Common Male Cat Trouble

In the field of Emergency Veterinary Medicine, one of the most common problems I saw was the male cat unable to urinate. It is more commonly known as being 'Blocked' or Feline Lower Urinary Disease. There is no absolute specific criteria as far as age, gender, or breed. The main common thread between almost all cases I have seen has been diet. More specifically, its effect on the urine PH. There are other reasons for inability to urinate, like trauma or even genetic deformity. What I want to talk about is being unable to urinate due to crystal formation.It may sound a little different from what I said before. PH versus crystal formation, but they both go hand in hand. If the PH is too alkalotic or too acidic, it can encourage crystal formation. As the crystals form they do not necessarily stay in the bladder but travel down the Urethra to the penis. At any point along the line, a build up of crystalline debris can cause an obstruction. This blockage in turn leads to an accumulation of metabolite waste and can cause renal failure.If this happen, some of the things you the pet owner may notice would be, frequent trips to the litter box, but with little to no results. You may see blood in the urine or small drops around or in the litter box. You may hear him cry out as he is pushing to urinate. This is usually a very painful time as he has a painfully distended bladder. Think about it, have you ever been somewhere without a bathroom and you really had to go. Feeling like your bladder will burst at any minute. Now multiply that feeling times a thousand and that is what he may be feeling.The difference of course is he is not purposely holding urine in. In very unfortunate cases, if not treated or treated to late, the bladder can rupture.But a far more frequent result before a rupture, is cause by the fact that he is not eliminating the waste from the body that is normally passed when he urinates. A build up of these waste materials, as I previously mentioned can cause renal failure. It can also result in an extremely fast heart beat. This is known as bradycardia. The causes of this hyperkalemia and pain. Lets go back for a minute to the fact that he is not eliminating his metabolic waste. One waste product is potassium. Hyperkalemia is in fact an excessive amount of potassium in the blood. you may be asking why the blood and not the bladder. Well if too much is in the bladder it can cause, essentially a backlog in the body to a point of excess in the blood.If the feline was at this point, which many emergency technicians have seen, they may be presented to the clinic in lateral recumbency or laying on their side. With an extremely high heart rate the risk of cardiac failure is increased. He would be considered a critical case. The prognosis at that point is very guarded. This is indeed a very extreme case, where perhaps he has been blocked for possibly six or seven hours. Now that is not to say that he could not get to this point in a matter of one to two hours, but it can usually be more than two.The main thing once the DVM has evaluated him is to get treatment started as soon as possible. The main thing that will need to be done is the actual unblocking. Because this is painful it will be done under anesthesia. That is assuming he is not one of the critical cases. If he is very critical, he may not be a very good candidate for anesthesia. This is something the doctor for your case will take into consideration when they formulates a treatment plan. Another thing they will consider is his medical history. If he has any issues or history of anesthetic difficulties, any medications he may be on, any other medical problems he may have and age. These are only a few of the things you will be asked and are necessary information for the doctor.If all is fairly straight forward, the doctor will formulate a plan and implement it. It will most likely include IV fluids for Diuresis, Pain management, urinary catheterization and collection set, Blood Work and urinalysis, possible antibiotics, and hospitalization for maybe three to five days. At many emergency facilities before any treatment is started, (unless he is very critical) the doctor and in some cases the technician will go over the plans and cost associated with the treatment.The owner needs to always be aware of the treatment costs. With that said, I don't want you to think that every clinic is all about the money. The staff at emergency clinics first priority is the pet. They have chosen this field because of the passion for helping, and empathy and compassion towards all creatures. But all pet owners should be aware that emergencies happen, and it is your responsibility to be prepared. It is true that most day clinics, while having a client relationship with owners will set up payment plans, But at two in the morning when they are not available, it is important to have a backup plan.The last thing I want to discuss is after treatment is done, and he is now urinating on his own. The urinary catheter has been removed and his blood work is looking more normal. When he is discharged from the clinic. The doctor will write up and discuss with you instruction to help prevent this from happening again. There is no guarantee that this will not happen again, but with a diet change and monitoring it will be less likely. It is important that you, the owner, follow the instructions given to you. As I previously mentioned the doctor will want to adjust the urine PH, and make the bladder a little less inviting to crystal formation. Mainly this is achieved through diet change. They may put him on a commercially available diet or a prescription diet that you can only get through a veterinarian. In any case it is important to stick with it and not change it. In most cases your male cat will be on the new diet for the remainder of his life, which hopefully will be many more years.I hope this article has helped. I have only touched on a few informative highlights. If you have any questions, you can call your local veterinarian or the next time you take your pet in for a check up bring it up. I'm sure they will be happy to answer any questions you may have.

