Please help, what's wrong with my cat?

[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 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

[Catty1]

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

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) 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.