Cat Dr. Hive . . . UPDATE:

[gardenmom5]

He's mewing like he did right before he threw up - sounds almost like a baby crying. 

He's being 'a lump', with limbs drawn in, in a 'bread box' pose.   2ds said he actually snuggled with him for quite a while.  This cat does NOT "snuggle"!.  Not being his lithe cat self.   He doesn't act like himself when I pick him up - and doesn't move as fast as normal.  He was fine when I left this morning.

I'm assuming he ate something he shouldn't have - but no idea what.  I suspect he's in pain.

so - cat people - what do I do now?

 

UPDATE 10:15am Monday:  (and need to hear experienced urinary issue cat owners).  The Cat rescue doesn't have room.   SO, they are offering to pay for the procedure and we can take him home when he's released.  He will have to be on Rx, and Rx cat food for the rest of his life.  And whatever else is involved with caring for a cat with urinary issues.  I need to know how much that will be, if I can still get cat/pet insurance that pays for treatment for this stuff, or is he forever out of that market.

So - I need to hear experience please.

Edited January 31, 2022 by gardenmom5

[Selkie]

I’d take him to the vet now, since he is exhibiting signs of pain. If he did eat something and has a blockage, that needs immediate attention. There are other things I would want to rule out, too - like a urinary blockage.

[fraidycat]

Cats are very good at hiding pain. When he is lethargic and showing pain, he is in a LOT of pain. I'd get him to the vet ASAP!

[Clarita]

I second Vet. Cats are hardwired to hide pain/illness; anytime a cat is acting more lethargic weird (suddenly slower, or less active) see a vet. 

[gardenmom5]

My vet is closing - and is telling me to go find an Emergency vet.   1dd had to take her dog to an ER vet a week or so ago - and so many wouldn't even see the dog because they were "short staffed".

 

he's belching/burping.  Three times now.

[KSera]

ER vets in much of the country are extremely difficult to get into right now. Did your vet suggest one that is accepting animals right now? We had a vet emergency recently and the lowest wait time was 6 hours (and you wait in your car). Hopefully it’s better than that where you are, but I just wanted to give you a heads up so maybe you could call around first and find one that says they could see you. 

[Jean in Newcastle]

11 minutes ago, gardenmom5 said:

My vet is closing - and is telling me to go find an Emergency vet.   1dd had to take her dog to an ER vet a week or so ago - and so many wouldn't even see the dog because they were "short staffed".

 

he's belching/burping.  Three times now.

Try Arrowwood Animal hospital 

[gardenmom5]

Wow - there aren't many ER vets, many are closed due to staffing, or phone only.  I've had ER vets give me phone numbers that go to ER vets that aren't open.

I finally got an appointment in downtown Seattle (joy - not looking forward to that!)  four hour wait - and they do NOT start counting until you check in. . . . . 

[gardenmom5]

1 hour ago, Jean in Newcastle said:

Try Arrowwood Animal hospital 

Aerowood?  - they aren't doing ER at the moment due to staffing shortages.

Redmond is closed

Bellevue is closed

Both ER vets in Kirkland are diverting.

Lynnwood is diverting

Edited January 31, 2022 by gardenmom5

[catz]

Ugh.  If kitty isn’t too bad off I’d probably wait until morning and call your vet first thing.   Sorry kitty isn’t feeling well!

[KSera]

1 minute ago, catz said:

Ugh.  If kitty isn’t too bad off I’d probably wait until morning and call your vet first thing.   Sorry kitty isn’t feeling well!

Yeah, I’d do this too unless your cat doesn’t mind the car or is getting worse. My cat is so stressed being in the car that I would be afraid that four hours plus driving time in the car would make her in worse shape than waiting 12 hours in the comfort of home where she could be calm. I would make a priority to find something she will eat tonight. Turkey baby food (with no onion, garlic or salt) Is often accepted by kitties who are feeling poorly. 
 

Hope she starts improving and is better by morning 🤞. 

[Jean in Newcastle]

20 minutes ago, gardenmom5 said:

Aerowood?  - they aren't doing ER at the moment due to staffing shortages.

