Gatsby is home again. 8/31 update #27.

[Prairie Purrs]

Gatsby was doing well all month--eating his prescription food, using the litter box a bit more frequently than usual, but nothing to be alarmed about.

He had a checkup on Wednesday, and when the vet expressed some urine there was quite a lot of blood in it. The vet prescribed another course of antibiotics.

This morning Gatsby was in and out of the litter box about five times in a half hour, and it didn't appear to me that anything was coming out. So it was off to a clinic (as my vet will be out of town for the weekend) to find out what's going on.

The vet couldn't tell whether he was blocked again because there wasn't much urine in his bladder. So they're going to give him some fluids and keep an eye on him. X-rays didn't show any bladder stones, so that's good.

I really hope that my poor guy doesn't have ongoing problems with this. It's odd that he was in and out of the litter box so much with so little in his bladder. Maybe constipation this time? I don't know.

What a horrible month this has been! I just want to crawl in a hole.

[katladyd]

Unfortunately, some cats like my Ming, will block repeatedly until they either have surgery or are put on meds. Ming's last chance before surgery was meds, which he will take for the rest of his life. They keep the pipes clear, though, with no side effects! It's been almost a year since he has had a blockage and I do think that's a record! Just follow whatever your vet tells you to do. After two or three blockages, vets consider them predisposed to blockages and that means meds or surgery. Good luck and I hope Gatsby feels better quickly and can go home!

[Medusa]

What a horrible month this has been! I just want to crawl in a hole.

Who can blame you? First Hagrid, now this. If it's any comfort to you, though, when my Puddy went to the Bridge last September, 3 weeks later Pidge was diagnosed w/cardiomyopathy. Dr. Lee felt that she could go at any time but she's still here and doing well. So we'll send up more prayers that all will be well for Gatsby and for you, too. Keep the faythe.

[Prairie Purrs]

Well, he's not blocked, but he's a bit anemic. The vet was asking scary questions about whether he might have gotten into rat poison (zero chance of that) or whether he's been tested for feline leukemia. I don't think he's ever been tested, but he came indoors as a little kitten and his mama was negative.

They're going to keep him overnight. Even though he's passing some urine, they haven't gotten a sample for testing yet.

I'm pretty much terrified at this point. Why are my cats suddenly coming down with horrible mystery diseases? Kacey last year, Hagrid last week. Please just let Gatsby get better.

[jenluckenbach]

Prayers for Gatsby. Just remember how my Jim was blocked....better....WORSE......and now much better.

Hopefully this will pass. And don't worry about the vet asking about FELV, whenever there is a mystery, they always start there.

PS, the anemia could be from losing blood in the urine. We did not test Jim's blood, but with the amount of blood he was peeing, I would not be surprized if he was also anemic.

[Prairie Purrs]

Thank you, Jen. There was a lot of blood in Gatsby's urine on Wednesday, so hopefully that's the problem.

I wish that I could have brought him home tonight. I don't sleep well when my kitties are at the vet's.

[krazyaboutkatz]

I'm so sorry to hear that Gatsby is still having problems. Sometimes diet alone just doesn't help. He may have Feline Idiopathic Cystitis. Several years ago my Sunny had this and even though his bladder was empty he would keep jumping in and out of the litter boxes. He was given antibiotics at first which didn't work and then later he was given a muscle relaxant that's used for people and this did the trick.

I kept on trying to think what may have caused this and it turns out that the collar that I made him wear was stressing him out so much that it caused his bladder to become inflamed. So now he's the only one of my cats that doesn't wear a collar. Luckily he hasn't had another episode since. He does eat both canned and dry Innova Evo which may also help him. Here's a good link about cat's with FLUTD: http://www.vet.cornell.edu/fhc/brochures/urinary.html. Lot's of prayers and positive thoughts are being sent Gatsby's way. Please take care.

[Medusa]

Don't let your vet's questions frighten you. When my Puddy developed anemia as a result of her CRF, Dr. Lee asked me those same questions. I started her on injections of erythropoietin, they were simple to administer, and I did notice a slight improvement in her. I say "slight" because, sadly, Puddy had so many other physical challenges that she had to deal with that I never got to see the full effect of the med. Try not to worry too much about your kitties all getting sick one after the other. We all know that it's programmed into their DNA to do that and usually on a weekend or holiday when our regular vet isn't available plus it costs us more money. We'll say extra prayers for Gatsby and you. Keep the faythe.

A candle for Gatsby: http://www.gratefulness.org/candles/...ng&cid=9063636

[Prairie Purrs]

Thank you very much for the well-wishes and the information. KAK, the website was very useful. Gatsby certainly fits the profile of a FLUTD-prone cat.

The vet needed to use a catheter after all. Apparently I got him there just before he blocked. But she's not finding crystals, so it sounds like it's a matter of finding the right antibiotic to take care of whatever sort of infection he has. The procedure went well, and he's doing fine so far.

Poor fellow will have to spend the weekend there, and they're not open tomorrow so I can't visit. They'll have vets and techs keeping an eye on him, but no public access. I just hope he can come home Monday and gets over this once and for all.

Apparently everyone at the clinic has fallen in love with him. The vet was amazed that she could poke and prod without needing anyone else to hold onto him--he just puts up with it. She said that everyone has been spending time with him because he's just the sweetest cat ever. As long as he's nowhere near another cat, that is.

[katladyd]

My thoughts and prayers are with you and Gatsby. It's no fun to go through this. Hang in there, you are a good cat mom and got him in there in time, so he will be just fine! FLUTD is such a frightening and nerve-wracking condition! Give Gatsby a big hug and kiss from me when he gets home!

[Pinot's Mom]

Prayers and hugs for Gatsby from here! Get yourself better, sweetie, Mom's so worried!!

[Prairie Purrs]

Gatsby is back home after causing the vet a little concern overnight, as it took him awhile to get "going" again after the catheter was removed. But by late morning (after a little Valium), he had created quite a swamp in the litter box.

He's having a nice snooze right now in his box right alongside the keyboard. Many thanks for the prayers!

[jenluckenbach]

I'm glad he's home.

Jim was on Torbutol to reduce the sensation of pain in the bladder AND reduce inflamation to allow the urine to flow better.

Ask about it, if you think he is still uncomfortable.

[Medusa]

Oh, good news, Penny! I'm glad that Gatsby is doing better.

[pomtzu]

Yay Gatsby! You know that old song - Cry Me A River??? - glad you were able to sing your own version - Pee Me A River.
Penny - so glad to hear that he's doing better!