Rohan Is Ill, bladder crystals Options

[Mink&WillowsMom]

Please keep a prayer for Rohan -- he's in the hospital.
Stable, should be okay, but he had crystals in his bladder that blocked his urethra, and he almost got to life-threatening stage before I realized. His bladder was about the size of a large apple, and at risk of rupture. This afternoon I saw him try to pee on my bed. I'd seen him pee on another rug a couple days ago, and knew that it was very odd, but the only logic I could put to it was a protest over litter boxes that need changing.

After I scooped him off the bed, he meowed in a very distressed way -- pain from being lifted on his abdomen, no doubt. Then he lay by the door and whimpered, so immediately I found a vet with extended hours and got him in. By the time we arrived, he was blocked and yet so full he was incontinent, just dribbling everywhere. If I'd waited until tomorrow morning he could have died.

I arrived thinking was constipated, fearful maybe a hairball obstruction. Ten minutes later she wants to get him out of the room and into the back to catheterize him NOW, while also quickly trying to get me up to speed on what's happening and how urgent it was. She quickly tried to outline the scope of what I was dealing with, and explain enough so that I can make informed decisions. Meanwhile, I know Roh is soooo afraid here, and first she says "heart murmur," and then I hear bladder blocked anesthesia crystals xrays cardio-myopathy stones surgery die hospital $1500 euthanasia. Flashing like red neon signs in my brain. I'm trying to track the details, but ohmigod she's saying Rohan is really sick, in dire distress and lots of pain, and what am I supposed to be looking at on this financial e$timate? Did I wait too long? What clues did I miss? How did I not know he was in pain? And why the hell did she bring up euthanasia? Is he really that sick he might die? Or is she just giving me a financial out? Finally I realized that's what she was doing, and I just looked her in the eye and said, "euthanasia's off the table."

Honestly, I don't know how parents leave their human children in the hospital. I feel like such a bad mama, leaving him all alone in a cage, catheterized and two IVs, terrified by the drugs and the procedures, and the cone he has to wear so he won't pull out the cath. They let me sit with him for a while, but then there was nothing to do but come home. Fortunately the vet tech who's on tonight will take phone calls so I can check on him through the night.

He's also got a heart murmur and possible cardiomyopathy, but we'll deal with that later.
He's only two years old.
I am really overwhelmed right now.
Just today I told someone I've been trying to shake a sense of doom. *pow* strikes again. Just a little left jab, but still enough to ding me.

So I just need to remind myself, he's doing okay right now. They were able to catheterize him with just sedation, not general anesthesia, to my great relief. His blood panel looks good, and he's not too dehydrated. They gave him pain meds, and flushed out the bladder. She said usually the urine has more of a sandy look to it, and his doesn't, which means he doesn't have nearly as many crystals, which bodes well. We talked a little about what I've been feeding them, and may have found a culprit. Typically, the treatment is a lifetime of very expensive food my other cats in the past have hated. Hopefully it has improved, or I have other options. I'm holding out a thread of hope that this was a one-time thing due to two months of cheap tuna fish cat food.

Kim
PS: I just called the vet tech, who said that he's settled a fair bit, especially after they blocked his view of the room with a towel, and that he was eating some. Luna and Willow are asking me questions.

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[LoveThem]

My prayers are with you and Rohan. 2 years old.....he just HAS to get better.

My only times with crystals and blocked bladder: My Little Girl: I noticed she was trying to pee but seemed disturbed. I noticed a blood spot on my beige carpet after she got up from lying on her stomach as cats do. I called the vet's office and they said to bring her in the next day. That if it was a boy cat..it was an emergency but a girl cat could wait until the next day. I did and she was given antibiotics for cystitis (if I remember right).

My Little Guy had blocks 2x in his 16 1/2 years. The reason boys are an emergency was explained that boys have a tiny uretha or bladder than a girl does and so crystals can more easily block them and they have to be brought in immediately.

I always had a lot of litter boxes available and where I sit at my desk I see 3...1 in a bedroom and 2 behind a couch. My Little Guy I would see would get in the box and squat to pee and then get out. Usually I would figure he went but then what he would do is keep walking from box to box, squatting, getting up, etc. Told me he was having a hard time so I called the vet (I called a mobile vet who came right out and flushed him out here at home). She had explained the problem. One other time he did the same thing and again she came out and flushed him and he was okay.

She explained to me it was cause he was eating dry food a lot which can cause crystals. Now my little girl and Little Guy's twin brother ate dry also. She had a problem one time but that apparently was a little different cause I remember she had cystitis and got antibiotics. Keeper, the twin, never had a problem.

But my boy, Little Guy did have it 2x and flushing him out took care of it right away at home. I don't know what would have been done if he had been further along.

I don't understand why flushing didn't bring Rohan back to normal if it is crystals. Anyway. my Little Guy never again had dry food and he never again had a problem. He had Friskies wet food and was fine...we also bought Science Diet Senior wet food..

My Little Guy never acted like he was in pain but maybe I caught it right away since he was in my line of sight while working at my desk. But what he was doing was not normal and I just always get on the phone and describe it to the gals at the vet hospital and I found they were good about...whether or come in right away or not. I had a mobile vet come out and she did immediately...cause Little Guy was a battle to get into a carrier and hated the vet place. This way I locked him in a bathroom and she went in and shut the door, put him in a zippered bag up to his neck and was able to put in an IV or whatever she needed to flush him out. So the next time he peed...it worked.

I am so sorry Rohan was in such distress and hope to hear good news from you soon.

Hugs and prayers