Redmond is closed

Bellevue is closed

Both ER vets in Kirkland are diverting.

Lynnwood is diverting

I thought that spelling looked funny. I am sorry to hear that 

[Selkie]

I am glad you got an appointment tonight. I would not wait until tomorrow, given the symptoms you are describing. They triage at emergency vets and you may get in sooner than the four hour wait time.

[gardenmom5]

His eyes are looking better. 

I'm currently waiting at the ER vet.  The tech wants to get the shiba inu out first. Apparently they squeal.

He hates the car, mews constantly,  but was quiet almost the entire trip. Very unusual.  He does love his crate.

He's very protective of his chest,  claws out.

He's resting,  but I don't know if that's good or bad. 

 

[KSera]

1 minute ago, gardenmom5 said:

His eyes are looking better. 

I'm currently waiting at the ER vet.  The tech wants to get the shiba inu out first. Apparently they squeal.

He hates the car, mews constantly,  but was quiet almost the entire trip. Very unusual.  He does love his crate.

He's very protective of his chest,  claws out.

He's resting,  but I don't know if that's good or bad. 

 

It sounds good you took him in. I hope the wait is much shorter than predicted. 

[gardenmom5]

Just now, KSera said:

It sounds good you took him in. I hope the wait is much shorter than predicted. 

They just took him in for vitals. 

I'm sure that will also be an initial assessment. 

[gardenmom5]

He has a blockage.   Dh won't pay $2k, so either relinquish to a rescue or euthanize.

[Starr]

I'm so sorry. That is a lot of money. 😞

[KSera]

Oh I am so sorry. That is so expensive and such a terribly difficult thing. How long do you have before you have to decide about relinquishing? Is it an on the spot thing? Do I recall there’s such a thing as a WTM group for forum members on FB? My brain is going in a crowdsourcing direction…

[gardenmom5]

2 hours ago, KSera said:

Oh I am so sorry. That is so expensive and such a terribly difficult thing. How long do you have before you have to decide about relinquishing? Is it an on the spot thing? Do I recall there’s such a thing as a WTM group for forum members on FB? My brain is going in a crowdsourcing direction…

I had no time- treatment needed to be started.

[El...]

Oh my gosh. I'm so sorry. What a horrible surprise. 

[East Coast Sue]

Oh dear. I’m sorry to hear that your cat needs surgery. We rescued a cat, a wonderfully outgoing & beautiful cat, who developed similar symptoms just two weeks after we got her from the shelter. We were told the same- a blockage confirmed with an X-ray. I made a rushed decision to put the cat through the surgery and she died during the operation from massive, metastatic cancer (yes, that was the “blockage”). I’m so sorry for your loss & pain but I wanted to share so that your grief isn’t combined with any sort of guilt from not being able to afford the surgery. 
Again, I’m so sorry and send lots of gentle hugs. 

[Selkie]

Oh no. I'm so sorry. 😞 So you relinquished him?

[gardenmom5]

52 minutes ago, Selkie said:

Oh no. I'm so sorry. 😞 So you relinquished him?

yeah.  I'm just glad they found a rescue. (Or so the vet told me.) I was up until 2am with the boys who needed to talk.  I requested the ER vet forward a message to the rescue asking if the boys could say goodbye this morning.  (the vet was "no, too late".)  It all happened so fast - and the ER vet was 30 minutes away with no traffic (and it was heavy rain mixed with some wet snow making for obscured windshields, and standing water on the freeway, driving home after midnight).  and the $2k was the "discounted/send him home earlier" hope for the best version. The original quote was $2700+.   AND . . . if he survived, he had a 50% chance of it happening again in the next few months.

I wonder if things would have been different if I hadn't gone to go take a nap yesterday afternoon because I was so tired.   If I would have seen the cat earlier and noticed something was wrong earlier when it could/maybe have been more easily treated. (and less costly.)

 

 

[Tree Frog]

10 hours ago, KSera said:

WTM group

If there is, I'd be interested in joining it.

GardenMom, I'm so sorry you had to make such a difficult decision! Sometimes, there isn't a right answer. 😞

 

[popmom]

I am so sorry. 

