Lora Lee 
In my 50 some years of having cats, I have never dealt with a cat with a urinary blockage. Until last weekend. Pyewacket is my first cat with a urinary blockage and what a journey it has been. After spending the weekend at the emergency vet and a night at our regular vet, Pyewacket came home. However, he is not completely out of the woods. We have a long road ahead to ensure that he stays healthy and does not have to deal with this issue again. Here is the story of Pyewacket’s urinary blockage, how started and what we are doing to help him.
What Caused the Blockage?
So, after having many cats in my life, how did I finally have a cat dealing with a urinary blockage? Well, it was kind of like the perfect storm. All the conditions fell, unfortunately, right into place. At 6 years old, Pyewacket is considered a middle-aged cat. He was neutered at a young age, which some research is showing could be a contributing factor to older male cats having urinary issues. Until a few months ago, dry food made up about half of his daily diet. All are contributors to urinary issues in male cats. However, the one contributing factor that tipped the scales was stress.
For a little over a month, Pyewacket was being bullied by two of his siblings. Pyewacket is part of the Kracken Kitty group. Five siblings that reside in our lower level. There have been times where some of them would have disagreements. But this was on a whole different level. At times, I had to go downstairs to break up a fight. Poor Pyewacket is a lover, not a fighter, and he started to take up residence on top of a cat tree. I knew I should remove him from the situation, but I was delaying. We had just started peacefully co-existing with Bodie, Zazzles, and Hemingway and I knew bringing Pyewacket upstairs would set us back. Now, in hindsight…
Kitty Senses Tingling
I have always had this innate ability to sense when something is not quite right with my cats. Over the past few months, this sense has grown stronger as I have been getting further in my Holistic Cat Practitioner course. On Saturday morning, when I went down to feed, I took one look at Pyewacket and knew that he needed to move upstairs that day. My plan was to set him up in a dog crate to allow time for all to acclimate to his arrival. It was then that I noticed his frequent trips to the litter box with no urine coming out. He was also loudly meowing during each trip. Although I may have never had a cat with a urinary blockage, I do know the signs.
Because you have a very short window of time with a blockage before it becomes deadly and because I did not know how long Pyewacket had been showing signs, I didn’t think it was smart to try to make it until Monday for our trip to our regular vet. So, we loaded him into the carrier and headed to the emergency vet. Once again, my kitty senses were spot on. Pyewacket did have a blockage in his urethra and his levels were through the roof. Paying attention to my senses, knowing the signs, and my quick reaction probably saved his life.
Traditional Treatment
After 3 nights and 3 days of receiving fluids and antibiotics, the blockage from Pyewacket’s urethra passed. A sonogram showed that he did still have some crystals in his bladder that we will have to monitor as his passes those. Although his levels all returned to normal, we will go for a follow-up in a month to ensure that there is no permanent damage to his kidneys. He came home with 3 days’ worth of antibiotics and some pain medication, as well as some prescription wet food.
Which interestingly enough, he devoured this food while staying at the vet and then on Tuesday evening when he returned home. Wednesday morning, he just picked at the food but was hungry. On a whim, I decided to give him some raw food and he gobbled it up. Since then, he has been offered a dish of raw and a dish of the Rx wet food. Each time, he chooses the raw food. It is well known that cats require a moisture rich diet. Especially a cat dealing with urinary issues. A raw diet is extremely moisture rich. Smart kitty.
Holistic Healing
In addition to the traditional treatment and supplements, of course I have put into place a holistic protocol for Pyewacket. He was not happy being in the dog crate. So, I moved him to the downstairs bathroom. That was better, but still not quite what he wanted. Our guest bathroom connects to my husband’s office/music room. We allowed Pyewacket access to the whole room and bathroom and he was instantly a much happier cat. I wanted to remove any unnecessary stress that could cause Pyewacket’s urinary blockage to return. So, a happy Pyewacket equals a happy Cat Mom.
Once we got him settled in his new living arrangements, it was time for me to work on his holistic healing protocol. I brought him crystals geared towards working with the urinary system and the Sacral and Root Chakras. He has clear quartz, tiger’s eye, hematite, red jasper, citrine, carnelian, and golden healer quartz. The last three being his favorites. An herb garden with some marshmallow root, chamomile, and nettle, along with a Frankincense hydrosol bowl to help with inflammation was laid out for him. Each day, we sit together, and I offer an energy healing session for Pyewacket’s urinary blockage. Some days, he is really receptive to the healing, others he rejects it. On those days, we just sit and snuggle, which in my opinion is just as needed in a healing protocol.
Not Out of the Woods Yet
Pyewacket has adapted really well to his new living arrangements. He really enjoys looking out the huge windows and sliding doors. He does seem to still be having some issues with urinating at times. Not every time, but enough that I am keeping a close watch on him. I have turned into a litter box stalker. If notice that he seems to be getting worse, off to the vet we will go. I know that since he has had one urinary blockage, the likelihood of him having another is pretty high. However, Pyewacket is lucky enough to have a mom that has enough tools in her toolbelt to help ward off any future blockages and ensure that he remains a happy and healthy cat.
“If we’re going to have animals around we all have to be concerned about them and take care of them.”
-Bob Ross
