The Blocked Cat: A True Emergency
Perhaps you have heard about a cat getting “blocked.” If not, you may be wondering what the heck being blocked means. Well, cats can not only get bladder stones (uroliths) they can also get what is known as a urethral plug- a combination of mucus, proteins, and crystals. These plugs can get stuck in the urethra of the male cat. This makes it impossible for urine to flow out of the bladder, hence the cat is “blocked.”
Your blocked cat may appear agitated. Watch for signs like excessive genital licking, blood in the urine, little to no urine present in the litter box, or a painful abdomen.
Besides the fact that this is extremely painful for your kitty, there are several really poor consequences to being blocked. So bad that if you do not seek immediate treatment for your pet, this condition can be fatal within 24 hours. Often times, the obstruction has been there well before an owner has noticed any symptoms. Therefore, it is important to recognize when your cat has a urinary obstruction. If your can seem irritable, restless, or is licking their genital region more frequently than usual, they may be blocked. The single most common reason owners bring in their pets is because they appear constipated in the litter box. In reality, the cat is not trying to defecate, but rather is straining to urinate. If you see your cat straining in the litter box, but don’t see any urine actually coming out, get him to the vet right away. If the condition goes untreated, you can cause kidney failure, or worse, the bladder can become so distended with urine that it ruptures, leading to death.
Unlike this comfy kitty, blocked cats will be straining to urinate and appear very uncomfortable in their litter boxes.
When you bring your cat to the vet they will place a urinary catheter in order to flush out the plug or stone causing the obstruction. Often times cats will need to be sedated for this procedure, which is fine, because they are likely in a tremendous amount of pain and discomfort anyway. Your vet will also want to do blood work and a urinalysis. This will help determine the extent of damage done by the obstruction, what types of crystals or plugs caused the obstructions, as well as help indicate the best type of fluids to administer to your pet. Fluids will most likely be given intravenously, which will help the kidneys recover, and help your cat recover if the blockage caused them to go into shock. The vet may also choose to take some radiographs of the bladder and kidneys. This will help them visualize the problem, as well as serve as a benchmark for attempts made at dissolving crystals in your pets bladder after they recover.
Your cat may need to wear an E-collar while the urinary catheter is in place, so they dont chew it out or spread bacteria from their mouth to the catheter.
In order to ensure that your cat does not block again, you can feed a special diet formulated to prevent the formation of crystals. Several companies have these special diets. Science Diet, for example, has a struvite dissolution (s/d) diet to help rid the bladder of preformed crystals. After about one month on the s/d diet you can switch over their c/d diet, which will help prevent the formation of crystals. Wet foods are the best for cats that have been blocked, as they are contain a lot of water content and water helps to dilute urine in the bladder, again preventing formation of crystals. However, there are dry foods available which are also formulated for cats with crystals.
Keeping an eye on your cat’s litter box habits can help you spot this deadly disease before it is too big of a problem to fix!