[ktgrok]

Never mind - I didn't see the update. I'm so so sorry. 

Edited January 31, 2022 by ktgrok

[Kassia]

I just saw the update too - I'm very sorry.  😞 

[Selkie]

54 minutes ago, gardenmom5 said:

yeah.  I'm just glad they found a rescue. (Or so the vet told me.) I was up until 2am with the boys who needed to talk.  I requested the ER vet forward a message to the rescue asking if the boys could say goodbye this morning.  (the vet was "no, too late".)  It all happened so fast - and the ER vet was 30 minutes away with no traffic (and it was heavy rain mixed with some wet snow making for obscured windshields, and standing water on the freeway, driving home after midnight).  and the $2k was the "discounted/send him home earlier" hope for the best version. The original quote was $2700+.   AND . . . if he survived, he had a 50% chance of it happening again in the next few months.

I wonder if things would have been different if I hadn't gone to go take a nap yesterday afternoon because I was so tired.   If I would have seen the cat earlier and noticed something was wrong earlier when it could/maybe have been more easily treated. (and less costly.)

 

 

Please don’t beat yourself up and wonder about what-ifs. The important thing is that you got him to the vet quickly once you knew something was wrong, and then made the selfless decision to give him up to save his life. You did all the right things for him.❤️I’m very sorry for how painful this must be for you and your family.

[AroundtheCorner]

I’m so sorry. 

[Terabith]

I'm so very sorry.  That's absolutely heartbreaking.  

[Pawz4me]

18 hours ago, gardenmom5 said:

 

 

UPDATE 10:15am Monday:  (and need to hear experienced urinary issue cat owners).  The Cat rescue doesn't have room.   SO, they are offering to pay for the procedure and we can take him home when he's released.  He will have to be on Rx, and Rx cat food for the rest of his life.  And whatever else is involved with caring for a cat with urinary issues.  I need to know how much that will be, if I can still get cat/pet insurance that pays for treatment for this stuff, or is he forever out of that market.

So - I need to hear experience please.

I don't think you'll be able to get insurance. This will be considered a pre-existing condition and I don't *think* you'd be able to get any coverage for anything related to it. You can poke around on Chewy and see how much the prescription food will be. Probably Hill's, Purina and Royal Canin have urinary formulas. Many years ago when we had a cat with chronic UTIs (he never blocked, though) I bought several cans of each from my vet to see which one he liked best. At the time for his issues my vet strongly recommended canned/wet food, not kibble. Also at that time Friskies had an OTC urinary canned formula that was very inexpensive, and our cat loved it a lot more than the prescription foods. But I don't think they make it anymore unfortunately.

I would think--hope--you could call the emergency vet and they'd be able to give you details on what medication, if any, he'll need to be on?

I'll go poke around on Chewy and come back and post links for any urinary formula cat foods I find.

Hill's Urinary Care (kibble)

Royal Canin Urinary SO (canned)

Royal Canin Urinary SO (kibble)

Hill's Urinary Care (canned)

Purina Pro Plan UR St/Ox (canned)

Purina Pro Plan UR St/Ox (kibble)

Edited January 31, 2022 by Pawz4me

[gardenmom5]

22 minutes ago, Pawz4me said:

I don't think you'll be able to get insurance. This will be considered a pre-existing condition and I don't *think* you'd be able to get any coverage for anything related to it. You can poke around on Chewy and see how much the prescription food will be. Probably Hill's, Purina and Royal Canin have urinary formulas. Many years ago when we had a cat with chronic UTIs (he never blocked, though) I bought several cans of each from my vet to see which one he liked best. At the time for his issues my vet strongly recommended canned/wet food, not kibble. Also at that time Friskies had an OTC urinary canned formula that was very inexpensive, and our cat loved it a lot more than the prescription foods. But I don't think they make it anymore unfortunately.

I would think--hope--you could call the emergency vet and they'd be able to give you details on what medication, if any, he'll need to be on?

I'll go poke around on Chewy and come back and post links for any urinary formula cat foods I find.

