Kitty Update

If you've followed my blog for awhile, I bet you've seen this guy once or twice ;) Alvyn is one of our rescues. We got him not long after Aydan passed away, so he's quite spoiled. He has the most unique personality. He loves to play in the sink and drinking straws are his favorite toy. He has quite a stash - he hoards them under the rug!

Earlier this week, Alvyn started acting a little strange. His third eyelids were showing, which can be a sign of sickness in cats. At first, because there were no other symptoms, I passed it off as him being slightly depressed (we just rescued two kittens, and he is the "baby" after all). But on the second day of this peculiar behavior, things worsened. He stopped eating, drinking, and using the litter box. He was very clingy and started meowing loudly. At it's worst, he was rolling over on his back and meowing in pain. :(

Off to the emergency vet we went, and not a moment too late. He was diagnosed with Feline Lower Urinary Tract Disease (FLUTD) and had a urinary blockage. This is very serious in male cats! His bladder was three times its normal size so they had to place him under anesthesia and place a catheter. He was on fluids to help flush his bladder, and sent home on antibiotics. I followed up with the vet the next day, who did a urinalysis, and found what's called struvite crystals in his urine -- they are what caused the blockage. In addition to antibiotics, he was placed on prescription food to help dissolve these crystals so he doesn't become obstructed again.

Please say a little prayer for him that this doesn't reoccur. After this happens, chances are higher it will happen again. It could be a day, a month, a year, or never. We're hoping for never! Thankfully, he's doing much, much better now. Thank you to all of you who have been praying for him and asking about him!

Well, I wrote all this in order to inform other cat owners out there, hoping that I can prevent this from happening to someone else. There are several measures you can take to help prevent this from happening to your male cat:

♦ supply plenty of fresh drinking water in more than one location throughout the house

♦ ensure your cat's litter box stays clean - unscented or newspaper pellet litter is preferred

♦ feed him canned, moist food - no table scraps

♦ set aside a little time each day to give your kitty one-on-one love and attention and play with him

♦ research and be aware of the FLUTD warning signs

Here are two articles I found helpful:
FLUTD
Urinary Blockage

If your cat ever presents any symptoms as Alvyn did, be sure to get him to your vet right away!