When a Cat Can’t Pee: My Experience with Urinary Blockage in a Beloved Cat

I guess I’m writing this post for four main reasons:

I first met Angelo when he was just a couple of weeks old. I kept hearing this tiny mewing sound, but I thought it was my imagination or my television program at first. I kept muting the TV to isolate the sound, until I finally went outside to see where it was coming from.

There was this tiny black fluffy cat with its head sticking out of a pipe, crying out for help. When I tried to pull him out, he gave a small hiss, that instinctual thing that even baby cats have. Finally I was able to pry the pipe open with tools and release him. He stumbled and his mom, who was waiting nearby, quickly scooped him up and carried him away.

Months later we saw him, now a toddler cat, walking around the backyard scavenging for food with his sisters. Someone gave him a piece of food, which happened to be Italian. She named him Angelo, and we decided to adopt him since he was so friendly. I ultimately ended up being responsible for his care.

Though a little skittish at times, he warmed up to our family. He was very strong and rambunctious, playing with the other cats in the house. He fit right in with them from the start. He also went to the window often to see his mother outside. He was very peaceful and pensive. He loved to lay by me and watch my laptop screen as I worked. He’s the only cat who I’ve ever seen watch television programs as if he knew what was going on.

One day I noticed that Angelo (about four years old at the time) was spending an inordinate amount of time sitting in the litter box. After 24 hours, I realized that this was a recurring thing. He would release a few drops of liquid, but not enough to empty his bladder.

I looked up this issue online, and “urinary blockage in male cats” is what came up time and time again. They said it could be related to a sudden diet change. I had been giving him Petsmart’s Good Natured grain-free dry food for years without a problem, then they suddenly decided to discontinue it without warning customers (great idea Petsmart, thanks). So about a month before Angelo started to have litter box issues, I bought a different food called Simply Nourish grain-free. I don’t know for sure if this food was the cause of his blockage, but I immediately stopped feeding it to all of my cats when he started having problems and gave them Rachael Ray’s Nutrish grain free instead.

A couple of days after I started doing research into the problem, he threw up his entire lunch, and that prompted me to take him to the vet. The first vet I found was very urgent, telling me that he had a blockage and needed a catheterization, which is a procedure where a tube is inserted into the urethra to clear the tiny crystals and blood from the bladder manually. They give the cat fluids at the same time to flush out the bladder. The first quote they gave me was about $1,700.

I am a working class single person. I probably don’t spend that kind of money on groceries for an entire year. When I stressed my financial constraints, they told me that they could set something up where he would be catheterized for a few hours and I would take him home the same day with fluids for about $500. That wasn’t including the cost of the exam and medications. Doing fluids at home after such a short catheterization period is pretty risky–there’s a high risk that the cat will reblock again and you would have just lost $500, just like that. You’re better off tossing five $100 bills in the wind. Ideally the cat should have the catheter in for at least 24-48 hours.

I ended up spending about $100 at the first vet, just so that they could tell me what I had already researched online. They seemed to be pressing me too much, so I decided to look at other vets and see if I could get a better treatment plan at a reasonable price. I found one that had relatively good reviews that had been deemed an “affordable vet,” if there is such a thing. They told me a similar story, except they would keep my Angelo overnight with fluids and observe him for about $600. This didn’t include tests and X-rays. I took a minute to count up my coins, money that I really needed to take care of other financial needs, and took a chance.

After a two-night stay (I paid an additional $100 for the extra night — current vet bill total $800) I took Angelo home. They said his urine was running clear again. He was urinating here and there at home, and I was watching him like a hawk. After several visits to the litter box in a 30 minute span he had emptied his bladder and was comfortable. I bought him an expensive dust-free litter (Arm & Hammer Clump and Seal) and fed him mostly wet food (grain-free) and was ecstatic when he released a lot of urine on a cat bed.

“Pee anywhere you want baby, I don’t care,” I told him, and sincerely meant it at that point. Anything to keep his bladder empty.

It went on like this for over a month, and with each urination I felt more relaxed thinking that he was out of the woods. I was constantly stressed while at work and lost about 10 pounds due to lack of appetite. The last thing I wanted to do what sit at my desk for hours while thinking about whether he was going to the bathroom at home.

I remember one time I heard him streaming urine and jumped for joy. This was the kind of thing that made me happy each day.

But then one day he started spending too much time in the box again. Then I saw a huge glob of throw up next to the litter. I frantically took him back to the last vet that had treated him.

This time, I dealt with a different vet who I didn’t particularly feel comfortable with. He gave me cost-efficient options that the other vet did not, including taking him home with fluid therapy. I would have to insert a needle under his skin myself and monitor him. He also didn’t think that the medications I was prescribed before, Prazosin to relax the0 urethra, and Prednisone for pain, were necessary.

I wonder if that could have made all the difference, to just have my cat on the Prazosin continuously. Much like regular doctors, vets don’t always know it all. I also wonder if I should have put him on the expensive prescription wet food they recommended (Royal Canin SO), which cost about $3 per can. Instead I gave him Wellness grain-free wet food. He seemed fine on that for a while.

