Snug's Bladder Surgery

This is the reason why I didn't update our blog much at all in October. We were all sick on and off with bad colds,  and to make matters worse our dear cat Snuggles got really sick. I had noticed that he was visiting his litter box quite often, and way more than usual. One day while I was changing out his kitty litter he couldn't wait for me to finish cleaning his box and peed in his plastic kitty litter pan. He never does that and that's where I noticed that his urine looked red when I cleaned it up. I immediately thought it was a bladder/urinary tract infection and so did the vet when I brought him in the next day. They gave him a shot of antibiotics and I took him back home. 

Well about 5 days later on a Saturday and a Sunday he took a turn for the worse and got really sick. He still had blood in his urine, wasn't eating or drinking, and was throwing up the entire weekend. Of course I had to work that weekend which was difficult for me because I was so worried about him. In my mind he's just like one of my children and I will do everything in my power to keep him healthy and happy. Well I knew that things were really bad when I came home Sunday night and he didn't move at all from the couch. He didn't even look in my direction which is unheard of from him because he always greets me at the door when I come home. I was worried sick and I prayed that he would be okay until the morning when I could take him back to the veterinarian. 

My prayers were answered and he made it through the night and I took him in first thing in the morning. I dropped him off and signed a consent for x-rays to be taken and they called me 2 hours later with a prognosis. My poor kitty cat had a ton of kidney/bladder stones/crystals! Once we knew what was causing Snug's to be so ill the vet gave me two options. The best option was surgery to remove all of the stones/crystals which of course would be pricey. My second option was to try to dissolve the stones on my own with a diet change, but with how sick he was I couldn't see how that would work because he wouldn't have eaten anything. I couldn't bear to see him suffer any longer, and I didn't want to lose our beloved pet just yet so I opted for the surgery. They did the surgery that afternoon and he did great! We were able to bring him home the next day. I had to keep him confined to mine and John's bedroom and we pushed the bed up against the wall by the window so that he didn't have to jump much at all and risk tearing his stitches. We pampered him a great deal while he was recovering and I'm relieved beyond words that he is okay and back to his normal self again.

These are pictures of some of the x-rays that were taken:

The stones are the little white circles/dots under his hip bone area in his bladder.

Same here, just a different view. 

The veterinarian removed over 25 stones!

I bought him a shirt to wear so that he wouldn't lick his stitches and tear them open. He didn't care for it much and took it off a few times but eventually got used to it. It was a much better alternative than him having to wear a cone around his neck. The nurse at the vet's office said that cat's usually freak out when they have to wear them. She suggested the shirt idea for Snuggles.

This is his battle wound about a week after his surgery. I forgot to take one earlier. You can see here it is healing up quite nice.

This was his pain medication I gave him twice a day for 5 days, and a few of his stones/crystals. They sent the rest of them off to be analyzed to find out the cause.

Snuggles is now on a special diet that helps to prevent stones or crystals from forming by changing the Ph of his urine. Again this food is a bit more expensive, but I know all too well about having to be on a special diet. He fits in perfectly in our family!

The veterinarian also recommended that I should encourage him to stay well hydrated to help flush things out. Snuggles loves to drink out of my cups, if I happen to leave my cup on the floor he thinks I 'm sharing it with him. It's all his after he gets to it.

Our veterinarian also recommended one of these purifying water fountains so I bought him one with a gift card that I had and I hope all of this helps to prevent future ones from forming.

I'm not sure how many people there are out there in the world like me who will go through great lengths to save their dear kitty and do everything in their power to provide him with a happy and healthy life. I don't view pets' lives any less important than a human life. In fact my heart reaches out to them because they cannot speak like humans can. They can't provide the necessary things they need such as vet care. We are their voice and I take my responsibility as a pet owner very seriously. I love my furry friend and I know that they can bring so much unconditional love to their pet parents.