Thursday, October 15, 2015

My Cat Can't Pee: Symptoms of Feline UTI, Urethral Obstruction



I rescued Rebel, my sweet cat, three months ago. First week, I noticed that he drinks a lot. I even saw him drinking on Lexus' (my dog) water container several times eventhough he has his own bowl. I'm a first time cat owner so I thought this was the reason why he pees a lot. 

The second week came, my housemate caught Rebel peeing on the couches and other forbidden places like my friend's bed and his niece's car seat. Maybe, I should train Rebel to use his litter box more. But, he is an intelligent cat and he seems to be an expert in using the box. But, why he still needed to pee where he was not supposed to? Was he marking his territories? Was he trying to show Lexus who's the boss?

Rebel became weirder and weirder the following days. He was laying on the sink most of the time and even was sleeping on the bath tub. He also kept licking his private part. I'm kinda weird. I admit that. So, I might have attracted another weirdo in my life.

One day, I heard Rebel meowing so loud in the bathroom. I ran to him and saw him squatting while still meowing. Then, blood mixed with pee gushed out and covered the bathroom floor. I freaked out!

I rushed him to an emergency clinic. Paid $600 plus for several tests and medicines for UTI. Vet said he'll be fine in two days because there is no kidney infection. Rebel just need to take his meds and everything will be fine. The next day, I felt a very hard lump in Rebel's tummy. He was vomiting and constantly meowing. I brought him to another emergency clinic. They put catheter in Rebel. They said that the lump I felt in my Rebel's tummy is his bladder full of urine. My cat can't pee because of urethral blockage. The veterinarian recommended that Rebel stays with them even for a night because the same issue may happen again. But, I must pay them more than $1000 for hospitalization. I didn't have that much money.  I decided just to pay the bill for the procedure they did, which is more than $500, and took Rebel home. The clinic advised that I should take Rebel to his vet if ever he can't pee again because it's a life threatening condition. Luckily, my cat didn't get obstruction the following days but he just kept dribbling and he didn't eat much. For the third time, I brought Rebel to another clinic where they gave him a Vitamin C shot, medicine to increase his appetite and special food for UTI. Finally, I was able to breathe when the vet said that the leaking is actually a good sign because Rebel's urinary tract was not fully blocked anymore. His private just got swollen because of the insertion of catheter which prevented him to urinate properly. Once it's healed, he will pee normally again.


I listed the symptoms of Cat UTI and urethral obstruction below so it will be easier for you to check if your cat exhibits the same signs: These symptoms are also applicable to dogs.
  • drinks and pees frequently
  • pees on inappropriate surfaces
  • hangs out in cooler areas like the sink and bathtub
  • licks private excessively
  • straining/whining
  • painful urination
  • urine has a very strong ammonia odor
  • cloudy/bloody pee
  • hard abdomen
  • vomiting
  • can't pee
  • loss of appetite
  • dribbling constantly

If ever you see the same signs and symptoms that Rebel experienced, please don't wait too long. Bring your pet to the vet right away. It's not just to prevent too much expenses. It's your cat's life at stake here.


Sources:

Blood in the Urine in Cats - http://www.petmd.com/cat/conditions/urinary/c_ct_hematuria
Urinary Tract Problems in Cat - http://pets.webmd.com/cats/guide/cat-urinary-tract-problems
Help..my cat can't pee! Feline Urethral Blockage: Be Aware
http://www.preventivevet.com/cats/help-my-cat-cant-pee-feline-urethral-obstruction-be-aware

1 comment:

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