Desperate - still struggling to express cat bladder

For those seeking advice on caring for incontinent pets and animals with kidney-related problems.
plap17
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Re: Desperate - still struggling to express cat bladder

Post by plap17 »

To the original poster/others: I am curious as to the progress your cat is making. Has any bladder function returned?

I have a 2 yr old (Zula) who got tail under car! He lost control of tail - but pelvic injury is mended. Still, no bladder progress. I live, for a short while longer, with my son - who mastered expressing on his first try. He is soon to move away, and I have never gotten the hang of it. At the moment, I'd be totally unable to care for Zula and my window of time is running down. I am putting myself on a crash course to learn and am starting a prescription dibenzytine, a muscle relaxant to help. I am also willing to give him up - to save his life. So am beginning an earnest search for someone willing to take a physically damaged cat and care for him.

The ultimate question, of course, regards chance of recovery. The vet said a 3 - 6 month period was minimal. Perhaps as long as a year. Have you (or anyone) experienced a recovery. It would be good to not give up hope. Responses much appreciated.
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critters
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Re: Desperate - still struggling to express cat bladder

Post by critters »

My Buddy first got control of his legs, then poop, then pee--as I recall. He had been hit by a car. Koi never got complete bladder control back, but he got poop and hock walking. He'd been shot in the spine.
amyestes
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Re: Desperate - still struggling to express cat bladder

Post by amyestes »

Hi! What a coincidence, Zula was my grandmother's name! How wonderful that your son has been able to care for your Zula, which means you have an in-home teacher, at least for a little while longer! I would have loved to have had anyone there to help me in the house. Miss Kitty has not regained bladder or bowel function, and we are now starting month 9. I have not lost hope but I know the chances are slim. Before the holidays, I got a better than passing grade from the vet techs in my vet's office several times in a row. I was worried that I would have lost the hang of it while I was away, but so far so good. The things that have helped me most are finding the position that kept Miss Kitty still so that I could focus all of my hands' attention on locating and squeezing her bladder (for us that has turned out to be the bathroom sink, with her back under the faucet and her tail resting on the edge of the sink), the admonitions from everyone to start right at the back edge of the rib cage and moving backwards with my left hand pressing down on her spine and my right hand under her abdomen pressing up as high as I can go, moving backwards until I can feel the bladder and stabilize it, and learning I can't fully express the bladder in one try and giving her a 10-minute break between tries. It's amazing to me now the number of things people told me that I couldn't make sense of when they first said them, but now that I am having some success, they make perfect sense. We are still figuring things out (is incontinence when she sleeps just something I have to be prepared for, or have I not gotten her empty enough, or is 3x/day not enough for her, or is it just that she has been having a little bowel trouble and that screws everything else up?), but I was soooooo desperate and things have improved soooooo much. I thought I was a totally hopeless case! If I can get this, I am convinced anyone can. Good luck to you and Zula! He is lucky to have you and your son.
plap17
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Re: Desperate - still struggling to express cat bladder

Post by plap17 »

Thanks for the responses. So glad things are somewhat better for you and Miss Kitty. I neglected to say that it's been four months. Up til now, I've been able to use the vet, in a pinch, when my son is out-of-town. His next move isn't temporary! So, I'm really trying to give it the time it needs. I am concerned - at age two - that it could be a long lifetime of expressing. But we take it a day at a time. And as is often the case- he seems and acts perfectly happy and normal otherwise. For what it's worth - no leaking or incontinence. And, I'm very lucky that once a day seems to do it for him. Vet has no problem with 1x.

@ amyestes, So glad things are somewhat better for you and Miss Kitty.

@ critters, how long was it till Buddy got control back?

thanks again.
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Jean
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Re: Desperate - still struggling to express cat bladder

Post by Jean »

Miss Kitty's mom : It is great that you are doing so well with expressing Miss Kitty's bladder. We knew you could do it. With time it will become second nature. I could express in my sleep!!
Zula's mom you really have to be commended for caring so much about Zula.
Like Miss Kitty's mom suggested you should have your son work with you to learn to express Zula. You may get by with expressing him only once a day for now but that is not ideal. When expressing you can never totally empty the bladder and what is left becomes a breeding ground for bacteria.
With neurological damage you never know what the end result will be. My kitty Jaime was 6 weeks old when I pulled her off the highway after being hit by a car. I took her to 2 different vets who said she had a pelvic fracture. They both said to crate rest her for 6 weeks and she would get back bowel and bladder functioning and learn to walk again. Jaime is still incontinent and scoots herself around the house. I have been expressing her bowel and bladder every 8 hours for the past 14 years.
Like you said Zula is still the same happy cat. In his eyes nothing has really changed as long as you manage his incontinence. A paralyzed cat doesn't have to be seen as a burden. The care you give Zula will help to strengthen your bond with him.
Have your son and the vet techs work with you so you can learn to express him. That will take a lot of the stress off of the situation. He is the same kitty he was before the accident. Try to look past his disability and remember the bond you shared with him.
We have a lot of information to help you with bowel and bladder care. We are here to help you with any concerns.
If the time does come when you need to find him another home then there is the rescue section where you can post.
PS : I think you are a very great "mom" to have cared for him like you have for the past 4 months.
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critters
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Re: Desperate - still struggling to express cat bladder

Post by critters »

I don't remember exactly when things happened for Buddy; it just slowly came back--2 steps forward, 1 step back kind of thing. It took months, though.
plap17
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Re: Desperate - still struggling to express cat bladder

Post by plap17 »

lol, Jean. I'm a dad, not a mom : ) Is this site populated by women (lucky me!). Thanks for the kind words. I am trying. Zula has been very difficult to express, even for the vet. I understand that males are more difficult to start - length of the urethra (?). It's been four months and I feel like a failure. Bottom line - I get the hang of it, and all is well. I just picked up a prescription of Prazosin, hoping it will help.

