Cat problem after being blocked and bladder repair.

Hi I wonder if anyone has any experience of this? My neighbours cat had a muscle spasm that caused his bladder to block then he had multiple surgeries to unblock his bladder and the tear in it, he then had a catheter to repair his bladder tear from monday to friday and now he is urinating everywhere and leaking urine all over the house and furniture , but also going in his litter tray. He as now become destructive in the house ripping up the carpet. This has never been a problem before, they have had him a while now and he is usually a very placid cat . He is on loxicom and cystaid plus they have been backwards and forwards to the vets and same things being done just they say he is fine and throwing medication at him. It all started the first time end of January vet bill totalling atm £2000 . We were just asking on here to get advice to see if it's worth getting a second vet opinion, the cat they rescued while on holiday in greece they found him whilst walking around basically lying lifeless and they took to the nearest vets out there and paid for his treatment and then sorted everything passports etc and paid for him to come live with them here in the uk he is such a loving cat, they have paid out so much for him to have a better quality of life and off the streets so they are gonna try anything they can again to get him fixed if possible. He keeps crying at the doors and trying to escape and originally vet said it all could have started from stress so she cut out anything that could have stressed him and brought cat calming plugins we thought maybe it could be that he is stressed due to wanting to go out (he cannot go outdoors as the vet in greece tested him before allowing him to come to the uk and found him to have a cat version of herpes which doesnt affect us but can be caught by other cats)

Hello!  I can't comment on this particular case as I have never met the cat or vet involved or even spoken to the owner.  However in general, stress is a very common cause of blocked bladders and - as the things that stress cats out are completely different from the things that stress people out - it is common for owners not to realize that their cats are having issues prior to this happening.  A common issue is where only one litter tray is provided and the cat doesn't feel comfortable urinating in that place for some reason, so they hold their urine and eventually end up urinating somewhere inappropriate, or unable to go.  Or when an object is put down that the pet objects to.  Of course, sterile cystitis can be painful and pain is also a form of stress, so a vicious cycle can occur.  In order to understand the situation completely, it is helpful if the owner can have a long chat to the vet about the animal's lifestyle, the risk factors of cystitis, house layout, entry and exist points to the house, diet, water consumption etc., but this can be difficult to do in a consultation room even without Covid, as consulting rooms and vet visits can also make these cats stressed.  Sometimes vets will be happy to have 'cat-free' consultations or long phone conversations to discuss the background, but it should be arranged formally so that there is time.  Questions that could be asked include, 'Why do you think this is happening in my particular situation?'   'What might have changed to start this off?'  'What can we do to reduce the likelihood of this happening in future?'  'Do diet and water consumption make any difference?'   'Could my cat be in pain / could pain be making a difference to the stress levels?'  'How could we reduce it?'   Further, at this stage, it is important to discuss the prognosis and chances of complicating factors being present.  Sarah Caney, who writes for our blog (take a look), is a known authority on this subject and has her own website, iCatCare, which your friend might also find useful.

I should also mention that the signs of stress in cats are difficult to pick up;  although cats do co-operate in colonies, they are not social animals like humans and dogs and therefore do not give off obvious signs that communicate 'being stressed' as humans and dogs do.   Finally, trying different vets in the hope of getting a different answer is often confusing;  the new vet is often forced to start again at the beginning of the complex case, leading to higher vet bills and often a repeat of discussions that have been had already.  It is often more useful to discuss the possibilities of consultations with specialist vets;  video consultations with specialists have never been so available but should be done through your vet, rather than being an alternative.

Thank you, they are going to call the vet to see if they can talk with them about it like you said. Yes it does make sense not to go to a second vet. It's just so frustrating for them and the cat.

I understand.  Best of luck and do let us know how they get on if they're happy to share!