Jimi has been through it the last few weeks. A urinary tract infection at the end of August foreshadowed the long weekend he just finished.
Neutered male cats never fully develop sexually and, as a result, have especially narrow urethras. Due to this, they have trouble passing struvites, these crystals that form from a combination of calcium, magnesium, and neutral-to-alkaline pH. If their urinary tract gets clogged with these, their bladder backs up resulting in increased amounts of normally filtered toxins and, more frightening, potassium ions (which can stop the heart at elevated levels). Jimbo was ill Thursday night in this way (after first having trouble like but not as severe as this 3 weeks ago) and had to make an emergency trip to the vet.
Poor little guy. I’ve been distraught knowing that he has no idea why I dumped him off with a bunch of perverts who’ve been drugging him and inserting a catheter up his willy. By Sunday, they removed it but he couldn’t go potty on his own so it went back in and yet more struvites emerged. Shit.
So, yesterday, they essentially did a sex organ reassignment (a perineal urethrostomy) that gives him a shorter path with a large diameter. He had to stay overnight, one more time and will wear the ‘cone of shame’ for about 10 days. It blocks his whiskers so he is constantly banging it into furniture and doorways.
Today, I was so happy to get the call that I almost ran to the vet without his carrier (although I’ve been hauling his Duck toy around in my hoodie for a few days with plans to just buy a new carrier at the pet store down the hill or, if yesterday, near work). My little sweetheart is probably just going to nap most of the day while I finish up my working-from-home day (he’s fairly opioid-rich now and has finally curled up on the bed).
We were going to put in a conservatory over the winter, but this wrecked our finances for the next few months. But, at least my buddy is safe and well.
Endless British Pub Crawl (Part 3) 