Small cat presented to Rouse Hill Family Vets with having trouble passing urine. Unfortunately, this can be a recurring problem in male cats.
Male cats who become extremely stressed, suffer from a urinary tract infection, or suffer from bladder stones/crystals can have an obstruction in their urethra causing them to be unable to empty their bladder. This is an emergency and requires emergency surgery to place a urinary catheter to allow the bladder to empty.
Unfortunately, this happened to Small Cat. He spent 3 days in the hospital with a urinary catheter to help drain his bladder and IV fluids to help flush out any debris or crystals that may have still been lingering. After 72 hours, the catheter was removed, and he was monitored closely in our cat condos. Thankfully, Small Cat continued to urinate without trouble and was able to be sent that afternoon with a variety of medications to help him continue to urinate and stay comfortable.
The unfortunate reality is that urinary obstruction can reoccur, we can try and reduce stress, use prescription diets, and change the environment to help prevent recurrence which in some cases can be successful, however we still do see many who do re-obstruct requiring further urinary catheterization.
In some cases, we recommend a procedure called a perineal urethrostomy. This is where we remove the end of the urethra (penis) which is the most narrow part of the urethra. By doing this it allows a larger hole for urine to pass and reduces the risk of further obstructions.
Unfortunately, a few weeks after his initial discharge, Small Cat was having the same symptoms and upon examination we determined he had re-obstructed. After a discussion with his amazing parents we decided the best course of action would be to perform a Perineal Urethrostomy.
The procedure was performed by Dr. Belinda and went well. We are still in the early days but so far Small Cat is healing well and urinating well. We wish Small Cat all the healing vibes!