Thanks for all the encouragement.

Zula's dad :-)
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Jean
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Re: Desperate - still struggling to express cat bladder

Post by Jean »

Don't feel like a failure. You have had your son expressing him and Zula is still a happy boy. Spend time with the vet, vet techs, your son and also watch the expressing vidoes on this site.
Three of mine are on Prazosin,Robaxin and Bethanechol. I couldn't express them without their meds. They have saved their lives. Hang in there girl. I mean guy. LOL It will get better !!!
amyestes
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Re: Desperate - still struggling to express cat bladder

Post by amyestes »

Zula's dad! First off, remember as you are working to get the hang of things with Zula what a hero this makes you in so many women's eyes! :D Since I have been trying to learn to do this, any man who doesn't think I am a freak for trying to express the bladder of my mom's cat to keep her alive wins major bonus points with me! LOL

I especially related to part of your post where you said you felt like a failure after four months. I spent my whole life thinking I was so good with animals and could do anything they needed, and then I came up against this and I really felt like a failure many times too. I promise, if I can get it, you can get it. Some days I thought I never would. Now that it seems like I really do have it, it is getting easier and easier. I am almost afraid to type these words, but we have had a leak-free day today here and it has been great. Miss Kitty seems to be feeling great, and if it's possible, I am feeling even better. I swear, if I can get it, you can get it.

A deadline is a great thing for the way it focuses you and mobilizes you. I know how tough and discouraging it can be when you are trying and trying and it doesn't seem to be working. Hang in there. You are doing a great thing, a thing you can really be so proud of, and I know in my bones if I can get it, you can definitely get it!
plap17
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Re: Desperate - still struggling to express cat bladder

Post by plap17 »

thank you both. I'll post updates as I go.
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critters
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Re: Desperate - still struggling to express cat bladder

Post by critters »

Expressing is DEFINITELY an acquired skill. I'd done human med, critter med, and human and critter disability stuff almost my whole life, but I STILL had a bit of a time learning to express. I think I just about drove everybody here crazy with it! :haha: Just remember--vets and techs weren't born knowing how to express either, as much as they might like for us to think so!! :twisted:
Danee6cats
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Re: Desperate - still struggling to express cat bladder

Post by Danee6cats »

Thank god for you people!

Our cat Baby got hit by a car Thursday night, we saw the emergency vet Friday morning (Easter week is Spain's biggest holiday, our regular vet was closed), we saw the neurologist yesterday who checked her out, said she probably will lose her tail and said that the incontinence might not be permanent as she was clenching and unclenching her anus. Then he showed us how to express, but as you guys know, you can't see what is going on under the vets hand as he or she does it and added to that was fear that we would damage her nerves even more or the base of her tail which is broken. Not to mention that the vet was speaking in my second language (we live in Spain, I'm from the States, I understood perfectly what he was saying but, you are in there, your cat is crying, urine is flying everywhere as the vet does it) and doctors don't say it feels like a rubber ball about the size of a quarter (or 50 centimos) and that it might be higher up than I was expecting it to be.....

Your explanations got me touching the right thing in the right place and pressing hard enough to get the job done both times today! Right now it's a 2 person job for my husband and me, he holds her, I take care of the business end. He (my husband) is still a bit nervous about it but I've been calling him over to the computer and showing him videos of different positions and I know he can find one that is good for both Baby and him, and also reading these posts aloud to him. Your stories have been inspiring and your advice has been easy to understand and for the first time in days I feel like we can handle this, also she finally started drinking again, thanks to advice also found online. Tomorrow if we can find some rubber gloves, we are gonna try for poo although my first go at expressing last night had poop popping out rather than urine.

Thanks so much, Baby Kitty is my little lion and if anyone can get thru this, she can.
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critters
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Re: Desperate - still struggling to express cat bladder

Post by critters »

:whale: Buddy, my expressed boy, would almost always poop as soon as I started expressing him, so that's not a bad thing.
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CarolC
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Re: Desperate - still struggling to express cat bladder

Post by CarolC »

Glad you are here, and glad you figured it out so well on your own. That is really encouraging!

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plap17
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Re: Desperate - still struggling to express cat bladder

Post by plap17 »

yes. this was a great site for me as well. Sometimes the poop just falls out during the day; sometimes when expressing.
When I last checked in, I was a bit desperate as my son (the expresser) was moving out and I hadn't got the hang of it. Fortunately - perhaps out of necessity - I finally got the hang of it. The trick was to use my left thumb, reaching under, to anchor the bladder as I squeezed with my right. Else, it just kept slipping away on me.

So, that was good. Unfortunately, still no change in the 2 yr olds condition or bladder control. It's been fully 6 months. Trying to hang in there - I know nerve repair is very slow and have heard stories of recovery for as much as a year. Very hard when the kitty is totally normal in ALL activities, but the one. I use to think expressing would be no big deal, when I watched my son. Seemed quick and easy. But now, I know better. It's tough - physically to focus and bear down, but also the constant routine. Not fun.
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