I decided to pay the money to have my cat stay over again for at least one night and be catheterized. The additional cost was $500. I spent at least 15 minutes going over the bill with them to see what I could afford. They called me the next day and said he was doing fine but they really wanted to keep him at least another day (another $100+ — current vet bill total ~$1400). I agreed reluctantly after I was approved for a small CareOne Credit line. I agreed to the additional night, feeling confident that he would be alright.

The next day around the afternoon they said his pee was running clear and he was doing well. After work I was all set to go home and pick him up early in the morning when I received a phone call from the vet. He had blocked again. I was devastated–I should have known better than to assume anything too early. He told me that I had to decide what to do within 2 hours.

The late night vet was very short with me and I didn’t feel comfortable with her. She wanted me to come there and have him euthanized. Nice way to show compassion while you’re basically telling someone that they are going to lose their pet after spending $1,400. Still out of desperation I asked her to try another catheterization procedure. It would cost another $200+.

The rude late night vet called about an hour later and told me she tried but wasn’t able to do it. I wouldn’t be surprised if she didn’t even bother to give him anesthesia first, I should have just picked him up that night. The next morning the original vet who had treated Angelo called me and told me that she could try the procedure again but it would cost me yet another $200 just to try and another night’s stay in the hospital.

I was in disbelief. They had charged me the $200 for a catheterization procedure even though they weren’t successful. The vet who originally treated Angelo, who I had trusted to a degree, refused to relent on any of the charges saying “I have my salary and you have yours.” I had no choice at that point but to pick up my cat. These people would have taken all of my money if they could have.

When I went to pick Angelo up, the doctor didn’t even have the decency to come out to meet me to speak to me about what had gone on. I had to deal with veterinary assistants who weren’t that familiar with the case. At that point, I was pretty much done and just took my cat home. I paid an extra $15 on prescription Royal Canin foods, hoping that might work. I was told that the vet would call me later that day, but I am still waiting for that call.

As a last-ditch effort, I took Angelo back to my hometown vet who was over 3 hours away. After spending all that money I turned around and spent more to travel. I allowed Angelo to go outside with his real mother (who we still take care of) and enjoy nature, thinking that might help. I went around to vets that were open on that day, which was a Sunday, just to see if there was anything they could do. They were very cold and unhelpful. I was able to make it to Monday morning to see my preferred vet who always works with me on costs, though I was biting my nails all night long. He presented me with a 1st case and 2nd case option: attempt catheterization again and take him home, or drain his bladder while under anesthesia using a needle. The total cost would be $273 . I left feeling hopeful that one would work, and went home to rest. I exhausted my CareOne Credit balance to afford it.

When I woke up I had several missed calls from the vet. I was sitting on the toilet (how ironic) when he told me that my Angelo had suddenly passed away. He couldn’t be catheterized but his bladder had been emptied. When back in his cage, he crashed, probably overwhelmed by all of the treatments, medication, and discomfort. My vet said it may have been kidney failure. There was a major blockage. He had been in pain.

When I heard that I was so angry — mostly with myself.

I was overcome with emotion and, again, just went to pick him up. They handed him to me in a large cardboard box. I didn’t even have a chance to hold him as he passed away. I took him out of the box and laid him on my lap as we drove home together. Using the same blanket I had held him in countless times as I administered medications, I wrapped him up, hugged him, and eventually laid him to rest.

In retrospect, I would have never put him through all of those treatments. I wanted him here for me, but was not considering what I was putting him through by holding on for too long. I ended up spending in excess of $1,800 and I still lost him.

And I still have to pay off the CareOne Credit balance. Sigh. That’s life, I guess.

Another thing I learned from this experience. We love our pets and we want them here for as long as possible, but at some point we have to let them go and let them be at peace. I may still be hurting about the loss of Angelo, but he’s certainly not. He’s free from his mortal coil. And I should have acted sooner to give him that release.

I have more cats to care for. When it’s their time, I’ll just hold them close, talk/sing to them, and give them the comfort they need in their last moments.

I also know now, without a doubt, from this experience that many American veterinary practices thrive because they manage to drain desperate pet owners dry at their most vulnerable moments. It’s damned good to be a vet! That’s probably why there’s one on just about every corner.

I also learned that as much as I may love my pets, I simply am not well off enough to spend over $1,500 for a vet bill. If the total treatment cost would exceed $250, I would have to make a difficult decision quickly, giving the pet release if she or he is in pain. Of course that would be different if I had a six-figure income, but as that vet told me “I have my salary, and she has hers.”

Some vets will also try to guilt trip you and make you feel like you are a bad pet parent if you do not lay out the money. They suggest that maybe you should give the pet you’ve loved and cared for for years up to a charitable organization.

One of the vets even suggested that I crowdfund the cost of their services. No veterinary doctor, how about you charge on a sliding scale and consider financial hardship cases if you really care about animals?

All in all, I’m still very bothered by this situation, even though I know Angelo is free from this often cruel world and deep down I know that I did my best to save him.

I try to imagine him playing, jumping, and chasing butterflies in a field, soaking up the sunshine. In a better place.

Ti amo Angelo!