Rohan Is Ill, bladder crystals Options

[Mink&WillowsMom]

My thoughts from this morning were wrapped in tissues of the abyss since echoes can sometimes feel like predictions.

One of my friends replied to my email post, and gently pointed out that I need to move into a much more positive space if I want to attract a good outcome. (Okay, so she kicked my butt. Sweetly, deftly, with necessity and skill.)

So, on that note, I am reformulating my thoughts on the matter.
~ He's in good hands. ~ What a blessing I *have* the option of spending the money on him. ~ Now that I've learned more about the surgery he might need, I find that it's actually safe and effective, with low risks. ~ Aside from the blockage, he's in excellent health. Good blood labs, strong, young. ~ Whether or not I caused this is not nearly as important as manifesting a positive outcome now. It is what it is, and now to attract all the loving healing energy to move forward with...

So--- that's my stand on it now.

I suddenly realized Luna is needing much more reassurance, so we played "throw" with her mousie toy, and that lifted both of us. (Dog owners sometimes refer to the game as "fetch", but we all know who trained whom to do what...)

~~~~~<later> I just got back from visiting Roh, and he's coping with it as best he can. I took a 2 sq. ft. quilted pad he's familiar with, and immediately he crawled under it. Ah! A place to hide! He hadn't shown any interest in dinner, but I scooped a bit of it up on my finger, reached under the quilt, and he snarfed it. He ate 3/4 can of food, bit by bit off the tip of my finger. That's the first decent meal he's had in a week, so I was thrilled. So his appetite is intact, he just doesn't want to eat in public.

And don'cha know it: I left Willow outside while I visited Roh, and got home just as it was getting dark. It's 10p now, fully dark, and he's out flirting with the edge of the woods, unwilling to come in. Roh is his best buddy, and he's all freaked out. It scares me when he's out like this; I want him indoors NOW. ~kim

[5catsmom]

I don't know if it will help, but whenever I'm faced with a money vs. potential feline-passing problem, I try to turn it around on the vet, with varying degrees of success. You know, the old "What would you do if it were your cat?" question. Sometimes they're surprisingly honest, heartbreakingly so, but other times, they can be remarkably honest in their optimism. Yes, it can be expensive, and luckily I've found a good vet now who'll take payments over time (he used to be military; we're military, so there's a sense of kinship there, thank goodness.) He also promotes acupuncture and pet massage, which is rare I think in an older vet but I have to respect his open-mindedness. (I do object, though, to the heartworm riddled dog heart in the jar in his exam room, but for the extra care I'll overlook it.) But I've heard of other vets who'll take payments over time, or postdated checks. Our babies are worth every penny, I believe. So when I can't get in to the military vet ($2 a visit) I go to him, and don't regret it.

Best of wishes to Rohan, poor little guy, he sounds like a fighter. And he has so many people out here pulling for him. Take care - Barb

[Mink&WillowsMom]

Thanks Barb, so good to hear from you again! I missed you. Rohan might be coming home this afternoon!!! His cath is out, and he hasn't peed on his own yet, which is the same pattern as last weekend. Once the vet was able to express his urine and get a good stream (i.e., the block is gone) then they sent him home to pee. They're thinking the same today. It's 9a now. By noon they should have a decision. This time they added anti-inflammatory meds, so let's aim [a urine stream] for a better outcome.

[Mink&WillowsMom]

Roh's home, and he looks completely different this time. He's black and white with blue eyes. Hee, if my sense of humor has returned, that's a good sign....

The obstruction was cleared, this time no presence of crystals. More of a mucus plug. Surgery might be needed if he does this again, but for now he has all the boy parts he had two weeks ago. Most importantly, he's making lovely, big, regular-size pees in the litterbox. Yay! He didn't do that at all when he came home last time, so this really seems like a huge leap back to normalcy. And he's hungry. This time they added an anti-inflammatory. And he was in a cozier box where he could hide, so I think he endured the experience itself a little better. Luna hissed a couple times, but quickly set that aside and sat companionably next to him. He needs that so much..... I think last time he came home he was so swollen inside that he still couldn't pee, and it just clogged him up again. This time, he looks tired, but so much more at ease. Oh, and he's not licking his penis like last time, so whatever distress he felt in his nards is relieved. Keep the flowing, freely flowing healing thoughts coming.

[Mink&WillowsMom]

Roh looks punky this morning. When I finished giving him 5 meds, he was shaking. Poor baby. He seemed hungry last night, though he didn't eat much. This new vet was clear: better that he eat anything than eat just the right food. I've got four different kinds of wet, dry, wet with dry, wet with chicken broth -- he's not really eating any of it. I isolated him part of the night, and he put out two medium-small pees. <pause> Oh! And just did another one! Good boy!

It's dawned on me that I'm not eating or drinking well either, and that I've been blocked from my usual flow of confidence and creative ideas as I've been avoiding dealing with the loss of my job and creating new income /new career path. Time to start living by example... ~kim PS; please keep FLOWING thoughts of good health STREAMING in.

