Can a male cat have a blocked bladder?
Female cats very rarely develop blocked bladders. Male cats are much more likely to develop the condition because their urethra (the tube that drains urine from the bladder) is much longer, narrower and prone to blockage. Blockages are most common in overweight cats, indoor cats, neutered cats, stressed cats and cats that eat dry food.
What happens when a cat has an urinary blockage?
When the urethra is blocked and urine can’t exit the body, the bladder becomes overfilled or “hyperextended”. And if the blockage goes on too long, the kidneys may start to swell and become damaged, leaving the bladder to potentially rupture or tear.
How does a cat’s bladder affect its health?
The cat bladder can be affected by a number of medical problems. Bladder blockage is a problem affecting mostly male cats. The condition is caused by the obstruction of the urethra, which transports the urine from the bladder to outside and will manifest through lack of urination for more than 12 hours.
What should I do if my cat has a blocked urethra?
Most blocked cats are hospitalized for several days. Once your cat is urinating normally, you’ll be able to bring them home. The vet will likely prescribe them antibiotics, pain medicine and/or medicine to relax the urethra, as well as recommend a therapeutic food formulated for urinary health.
How old is my cat with a blocked bladder?
My little boy is 7 years old and had a blockage yesterday. He had a catheter put in to drain bladder and IV and returned home same day with medication. I chose the outpatient vs inpatient route due to costs, proximity and his lack of cooperation at the vet.
Can a male cat have an urinary blockage?
Cats that develop urinary blockages are almost always male. In the male cat, the urethra narrows as it passes through the penis. This is where most obstructions occur. Female cats are anatomically different than males and do not have this narrowing in the urethra.
How often does a blocked cat go to the ER?
Known in veterinary parlance as a ‘blocked cat’ or ‘blocked tom,’ this poorly understood disorder is seen with alarming frequency in vet hospitals and ERs. At the ERs I have worked in, we usually saw about two to three cats per week who couldn’t pee.
What should I do if my cats pee is blocked?
First priority is fixing the plumbing problem: getting pee to flow. This is usually done with anesthesia and a catheter to get the obstruction out of the way. Managing all the havoc wreaked by the toxins is next. This can necessitate some fancy medical dancing as we try and put all the genies back in their bottles.
What does it mean when a cat has an urinary blockage?
What is Urinary Blockage? Urinary blockage, also known as urinary or urethral obstruction, is a problem most easily developed in male cats. It is a problem that occurs when the urethra – the tube that drains urine from their bladder to the penis – is obstructed, inflamed, or compressed.
When to release a cat from the hospital with a blocked urethra?
The cat will be released from the hospital once it is able to properly urinate on its own. A cat recovering from a blocked urethra is provided an elizabethan collar, worn for 1-2 weeks, to avoid causing self-trauma. A recurrence of this problem is dependent on the cause of the obstruction.
How is a catheter used for urinary blockage?
Sedation or anesthesia is utilized in order to place a urinary catheter into the urethra since this procedure incurs extreme pain. This will be used to flush out the blockage or force back the stones into the bladder. The bladder is flushed and drained with the catheter to get rid of sediment.
Any further informaion for my own peace of mind would be appreciated. Siouxsie: As you no doubt know by now, urinary blockage is a very serious and potentially fatal condition which is much more common in male cats than female cats because of the male cat’s long, narrow urethra.
What kind of surgery do you do for a cat with urinary blockage?
The surgery is called a perineal urethrostomy, or PU for short. It creates a new urinary opening, shortening the length of the urethra. It’s the procedure that is often referred to as “turning a male cat into a female cat”. This is usually performed by a qualified specialist surgeon, which is another reason why it can be so expensive.
The cat will be released from the hospital once it is able to properly urinate on its own. A cat recovering from a blocked urethra is provided an elizabethan collar, worn for 1-2 weeks, to avoid causing self-trauma. A recurrence of this problem is dependent on the cause of the obstruction.