My cat has crystals in his penis and he cant pee. what do i do?

Question

he has had this before about 3 weeks ago. we had to bring him in and have a catheter stuck up him and unfortunatly we cant afford to have the opperation again. the vet told us that if we kept him on wet food it was less likely to happen so all i have been feeding him is wet food. I dont know what to do. we love this cat so much and dont want to put him down. Is there any type of home remedy that we can cure him.? It is also labor day weekend so all the local vet places are closed. so i cant ask them what to do.

Answer 1

I am so sorry, but I think Dennis W. has given you the right advice. You can't let your kitty suffer. Think about it, and make your decision soon. I feel so sad for you.

Answer 2

This is a vet emergency. The longer he's blocked, the more the kidneys will shut down and the worse the bladder gets (the inner lining gets bloody). Once a critical time has passed, the cat will die from this and it's extremely painful.

I had one who had six blockages before he stopped having them, another who just had one in his ten years of time with us. You just have to deal with the emergencies as they come. Usually it's caused by the type of food fed, but it can be caused by other things too, just keep with the cat! Get him help. There should be an emergency clinic open even on a holiday weekend somewhere (call the animal shelter if you have to, for recommendations). If you explain about the urinary blockage, they'll understand that this needs to be treated quickly, it can't wait 12 hours or more.

Answer 3

I had a male cat that had started to whimper a bit when he peed. A couple of days later, my roommate asked me what was wrong with my cat because he'd seen him peeing, but was making this awful "crying noise". I went to where he'd last been and the urine puddle was slightly pink, and my cat had run off. I called the emergency pet hospital and they told me I needed to find my cat and get him in asap or he would likely be dead by morning. I found him a couple hours later and rushed to the hospital. Within those two hours, his urine had turned from slighty pink, to almost bright red.
So, you can see, it doesn't take long at all to become a critical situation for your cat. Especially in males.
I was fortunate to have had the opportunity to pay half down and make payments on the bill for his surgery, and he lived to be twelve years old (he was about seven when this happened) before he finally passed away.
The vet told me I had been on the borderline between "fixable" and "sorry, nothing we can do for him now". Urinary tract infections (the crystals in the urethra) are no joking matter, and must be given your full attention immediately. To do otherwise is a death sentence (and a quite painful one at that) for your pet.
Call the Humane Society and see if they have any emergency pet vouchers to help you with the cost of a vet bill. Since it is the holiday weekend, you cannot afford to wait until Tuesday to have your pet seen, so look in your local phonebook for a pet emergeny clinic. You can also try calling vet offices anyway to see if thier answering machines leave you with any emergency numbers.
In the meantime, try to encourage your cat to drink plenty of water. Someone I know once even tried Pedialite, but you may want to research that further (online, encyclopedia, etc) before doing so, because I am not 100% sure of its effectiveness. NO DRY FOODS unless it's specifically designed for the medical condition your cat is suffering from. Best of luck to you.
And one last thing... euthanasia is not a cruel act. And it is not "opting out" as some would put it. It's a very humane way to immediately end the suffering of a pet you have loved and care for. However, because of its finality, please consider making it your very last option, when all else has failed.

Answer 4

I agree with cinney...try to find an emergency animal hospital. You might have to drive a distance, but if you love the cat, it's worth it. Also, all the vets in my area have an answering machine with emergency contact numbers or answering service on weekends and holidays for emergencies. Also, any vet I have been to will usually set up a payment plan, especially if you are a repeat customer. Below, I copied some info that may help and I also included some links that may help. One link says that the cat can die painfully in 3 days from a blockage, so I hope you can find someone to help you. Good Luck!!

Feed diets that promote the formation of urine that is acidic. Most commercial diets currently available meet this criteria. Avoid supplementing such diets with additional urinary acidifiers, because over-acidification can cause metabolic acidosis, impaired kidney function, and mineral imbalance.

Restrict dietary magnesium intake to 40 milligrams per 100 kilocalories if acidic urine (pH of 6.4 or less) is maintained. Again, most commercial diets meet this criteria.

Feed small meals on a frequent basis or feed free-choice dry foods.

Provide clean, fresh water at all times.

Provide an adequate number of litter boxes (usually one more than the number of cats in the household), and keep them clean.

Answer 5

you need to put him on a special diet, or they will keep coming back. He WILL die if you leave it untreated. Ask the vet for a prescription of Science Diet CD or something similar, it doesn't cost any more really than regular cat food, and is worth it, what it does is changes the Ph of your cat so that the crystals go away and no longer form -- if they aren't blocking him right now you may not need another surgery. Just for the food you wont need another appointment, but if he can't pee now, he probably needs another check up. I am surrpised your vet didnt offer prescription food, he sounds really irrepsonsible. Don't listen to those other people, putting him down would be cruel since this condition is fairly easy to treat unless it's gone to the point of blocking so badly that he needs severe surgery. If he is not peeing YOU MUST TAKE HIM TO AN ER VET. Then get the food and he should stabilize. My sister's female cat easily stabilized on the food -- she didnt need the surgery since she's a girl, just the food and she is doing fine. People pts too easily -- woudl you put to sleep a human child who had crystals?

PS, DONT PUT HIM ON REGULAR SCIENCE DIET. AND ALSO CHECK OUT CARE CREDIT, WHICH OFFERS PAYMENT PLANS THAT VETS WILL ACCEPT.

Answer 6

If you don’t get the operation the cat will die. There is nothing you can do at this point but get a payment plan for the operation and then feed him science diet ONLY. I have a male cat that’s about 2 years old now. He was 4 weeks old when we got him and the vet told us about the crystals and we had him on science diet from the beginning, with no crystal problems. If you love your cat you won’t let him suffer. Do the right thing.... You can look for some pet charities that maybe able to help out. (That’s the only option I can think of.)

Answer 7

I would call an animal hospital. They are most likely open on weekends. Maybe they can give you some info. I think the cat really needs to see the vet again (unfortunately). Good luck

Answer 8

Feeding wet food is the right thing to do; keep on with that.

Also check out the article on UTI's in cats.

Answer 9

It's very sad but often this means it is time to say goodbye.

A procedure to remove the crystals is often painful and ineffective, not to mention costly. Supposing that it's a success a cat that gets crystals will likely get them again.

If you decide to risk surgery remember to do it soon, most cats have less than forty-eight hours from when they stop urinating before their bladder ruptures.

Answer 10

Cats, especially males, tend to be territorial. He is marking his territory to let other cats know that "this is my place". You may want to contact your local vet and see if they have any suggestions. Also, you might want to buy a litter box to discourage his current behavior.