Oh Mishi!

[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.