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[LoveThem]

You said:

Roh looks punky this morning. When I finished giving him 5 meds, he was shaking. Poor baby. He seemed hungry last night, though he didn't eat much. This new vet was clear: better that he eat anything than eat just the right food. I've got four different kinds of wet, dry, wet with dry, wet with chicken broth -- he's not really eating any of it. I isolated him part of the night, and he put out two medium-small pees. <pause> Oh! And just did another one! Good boy!

If the idea is definitely to eat..don't overlook the stinky food... Whiskas Purrfectly Fish pouches...especially the salmon,
although the tuna or tuna and whitefish, etc could work too.

When my boy, Little Guy, had stopped eating due to cancer...he would eat this food but nothing else. Joanne in this forum when one of her kitties wasn't eating and the point was to eat...whether nutrious or not...I told her about my boy and she tried it and her kitty ate it also. I guess the smell is so strong they are drawn to it. Might try one of these pouches for your baby.

Then when he is all better...give him what you normally like to feed him. Also I gave my boy I think it is called NutriCal..from the vet...a supplement that has calories. My boy ate that also. If very sick babies will eat these products..they are worth a try on ones who just don't feel up to par.

Good luck...I hope to hear more good news...like he is peeing okay. Funny what we get excited about with these babies but then they do mean that much to us.

Hugs and prayers are continuing here.

[Muffins]

Hi Kim:

You might find that your precious Roh might love some baby food. We use the beechnut turkey everyday when our Ms. Lucy takes her meds. She loves the chicken as well, but the turkey is her favorite.

I crush her pills on a small round plate (with the back of a small spoon), and put about 1 - 1 & 1/2 teaspoons of baby food on top of that, adding 1 teaspoon of water. Mix together well. First, you might want to open the jar, let him smell it & put some on your finger and hopefully he'll lick it off.

http://www.beechnut.com/Our%20Baby%20Food/...3&ProdCat=5

I hope that you have some good luck with this.

Peace & Love,

Denise

[oliver's mama]

i just read your story on the edge of my seat, thankfully it ended on the good note. he is a beautiful kitty and in my prayers!

[Jon730]

The obstruction was cleared, this time no presence of crystals. More of a mucus plug.

Hooray! SO glad to hear that!

Mucus/protien/albumin clots are not unusual in post-catheterization or post-obstruction events. With wet food, here is hoping it never recurrs! And even if it does it sounds like you have a good vet. (But it probably wil not.)

[Mink&WillowsMom]

Each new clump in the litterbox is like treasure. This morning he's been peeing frequently, and the resulting clump is between the size of a prune to half an apricot. So he's still passing urine. If his bladder is sensitive (after all it's been through) he'd be dumping more frequently, so it wouldn't have a chance to collect to the usual half-an-avocado size clump. When I see the small clumps, they scare me, until I remember that cats usually only pee 2 or 3 times a day. So if he's spreading his output to 10+ urinations a day, then of course they would be smaller. I praise him highly for each one.

No dribbling. Lots of penis licking this morning, some regular grooming. Drinking water well, and ate well enough yesterday. He's still on 4 medicines: antibiotic, muscle relaxant, pain killer, and appetite stimulant. Last night Luna slept next to him on the bed, which I'm sure must have been a huge relief to him. She's done hissing, but Willow is still hissy-mewly.

I have fear he's going to get another mucus plug again. And yet I know that by Law of Attraction, I should be focusing solely on clear, freely flowing urethra, easily draining his bladder; a smooth open pipe, pink and healthy. Even if I ignore the fear, I still have to acknowledge it first in order to ignore it. Any suggestions for moving myself into a place of total peace? It feels like so much of his recovery depends on me -- what I do, what I don't do, what I notice in time, what I envision. Some of that, of course, is my illusion that I have control over the outcome. But some of it is very real: noticing the moment he's blocked and getting him back to the doc. The vigilance is exhausting.

I need to remind myself that he's doing much better after the second catheterization than after the first. The urines, while small and frequent, are reliable. He's licking himself less (until this morning, that is). He's eating. He's drinking water. He has pain meds and anti-spasm meds to calm his urethra down. He's not dribbling. So there's lots of things pointing directly toward health and resolution of this crisis. -Is my remaining fear intuition or just echoes?- ~Kim

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[LoveThem]

You said:

-Is my remaining fear intuition or just echoes?- ~Kim


I don't think it is either...I think it is the normal fear (anxiety) that a Mom has and will have until her baby is back to being completely normal.

You can't help being a Mom and having a Mom's feelings. Take it one day at a time and yes Rohan is doing much better than your first reports. As he gets off the necessary medication, each one gone may help bring you some relief.

But, Kim, you ARE a Mom.....everything you are feeling goes with that territory. You are
doing fine.