I didn't think we'd be able to get insurance (not for the emergency vet anyway) - but dh is checking anyway.

I will call back and talk to the vet hospital later to get more information on what exactly is involved.  But it sounds promising.  I would like him back.  When they called, I was "having a moment" as I was washing his dishes and putting away his food.  (the dogs will have a field day with the kibble.  They're really good at cleaning his dishes.)  And i canceled the order for another small bag of kibble (which was once every four - six months.) and due to be shipped soon.

He was in for a full physical a month ago, and signs never came up in his exam. The Emergency vet said it can happen fast though.

he currently eats Blue Buffalo wet 2x per day. He's even had a few days he's had three cans.  I knew wet was significantly better for cats, so he got wet.  Kibble was available for if he was really hungry. (I bought him one of those "digging" kibble feeders as I was under the impression he'd eat it because he was bored - and he really didn't eat much of it. He also hated having to dig it out.)  I should have put away the kibble when he turned a year old.

I started reading more about UTI signs in cats, and realize he was showing signs (grooming his privates) - and I didn't realize it was something different than "cat".  But, that would also mean, there are signs I can see and it doesn't just happen suddenly so if he needed a Rx for a UTI, we could do that with his outpatient vet.  I also saw stuff about OTC things for early stage UTIs.

water fountains are relatively inexpensive. Supposedly the cats are more likely to drink from them, and the moving water keeps it fresher longer.  I have been looking at them since before Christmas.  I should have bought one. But so much other stuff going on (and two kids birthdays in January.)

Edited January 31, 2022 by gardenmom5

[KSera]

I have a cat with urinary issues, but she has never blocked. She had a couple episodes (the first time ending in ER) where she could only pass frequent small dribbles of red urine. She was on a kibble only diet the first time it happened and the next time she was usually on wet but I ran out and fed dry for a day and a half and that was enough for the problem to start again. Since then it’s been strict wet only. I mixed in extra water for awhile when she had the acute episodes and that flushed her out really well. We have never tried a urinary formula for her, but I look for low phosphorus levels and don’t feed foods with any fish (both bad for cats with urinary issues). Your cat clearly is in an even worse state, having to have surgery, and I know male cats are more likely to block, so I’m not recommending against urinary foods, just sharing our experience and that we have successfully kept her out of the vet for any urinary issues since that happened 5 years ago. 

[Carrie12345]

I am so sorry.

Pre-covid, I was sitting in the waiting room when a couple was told their cat had yet another blockage. I think it may have even been the third time.And it was going to be another $3,000. And it was going to keep happening. And they authorized the procedure.

I love my pets, but thousands and thousands of dollars with repeated pain just doesn’t add up for me, even if I were a multimillionaire.  *Maybe* if I were a billionaire, but I guess we’ll never know.

[Jean in Newcastle]

Is it a urinary blockage or a bowel blockage?  My male cat had a urinary blockage that was successfully treated. He’s been on wet food exclusively since with no relapses. But I should warn you that supply chain issues has made sourcing special cat food difficult at times. 

[catz]

I will say we did have one cat that had a urinary blockage.  He was treated (I actually don't remember it being prohibitively expensive actually at the time but everything is more).  He did eat special food after that but he never had another so it's possible he won't have ongoing issues if you can hit the sweet spot with diet.  He lived to be 16 actually and had his blockage in probably his first 5 years.  

I have read some mixed things on blue buffalo, but I don't know?  One food that is good for one cat might be problematic for another too.

Mixing additional water into canned food works well, all my cats have loved that actually.  We started doing it for our cat that had kidney disease.  

We got a cat fountain for Christmas because we had one cat that was jumping up by the sink every day and demanding special water.  Both cats are definitely drinking more.  I got this one based on some research and recommendations and it is working great.  I am going to pull it apart once a month to clean the whole thing and change the filter.  You do have to watch water level, I've been surprised how fast the water level falls.  

https://www.target.com/p/petsafe-seaside-stainless-pet-fountain-black/-/A-82211063#lnk=sametab

[Selkie]

Fountains are great - we have two of them for six cats, and they love them. Mine definitely drink more from the fountains than from bowls.

