Please help. Male blockage, I'm scared

[Roarina]

Our gorgeous boy was taken to the vets yesterday because he was dripping urine when walking. Vet felt his bladder and said it was nearly at bursting point. He was kept in over night and given medication to try to help him go. That didn't work so they put a needle in to his bladder to empty it. This morning it had filled right back up again. He managed to do a little wee so vet emptied the bladder again and we have brought him home with a load of medication and hopes and prayers that he will wee properly before tomorrow.

Vet says his urine was tested and there were no crystals and no infection. She doesn't seem to know what is causing the blockage. She said it could be inflammation but that the anti inflammatory didn't work or something more serious like a tumour.

We are bringing him back in tomorrow morning, if he hasn't wee'd then a catheter under anaesthetic will be placed.

I asked what would happen if the catheter doesn't work. She said that unfortunately sometimes if all attempts to unblock fail then it gets to a point where the toxins will build up in his body and his organs will fail. I'm so scared.

Another worry is Insurance will not pay for this as he's had a uti before we got him and they class FLUTD as a pre existing condition. I don't want this to be about money but I don't have thousands, which is what it could go up to if multiple surgeries are necessary. We're at £250 at the moment and even that will be a stretch. Luckily the vets are partnered with a credit company which I will hopefully qualify for but what happens if I don't?

My head feels like it's going to explode. I've never wanted a cat to pee so badly.

Does anyone have any experience with this? I'm looking for the good and bad just so I have an idea of what to expect.

Please don't flame me for the money worries. I feel bad enough as it is and I wish money wasn't even a consideration.

Please don't beat yourself up. You did everything anyone could possibly have done for your lovely cat. You gave him every chance and your vet tried hard too. Sometimes it just goes like this. Your cat loved you and you were a great owner. Please be kind to yourself.

I'm so sorry it's heartbreaking he sounds like a lovely boy 💙

Please don't feel guilty. You had to be guided by the professionals, you had no choice in the end but to give your cat the final gift, to be free from suffering and pain. I know from experience how hard it is, when my old girl had to be pts I really didn't know if it was time, but I had to trust the vet's judgement. If you would like to share any stories or pictures I would love to see/read them. Are you going to have him buried/cremated? I got a lovely memorial stone for my dear girl which we placed over her ashes.
Take care of yourself.

So sorry to hear your news. Such a huge shock for you

Oh no! I've been checking back on here regularly in the hope your boy would perk up. I'm so sorry for you! Horrible decision for you but probably the kindest. My sister had to make that choice this week with her beloved little dog. Its devastating. The only way to deal with grief is to grieve so look at photos, share memories, cry together. The sadness won't go away but suddenly one day it won't hurt so much x

So sorry for you and your family.

I'm so sorry

I hope my post didn't upset you - I wouldn't have mentioned our cat if I'd known.

Please don't torment yourself, as Posie said we put our trust in the vet and have to rely on their professional opinion. Even if the vet should have acted sooner you weren't to know that.

I just wanted to come back to this thread to thank everyone for the advice, support and kind words and share a picture of our boy.

We miss him terribly. His sister has become unusually sociable since he's been gone which has been nice. Dh thinks it's because she secretly disliked the boy. I like to think it's because she knows we'd be lonely and wants to show us some love

I also wanted to ask how others felt after euthanasing their pet. Because I've had cats my whole life and experienced many deaths but the force of the emotions I've had since he went has shocked me. The overwhelming guilt I feel is awful and I'm not quite sure how to feel better. Time, maybe. I know it was the kindest thing for him and rationally I know that there wasn't much choice but even so, this is not a nice feeling.

I'm rambling. Thank you all again

What a gorgeous boy.

I've lived with cats my whole life but I've only ever had to make the decision to PTS once and that was with William. He was an elderly stray who adopted me and went to live with my Mum. He was only 'ours' for six months but making the decision was the hardest decision I've ever had to make because I loved him and he deserved more than the shitty hand he'd been dealt. I had to do it for him though as he was suffering and I knew it was the final and most loving thing I could do. It didn't stop me feeling guilty though and I cry for him even now.

Sorry I'm rambling...

Roarina I'm so sorry to hear about your lovely boy. It is so awful to go through this. I think that when you have to make such an awful decision because they are so ill, it's maybe harder than when they're elderly and you're expecting to have to say goodbye to them in the very near future. My 20 year old beautiful boy was PTS 3 weeks ago and I thought my heart would break. I miss him terribly and keep seeing him around the house, but I knew that his time had come and I had to be very brave for him. It was dreadful seeing him die at the vets, really bad. I'm coping better than I thought I would and I think it's because I know he had a long, happy and comfortable life. Interestingly, my other cat, who spends most of her time upstairs is, is now spending more time downstairs. I hope you and your family are feeling a little better. You did what was best for him.

I do think it's his age that has made it so hard. He was so young and not even a month ago was perfectly healthy.

The DC have started asking for another cat but I don't think I'm ready for that. Especially as girl cat is spending so much time with us and I worry that bringing another cat in to the house would stress her out.

It's never nice having to weild the axe but the only cat I've regretted is the one my mother kept alive too long with cancer.

You did what you had to.

I agree with you husband, one of ours got happier as other cats departed.

Roarina, I am so sorry to hear about your beautiful boy. It is a devastating decision to have to make.

I am here reading because we had to make the decision to have our beloved boy, who was 6, put to sleep on Sunday evening for the same reason. I am also feeling incredibly guilty. Our boy first blocked in May, he had never had any issues at all before that. He seemed a bit unwell when we got back from a weekend away, friends had been looking after him, so we took him to the vet. He was catheterised for 48 hours, and came home quite happy, but blocked again within 24 hours. He then had a longer stay at the vets and was catheterised again. It worked successfully, and he came home back in full health.

He had to go to the cattery shortly after that as we were away, and he was fine there although on a lot of meds. The vet thought the blockage was stress related.

He was absolutely fine until Sunday, enjoying life and seemed to have no issues. We were then away this week again, we are moving across the country in a few weeks and renovating a house we have bought there, so it unfortunately we are away a lot at the moment. The cattery phoned to say he seemed a bit off colour on Sunday morn, and he suddenly collapsed shortly after that. I was on my way home with the kids anyway so immediately picked him up and took him to the vet, but sadly it was too late and his kidneys had begun to fail. We didn't feel we had any choice but to have him put to sleep.

We are all heartbroken. He was such a character, and to have survived the first two issues then to suddenly go downhill like this seemed awful. I think I feel the most guilt because the vet mentioned previously it might be stress related, and I worry it was caused by all of our comings and goings in recent months. It's hard to know what to think.

I never realised what an issue it could be for male cats. We have no other pets, and our toddler DD is asking for him all the time. Awful situation.

I am so sorry.

Oh Nuttypops I'm so sorry you've had to go through the same thing. Especially as it happened before. The vet did say it's one of those things that once it happens once, will almost certainly happen again. Our boy was 6 as well. So young.

It's funny, the advice I want to give you is don't blame yourself you did everything you could and he's no longer in pain now. Yet I can't seem to take that on board myself. So let me just say I know exactly how you're feeling and it's pretty shit isn't it?