When I was watching my boy, if something ever made me too anxious, I called the vet to ask about it. In fact, while he was being watched to find out what was wrong...I would call once a week and leave word for the vet to call me as I wanted to make a kind of "status report". They called every time and I always felt relieved after talking to them and letting them know any good or bad I observed. And if they didn't say..bring him in now...that was worth the call.

So...we Moms have lots of things to try.

Take care.

Hugs to Rohan...lots of kisses too!

Judy

[Mink&WillowsMom]

[WARNING: potty talk ahead] Stable day today. Peeing small amounts frequently, so I suspect his bladder still feels irritated. There was no infection, and very few crystals, but when all this started 12 days ago his urine was bloody and he did get cathed twice, so I'm sure his bladder feels a bit beaten up. He's on 4 meds still, so he looks dopey and has zero energy. But he's peeing, he's eating, and drinking some. And sleeping LOTS.

But I'm certain the best part of his day happened at 10:30 this morning. Earlier this morning he didn't look good, just uncomfortable. Ears tensed back, just punky, not happy look. Then he peed four times in two minutes. And pooped about an inch. And peed a couple more times right in a row. And then the channels opened, the sky cleared, the angels sang, balloons fell as he laid out --in a thud-- a 5-inch log of poop. It fell out of the box and literally I heard it hit the floor. Oh my gosh that poor guy. Within a few minutes another 3 inches. I could hear him sigh relief across the room. Ever since then, his ears have been forward and the look on his face has been "ahhhhhh......."

[LoveThem]

Okay so Warning about potty talk noted.

It made me smile....when my boy was not feeling well, my husband and I checked his potty every day...with a DId Little Guy go potty today? How much? Was it normal looking?

When we thought about it, it made us smile...we were so concerned about this little cat's daily potty and also making sure he did pee since he was stopped up twice by dry food but still we didn't want to let our guard down.

So I know when you saw that last one.........makes you want to fling open your front door and yell HOORAY MY BABY MADE A GOOD ONE TODAY!

All is getting more right with the world. Never tire of hearing good news. And we so have been there ourselves and know it is such happy news. Probably only in this forum can one share potty news!

Judy

[Mink&WillowsMom]

And another 4" this morning. [Trek fans, even though Scotty was the engineer, not the doctor, I can still hear him say, "Aye, Cap'n, the problem is yer cat was full 'o crap!"]

It's this weird state of limbo: I know he looks slow and dopey in part because of the buprenex (pain) and phenoxybenzamine (spasm), yet I'm also seeing his sluggish behavior and thinking, "why isn't he rebounding quicker?" It's strange being of two minds like this. It's just that when I listen to others' stories, it seems like I hear, "yeah, we flushed him and then he was fine." Ready to get to 'fine'...

Another small thing made a difference for Willow (the gray guy in the avatar photo). He's been hissing because Roh smells so weird. Finally, yesterday it dawned on me to let Will sniff the ends of the medication syringes (liquid, not shots) so he'd know where the smells were coming from. Otherwise, his only conclusion was, "who are you and what have you done with my normal-smelling friend?" He seemed quite thoughtful as he sniffed, and ended up hissing less at Rohan last night. ~Kim PS: since so many at the hospital weren't sure how to pronounce Rohan's name, it's "Rowan" (RO'-in)

[LoveThem]

Remember that sluggishness you see could be the combination of all the medication, and again, if you ever really want to ask about it, your vet should help you with that.

As far as flushing and being fine. With my Little Guy, both times I caught him right away and he was flushed within hours the same day. He was straining but not in pain. His litter box was within eyesight of my desk where I spend the day and it was easy for me to watch him right away.

Your sweetheart has been through a lot but he sure sounds like he is on the right path now. You didn't give up and neither has he.

Keep up positive thoughts and give him a hug and a kiss from me and tell him I think he is a beautiful boy who is so good, he can't do anything else except get better...every day...more and more.

Judy

[Mink&WillowsMom]

taken minutes ago. he says hi to everyone who's been sending him and his mama such wonderful support.

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[LoveThem]

WHAT AN ABSOLUTE DOLL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I LOVE this picture. Thank you so much for posting it..and..he does look like he IS feeling MUCH BETTER!

Judy

[Mink&WillowsMom]

I just caught this precious show of support from Luna, and I had to share.
They arrived at the shelter within a day of each other when they were 8 weeks old, and they've been together ever since.
kimberblessed

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[LoveThem]

"precious" is definitely the right word. What a wonderful picture...a moment in time caught forever.

Thank you for sharing. I had to smile at this one.

Judy

[Jon730]

[.. Oh my gosh that poor guy. Within a few minutes another 3 inches. I could hear him sigh relief across the room. Ever since then, his ears have been forward and the look on his face has been "ahhhhhh......."

That's a total of 13 inches. Why, how long is the CAT? Of course he was in a bad mood.
(Mentaly projecting to a six-foot human carrying around four feet of it...)
Yeah, that would do it.