Cat Clothes When Shelter and Food Is Not Enough

When you have pets, you would like to provide them with the best care you can possibly give. When you've crossed out shelter and food off your list, you might be thinking about getting clothing for your pet. Even if your cat already has fur, you can still get him or her a good batch of cat clothes. Maybe you're going out in the cold and you think their fur won't be enough or maybe you just want your cat to be stylish and fashionable. There are many options when you're thinking about getting clothing for your cat.If you want to get cat clothes, you have to be ready to put a little effort into the shopping. Compared to dog clothes, cat outfits can be pretty scarce and even the most stocked up pet stores might not be selling them. Do your search online if you want something less time consuming but extensive. Online, you can find a great many choices as well as clothes in a wide range of price brackets. It's going to be easy to start a collection when you see all the possible choices in the market.You might like to get your cat some cat clothes in the form of cat dresses. Of course, that would mean, your cat is a girl. In this case, there are many styles, colors, and patterns to choose from. You only have to choose one depending on what you like and also what matches your cat well. If you want a cat dress with satin bows, they're readily available online. There might be a very special party coming up and you want your cat to be dress up to the nines as you. When it comes to pet clothes, cat dresses are the perfect choice.If you and your cat like to spend a lot of time outdoors, the cat clothes you might want to stock up on are cat coats. Again, their fur might not be enough for the coldness of the day and also the day you want to go out with your cat might be a bit wet. With a good cat coat, you can ensure that your cat is warm and dry in any kind of weather. If you get coats in a waterproof material, you have the ability to go out with your cat even if the day is raining cats and dogs.

Cat Adoption How to Choose a Shelter Cat

        I've adopted two cats from shelters. The first one was actually for my mother who needed a new animal companion after her dog died, but was getting too old to look after another dog. I wanted to get her a very friendly cat that would enjoy her company and sitting on her lap. I was looking for a cat at least a year old so that my mother would have it for a while.The second adoption was for my own family. We had a 6-month-old Burmese who had just lost his sister. He really needed the company of another cat, so we went looking for a playful cat of similar age that liked being with other cats.In both cases, knowing what characteristics I wanted was crucial. In the first instance, the shelter did not provide much information about each cat's temperament, so I entered the large room housing the adoptable cats and first looked for the ones that responded to me with interest and friendliness. I observed which cats enjoyed being petted. One very quickly rubbed against my hand and followed me around the room as I checked out the others. She was the one! And a great success she was too. She and my mother adored each other and lived together for many years.The second adoption occurred with more technological assistance! My family found her on the shelter's website where her photo and biography were posted. We put her on a list with the other cats of the right age that liked cat company. Although our Burmese was initially defensive about the new arrival, after a couple of days we knew we had made the right choice as they started to play with each other the way the two siblings had done. She loves her humans as well.How can you be sure you'll have similar success choosing a shelter cat? When you get there, look at all the cats and interact with them as much as you can. Read the information available on each cat - the staff and volunteers will have described their temperaments and any special needs. Notice which cats are good with other animals and children if these are requirements. Do you want a quiet or outgoing cat?Ask to hold and play with particular cats. If there are toys to play with, try to engage with the cats that interest you. If you want a mouser, you'll want a playful cat.Often shelter cats choose you! That certainly seemed to happen with my mother's cat. You'll most likely have stronger feelings towards one or two cats. If you can't decide, try asking the shelter staff for help. Tell them what you're looking for, where you live, whether you intend the cat to be indoors or outdoors, how many hours a day the cat will spend alone and so on.If you can't decide, just sit or stand quietly and see which cat comes to you. If worst comes to worst, you can always get two!