Urinary Tract Issue in Cats

My friend and fellow pet sitter Jane called me to discuss a situation with a cat she was sitting. She was very concerned. Laddie had been acting oddly, not eating, hiding instead of greeting her at the door. He just wasn’t his usual self. Jane was in communication with his owner, but it was the second day of this and Laddie was showing definite signs of distress. The lastest sign was when Jane found him lying on the floor with his head perched at the edge of his Pet Fountain. I headed over to help, as Jane and Laddie’s owner arranged for an emergency vet visit at a local Cat Hospital.

When I arrived, I found that Laddie had collapsed on the floor of the bathroom, trying to hide behind the toilet. His body was so still, at first I was sure that he was dead. But then his head lifted ever so slightly and he uttered a weak meow as I laid my hand on his side. Jane and I worked quickly to gently lift him up and place him inside of a soft cat carrier, his weak cries breaking both of our hearts. There wasn’t a moment to spare.

We arrived at the vet’s office within five minutes, and Dr. Beth immediately took him in to be examined. Laddie’s condition and gone down rapidly and we were all very worried.

We had good reason to be worried. Laddie was diagnosed with a complete urinary blockage, a problem male cats seem to have more frequently than female cats due to the narrow urinary passage in male cats’ genitalia. Laddie had a very high level of toxicity in his body, and later we were told he would not have made it had we not brought him in as quickly as we did.

A dietary change was prescribed for Laddie to include wet food in his diet; this will help to insure he is getting adequate water in his system. Adequate water intake is one of the keys to prevention of this condition. He will be watched closely over the next several weeks to be sure there is no permanent damage to his body.

I am happy to report that thanks to Jane’s quick concern and observation of Laddie’s behavioral changes, he recovered fully and his owner is eternally grateful to her caring professional cat sitters for knowing what to do!

If you would like more information about urinary blockages in cats, please consult the following websites:

https://www.vet.cornell.edu/fhc/Health_Information/brochure_urinary.cfm

https://www.vet.cornell.edu/fhc/Health_Information/BladderandKidneyStones.cfm