I would still keep the water bowl filled, though. Actually, I would get multiple water bowls and keep them around the house to make it as convenient as possible for him to take a drink whenever he's thirsty.

Some people put flavoring in the water bowl to encourage drinking - like tuna juice. Maybe ask the vet about that. 

[KSera]

This is the information I relied on for getting my cat through her bout of urinary disease and keeping her healthy since: https://catinfo.org/feline-urinary-tract-diseases/

If you take the kitty back home, I would probably change wet foods if I were you. Blue Buffalo is well known for causing diarrhea especially, but it seems I recall cats having more crystal issues on it as well. I will look that up to see if it's true, but seems worth a change anyway given he had issues while on this food.

Edited January 31, 2022 by KSera
typo

[gardenmom5]

29 minutes ago, Jean in Newcastle said:

Is it a urinary blockage or a bowel blockage?  My male cat had a urinary blockage that was successfully treated. He’s been on wet food exclusively since with no relapses. But I should warn you that supply chain issues has made sourcing special cat food difficult at times. 

Urinary.

 

UPDATE: NOT UTIs (she doesn't think he has one) - the vet thinks it's stress related.   Apparently when stressed they will produce proteins in the urine that will create the junk and crystals that can cause the blockage.  Moving furniture can cause stress.   We moved furniture (and more than just going back to how things were before Christmas.)

He's doing well, and very vocal.  They'll remove the catheter tomorrow and see how he does.

[gardenmom5]

26 minutes ago, Selkie said:

Fountains are great - we have two of them for six cats, and they love them. Mine definitely drink more from the fountains than from bowls.

I would still keep the water bowl filled, though. Actually, I would get multiple water bowls and keep them around the house to make it as convenient as possible for him to take a drink whenever he's thirsty.

Some people put flavoring in the water bowl to encourage drinking - like tuna juice. Maybe ask the vet about that. 

Did you have a 'not interested in water' cat respond favorably?   I barely see him drink.

some site said to put water dishes away from their food.  multiple water dishes are a good idea.  in rooms where he hangs out.

[KSera]

5 minutes ago, gardenmom5 said:

Did you have a 'not interested in water' cat respond favorably?   I barely see him drink.

some site said to put water dishes away from their food.  multiple water dishes are a good idea.  in rooms where he hangs out.

My cat almost never drinks water either. That's why high water content food is so important. Cats with a low thirst drive are likely to never get enough water from drinking alone. My cat looooooves to eat however, so high moisture food keeps her well hydrated. I give her those liquid food treat tubes as well for treats. She pees large volumes, which is what you want.

[Selkie]

3 minutes ago, gardenmom5 said:

Did you have a 'not interested in water' cat respond favorably?   I barely see him drink.

some site said to put water dishes away from their food.  multiple water dishes are a good idea.  in rooms where he hangs out.

Yes, I rarely see ours drink from the water bowls, but they hang out around the fountains. Like a pp said, we have to refill the fountains surprisingly often because they drink so much.

Below is the one that we have, which has been pretty reliable. I tried a stainless fountain first, but it quite working after just a couple months.

https://www.chewy.com/catit-flower-plastic-cat-fountain/dp/178051

 

[KSera]

26 minutes ago, Selkie said:

Below is the one that we have, which has been pretty reliable. I tried a stainless fountain first, but it quite working after just a couple months.

https://www.chewy.com/catit-flower-plastic-cat-fountain/dp/178051

We have this one also and haven't had any trouble. One cat liked it and used it a lot and the other didn't pay it any mind.

[gardenmom5]

28 minutes ago, Selkie said:

Yes, I rarely see ours drink from the water bowls, but they hang out around the fountains. Like a pp said, we have to refill the fountains surprisingly often because they drink so much.

Below is the one that we have, which has been pretty reliable. I tried a stainless fountain first, but it quite working after just a couple months.

https://www.chewy.com/catit-flower-plastic-cat-fountain/dp/178051

 

I just ordered it from amazon.  Several sites had it rated very high.  Im eager to see how he does with it.

Have you had issues with the filter? 

