It is not always what we think it is

Have you noticed that your cat is suddenly spending his time going into and out of his litter box? Or that he stays there for a long time without managing to relieve himself?
He may be constipated, but the more likely cause of this behaviour is a urinary tract obstruction, which requires an emergency visit.
Act quickly; if there is a complete obstruction, the animal could die in a very short period of time.

My cat is blocked!

My Cat is Blocked!

“Your cat is blocked” are words that every cat owner dreads hearing.  Thunder had the misfortune of “blocking”  (i.e. being unable to urinate”) last April.  We were successful in passing a catheter so that he was able to urinate again and we made several modifications in his diet so that this problem is less likely to occur again.

Thunder was in today so that we can recheck his urine, so ensure that the dietary modifications have worked.  He has dropped from 16lbs. to 14lbs. and is much more active.  According to his family, he is urinating with no signs of discomfort.

We have obtained the urine sample and are awaiting the results.  We are looking for:  dilute urine, 3 -5 crystals (as opposed to 50, which he had last time) and no bacteria.  We’ll report on the results later this week!

Update: recent results indicate that there are no crystals in little Thunder's urine. The special prescription diet he is on to help him with this problem is doing a great job.