Post PU surgery Possible distended bladder

A family members cat had PU surgery on tuesday just gone. He had multiple blockages and it got to the point they struggled to catherterize him. All was looking fine on the thursday when he wee'd a little. Think 30%. Later that day he tried to wee again but only a few drops came out. His bladder become full again and no blockage was found during catherterization. As far as i know he still hasn't wee'd by himself since the thursday morning. I have a couple of theories as to why this might be. Because of his bladder being distended, the peek sensation of needing to urinate is extended. For example if his bladder has stretched to 120% of it's normal size, it would need to fill to a higher point for him to recieve that need to pee. In combination of the morphine pain relief that he is on, this feeling might be dulled to the point of him not trying to wee. His wee on the thursday may have been because the morphine had worn off over night at the same time as his bladder being full enough to recieve those sensations to wee. The second theory is a more grave one. Something gave him the sensation to wee. That sensation could have been due to a stone or irritation in his wee pipe. If so I don't believe theres a way that that could be managed with home care since it's reliant on irritation the wee pipe. I have seen on the internet that caring for cats with paralysis involves manually expressing their bladders (He is not paralized). The issue however is that I don't know if that's possible on a cat that still has restrictive control over their bladder. The vet has ordered a drug which will help his bladder muscles to contract, a bit like how a laxative works for your gut. Why they don't already have it in stock is beyond me and why it's taking till monday to get here is also beyond me. I'm curious for peoples thoughts on everything i've mentioned. Hoping for some success stories or possible options avaliable for him to survive. Despite what he has gone through he is otherwise a very happy cat. Chris

Hello - and thank you for starting what could become a very broad and interesting conversation. I have, occasionally, known cats to have fragments of bladder stones blocking the urethra.  However, most cats suffering from 'blockages' of that tube suffer spasms - smooth muscle contractions of the tube itself - and this is generally a response to being stressed.   Pain is even more stressful still, which is why Morphine can be sometimes useful.  When i graduated (20 years ago now), the emphasis was always on unblocking a tube.   More recently in my career, taking stock of the behavioural and social situation has played an increasingly important role in helping cats to urinate normally.  This is where home management may come in......    more to follow

I am not your vet and am in no position to reccommend treatment for your cat.  So if they ae unable to urinate, this can go on to damage the kidneys and should always be assessed by the vet as a potential emergency.   MTF

However, on a chronic level, looking at the social stresses in a cats' life can occasionally be transformative.  I realise that you may well be reading this thinking 'but my cat definitely isn't stressed,' but research shows that owners of many cats (that are obviously stressed to researchers), do not perceive their cats to be stressed in the slightest.   While a stressed dog can be obvious, a stressed cat is much more difficult to spot.  The sort of things that upset cats do not tend to bother humans and a stressed cats' body language can frequently appear indifferent.

If this hasn't already been addressed, it sounds as though a long consultation with a vet with a knowledge of feline behaviour will be needed.  This might cover the role of things like the number and social structure of any cats or other animals in the house; the people and layout of the house; the layout and type of litter trays; whether the litter trays are overlooked; the access to the outdoors; visitors to the house and strange objects (I have known a misplaced suitcase cause cystitis in a cat).   Painful  conditions that have an impact, such as arthritis, can be alleviated We would not reccomend squeezing a cats' bladder by hand as this pressure can cause damage.   Our own blog and the iCatcare website may be able to provide more information abouy the secret private urinary lives of cats.

However, I am reading that the main concern here  is one of post operative urination.  Because i know little of your cats' specific situation and there is clearly a surgeon heavily invested in the case, I would strongly reccommend asking them for post operative help and to have them recommend a bladder expert should a second opinion be required.

Please always seek advice in the short-term should a cat need help to urinate.