Anyone's cat undergone perineal urethrostomy?

[nuxvomica]

I just learned from the animal hospital that my cat needs surgery because his urinary blockage is caused by tissue, not crystals. I'll be discussing with the vet tomorrow but I suspect it will be this procedure, which removes most of the penis and scrotum and makes the cat more vulnerable to urinary infections in the future. I'm hoping I'll have the time to get a second opinion or, better yet, have him treated homeopathically first. But I'm afraid surgery will be necessary.
Has anyone had a cat undergo this surgery? And if so, how is he doing?

edit: My cat:

[SoCalDem]

1. One of my baby kittens had similar surgery at 3 weeks

(won't belabor WHY he needed it:(..) He healed up just fine..

[nuxvomica]

3. Thanks. That makes me feel a little better :-)

Amos has been in perfect health for all of his 12 years and I'm just not used to dealing with this sort of thing.

[Fovea]

2. One of mine at age three

and he went on to live to a healthy age of 11.
We found him comatose with uremia.

You might want to ask if you need a different litter for him.

[nuxvomica]

4. Why a different litter?

Could that be the cause of his problem? I'm all ears.

[Fovea]

12. my vet encouraged us not

to use any clumping litters afterwards.
We went to newspaper for quite a while after that.
Eventually we went back to clay.
But the vet was afraid of irritating the stoma.

[nclib]

5. Mine did

My cat, Bo, had the procedure done after 3 blockages. This was back in the mid 70's.

As far as I can remember there were no complications from the surgery. He did have a couple of UTI's during his life but they were easily treated.

I'm guessing Bo was between 2 and 5 years of age when the surgery was done and he lived to be 17.

The thing that scared me the most about not having the surgery was if we were away overnight when he got a blockage. It could have killed him.

Good luck to you and your kitty.

[nuxvomica]

6. Yes, that's what worries me most

I've read that cats can last at best 72 hours with a blockage but that really is the high end. Even short amounts of time with a blockage can be life threatening. Your story reinforces my hope. Thanks. :-)

[Beaker]

7. my cat didn't, but my mother's friend's did...

and I understand that he's doing fine- and it was a couple years ago.

my cat had urinary blockage, but apparently not of the tissue variety- although he did have a terrible reaction to some anti-biotics he was given and it almost killed him...
BTW- from that I experience I learned that tuna is not good for cats who have shown a propensity towards this kind of blockage, so Mars has been on a tuna-free diet since his troubles.

[Beaker]

8. is it just the perspective...?

or does your cat have a freakishly large head?

[nuxvomica]

9. LOL. It's the perspective.

He's actually quite perfectly proportioned, IMHO, but this is the best picture I've got without redeye. The filename is "amos_big_head.jpg".

[Rhiannon12866]

10. What a sweet kitty!

I love his face even if he does seem to have a freakishly large head, LOL! I wish you the best of luck with this and hope things turn out alright for him. I think the second opinion is a good idea, especially if it doesn't put him in danger by not having the procedure right away. He will be in my thoughts.
:loveya:

[nuxvomica]

11. Thanks, Rhiannon

Amos was sniffing the lense when I took the picture, hence the illusion of freakish proportion.
Thanks for your support. :-)

[Rhiannon12866]

13. That is a darling picture!

I hate to think of something so cute being sick. My kitty has a growth in her ear and I keep having to take her to the vet to have it cleaned and treated. I just took her this week, but I'm afraid she's already uncomfortable again. It's a worrisome thing, so I can identify and sympathize.:pals:

[nuxvomica]

14. Update: Amos is scheduled for surgery Tuesday

I just spoke to the vet and it does turn out that Amos needs the perineal urethrostomy. The vet said he's done this procedure numerous times and always with a good results. Delaying this would mean prolonging Amos's suffering (he has to have a metal shunt kept in place as long as the fibrous tissue continues to block his urethra) so I'm not going to take the time seeking a second opinion.

I want to thank everyone that responded. I am a total wimp about these things and your stories have helped me feel a lot better about this. :-)

[SoCalDem]

15. re: the shunt

Be SURE that you get detailed instructions about how to care for this..

Cats are notorious for "removing" surgical things..

Luckily our baby did not need this, but I had to "moisten" the surgical area to keep the urine flowing, and so it wouls not "heal" shut..

