with bloody urine. They inserted a catheter and took tests which came back possitive for crystals.

This can occur when your cat is given seafood or tuna fish products high in minerals and magnesium. When dissolved minerals are present in high concentrations, they can reach a saturation point and begin to precipitate out of the urine as crystals. Struvite is the name used to describe magnesium ammonium phossphate crystals or stones. This combined with a high urine pH create the perfect environment for this to develop!

I'm sorry this got a little lengthy, but I wanted everyone to be aware of the signs and how deadly this can be.

Thank you! And healthy bladders to all!!!!

I'm so sorry to hear you lost your kitty. :( But glad that you posted this, although, I think most of us know about UTI.

It's true that if cats get food with a high quantity of Magnesium, Calcium and Phosphate, they are more likely to form crystals and block up. My cat Fister had struvite crystals also, and had a cahteter put in several times, before we finally decided to have him operated.

This, and kidney problems seem to be the most commom deceases cats get, and we should all try to prevent it by giving them the right food. :)

Sorry to hear of your loss, poor kitty. Thank you for posting this information though. It is always good to share helpful information with other PT'ers. Also, if you haven't already been welcomed-WELCOME TO PT!

Thank you so much for the welcome furrykidsmother! I'm so glad to be hear and love everyone's post about their furbabies!

Jenn, thank you so much for posting this. I've always been very "anal" (pardon the pun) about watching my furbabies pee and poo just to make sure the quality and quantity is up to par.

Speckles had quite a few UTI's when I first got her 8 years ago at the age of 10, so now I watch her every move and check the size of each pee biscuit.

Max has had a couple of bouts of crystals but that was quickly remedied with the proper diet.

Experience and education has taught me the signs and symptoms of any bladder problems so hopefully my kitties will live a long and healthy life.

I'm so very sorry for the loss of your kitty. :( :(

This is a very good warning. Before I joined PT...and honestly...even until I worked for a vet for almost 2 years, I didn't realize how serious urinary problems were for cats. :(

I'm so sorry about your loss. (((hugs)))