[gardenmom5]

52 minutes ago, KSera said:

This is the information I relied on for getting my cat through her bout of urinary disease and keeping her healthy since: https://catinfo.org/feline-urinary-tract-diseases/

If you take the kitty back home, I would probably change wet foods if I were you. Blue Buffalo is well known for causing diarrhea especially, but it seems I recall cats having more crystal issues on it as well. I will look that up to see if it's true, but seems worth a change anyway given he had issues while on this food.

The blue wilderness wet is still pretty "thick" (except for the salmon. He'll lick up the liquid and leave a lot of the food).  As a kitten I tried a number of foods - and he hated one with more "gravy". He also would only eat pate.

I will probably buy several of the urinary wet foods, and see which he consistently likes.  Then put in an order.  I do not want a repeat of ordering a Hills diet 5.5oz can case of liver, and he won't go near it.  The dogs . . . love it. (I'd give them half the can with their kibble.)

[KSera]

6 minutes ago, gardenmom5 said:

The blue wilderness wet is still pretty "thick" (except for the salmon. He'll lick up the liquid and leave a lot of the food).  As a kitten I tried a number of foods - and he hated one with more "gravy". He also would only eat pate.

I will probably buy several of the urinary wet foods, and see which he consistently likes.  Then put in an order.  I do not want a repeat of ordering a Hills diet 5.5oz can case of liver, and he won't go near it.  The dogs . . . love it. (I'd give them half the can with their kibble.)

Do you mean he usually licks up the liquid and leaves a lot of food, or that he does that with the salmon one only and usually doesn't like the liquid? The pates are really easy to mix more water in with. If you're afraid he'll balk, you can add just a tablespoon more at each feeding, gradually increasing the water amount. When my cat was acute, I split her feeding up into like six a day, with just a tablespoon or so of food mixed thoroughly with equal amounts water so that she was getting liquid flushed through continually all day long.

It is recommended to not do any foods with fish due to high phosophorus content. Phosphorus usually means high mineral content (from bone usually--fish bones in fish food), which would mean high calcium as well, and that can contribute to crystal formation. We stick with poultry here for ease of finding foods that meet our cat's needs.

It's really nice the rescue is helping out so you can keep your kitty.

[Selkie]

16 minutes ago, gardenmom5 said:

I just ordered it from amazon.  Several sites had it rated very high.  Im eager to see how he does with it.

Have you had issues with the filter? 

No, no problems at all. I wash the filter every time I fill it and it's been fine.

[gardenmom5]

1 minute ago, KSera said:

Do you mean he usually licks up the liquid and leaves a lot of food, or that he does that with the salmon one only and usually doesn't like the liquid? The pates are really easy to mix more water in with. If you're afraid he'll balk, you can add just a tablespoon more at each feeding, gradually increasing the water amount. When my cat was acute, I split her feeding up into like six a day, with just a tablespoon or so of food mixed thoroughly with equal amounts water so that she was getting liquid flushed through continually all day long.

It is recommended to not do any foods with fish due to high phosophorus content. Phosphorus usually means high mineral content (from bone usually--fish bones in fish food), which would mean high calcium as well, and that can contribute to crystal formation. We stick with poultry here for ease of finding foods that meet our cat's needs.

It's really nice the rescue is helping out so you can keep your kitty.

The salmon has more liquid than the others.  He laps it up.  (the cases have a mix of duck, chicken, and salmon.)

Ok - well - the dogs will love the salmon.

so you mixed wet food with more water?

I'm grateful to the rescue.  I think it's partly it's hard to find people willing to take a cat with known urinary problems.

1 minute ago, Selkie said:

No, no problems at all. I wash the filter every time I fill it and it's been fine.

So - you don't replace the filter?  or do you wash it when you fill the reservoir and then replace the filter once a month or so.

[KSera]

6 minutes ago, gardenmom5 said:

so you mixed wet food with more water?

Yes. I usually used warm water, because that can be even more appetizing to cats. I started with just a tablespoon of water stirred into the food to make it an even consistency, so it wasn't food surrounded by water. Then I increased the water once I knew she would eat it with that amount.