If you are uncomfortable taking him home right awaym ask the vet to keep him a few days.. You might not recognize trouble, but they would know what ot watch for..

Just being a worrywart.. he will be fine, but forewarned, ya know :)

[nuxvomica]

16. The shunt will be unnecessary after surgery so I won't have to deal

Amos will be in the hospital for 3-4 days after the surgery, longer if they think necessary. The vet explained that he charges a flat fee for this procedure so they can keep him in recovery for as long as necessary without having to consider per-day charges. So he'll probably come home next weekend and then a week later he'll get the stitches removed.
Good point about post-surgical care. I'll make sure to ask cuz sometimes these places get so busy they may forget some details. Amos is a sweetheart but he's not easy to control (did I mention he's a cat?) and way back after he was neutered he escaped his recovery room upstairs and ran down the staircase, his still anesthetized rear-end flopping on every step. :-)

[nclib]

17. I'll be thinking good thoughts for Amos.

He'll be fine and after the surgery you won't have to worry about him so much. :)

[Rhiannon12866]

18. Let us know how this turns out and how he is, okay?

Sending you and Amos positive kitty thoughts for a successful surgery and speedy recovery.:pals:

[nuxvomica]

19. Thanks Rhi. BTW you hit 5000 posts!

:-)

[Rhiannon12866]

30. Yes, and if I had a photo of my dog, Sara, to post, I could make it

official. newyawker99 congratulated me last Monday. I just wanted to make 5000 special, but inadvertently posted on your thread because you know I care about Amos. And you. Keep us posted.
:loveya:

on edit: did you ask your vet about realpolitik's suggestion of getting another, not clumping, litter? This is something that you should not forget. I will ask my vets, if you like, but you should definitely ask Amos's. He is in my thoughts.:-)

[nuxvomica]

20. Update: The surgery went OK but I can't visit yet

Amos was operated on last night. He was last on the list of surgeries and I told them, "Why don't you wait another day. I don't want the vet to be tired when he's working on him." But they went ahead anyway. I'm still a mess but less so now that the surgery's over. I can't visit him today but they said maybe tomorrow. I can't stop thinking about what might be going through his head: "Has Joe abandoned me?" Thank God I have a stressful work situation to take my mind off this.

[bubblesby2002]

22. Happy to hear he's okay

You however sound like you're a wreck. But everything will be ok. None of my cats have ever had that kind of an operation. But one of mine had to have a piece of her intestine taken out because she had a huge blockage. It was pretty scary. But that was five years ago and, although she has to go to the litter box directly after eating, it doesn't slow her down at all.

[Skittles]

21. he does indeed have a big head

he will grow into it. :D

[nuxvomica]

23. Update: Amos came home today and appears to be doing well

When they said he was doing so well he could leave today I was conflicted cuz of the bad weather and driving conditions. Statistically speaking, driving in this weather may be more dangerous than having the surgery. But I expected he wanted to be home so I picked him up, paid the $872 bill(!) and took about a half-hour to make my way home. After a thorough examination of the house, including jumping up on things and running up and down the staircase, some hiding and hissing at me, then some eating and urinating (in the box, this time), he took a nap. Later he jump up on my lap and demanded a massage. He was just like his old self again.
So if anyone was worried, don't be. I'll be just fine. ;-) And so will Amos. Thanks again everybody for your advice and kind thoughts and good vibes. :-)

[Catshrink]

24. I hope you can snuggle with him all weekend!

I'm very happy all worked out well for you and Amos. That was some vet bill!

[nuxvomica]

27. I'm gonna try

He stopped acting like he was afraid of me after I gave him some arnica and he took a nap. Now he follows me around like he used to. Probably after sleeping and not waking to the sounds of a strange place he feels more secure.

[nclib]

25. Great news!

I'm so glad everything turned out well. :)

[nuxvomica]

28. I think your good wishes helped

I owe ya some. :-)

[geniph]

26. Yippee!

and the really great thing is that you need not be afraid of future blockages. This surgery really does work; I know a number of people whose boycats have had it, and nearly all have been just great afterwards.

[nuxvomica]

29. Yeah, all the time I worried I had to remind myself of the alternative

These plumbing problems need to be fixed and quickly.