PU Surgery Stinks! Part III

Click to read PU Surgery Stinks! Part II

The next day I waited for the cat hospital to open before I called to check on him.  Their policy is to call the pet parent with updates twice a day, but I was free to call anytime I wanted and I did.

On the phone, I identified myself as Caleb’s mom and said I called to find out how he was doing. He was always doing well, he used the litter box, he was eating okay and received medication for any ‘discomfort’ several times a day.

Since it didn’t look like he was coming home anytime soon, I requested they put his blanket from the pet carrier in his cage and did the only thing I could do. I scheduled two visits during the week to visit him.

On my first visit, I brought a t-shirt of mine to put in his cage so he would have something with my scent on it, again making myself feel better.

On my second visit, they reserved a room for my daughter and me to visit with Caleb.  I spent most of the time afraid to touch him and watched him walk around dripping blood from his rear and feeling sorry for him.

I comforted him, okay me, (I comforted myself) with soothing words of how much he was missed at home and that the worse was over and he’d be okay.

Leaving him over the weekend was not easy and it was the first time I hoped the weekend flew by.

On Monday morning the technician made sure he urinated on his own and everything was okay before he was released.  They would call me when he was ready.  All morning I walked around with my mobile phone glued to my hip until I got the call.

I remember saying I’m on my way and I was out the door. My boy was finally coming home. I was smiling so wide, my face looked like someone jammed a wire hanger in my cheeks.

I didn’t drive like a crazy person but I drove with a purpose.  I remember being so excited, I couldn’t wait for them to bring him out to me.  Finally, they handed me my stinky boy in his pet carrier.

I thanked them for everything (except having to pay) and left there a happy pet momma.

When we arrived home, I let Caleb out of the carrier; he looked around and recognized the place because he didn’t run into a closet.  Cosmo, one of my other cats, cautiously walked up to Caleb, got one sniff and ran.  He smelled of pee.

Windows were opened, noses were wrinkled and no visitors were allowed.  The house reeked of urine for days if not weeks.  Cosmo was afraid of Caleb because he looked weird with that cone around his neck.

And because he smelled.

He couldn’t be washed, but I used a box of pet wipes to clean as much of pee smell off of him as possible.

I spent the next few days of my canceled vacation – because where was I going – keeping an eye on Caleb and made sure he took his meds on schedule.

He wore the cone for three weeks, doctor’s orders, without complaint because he still had stitches and the area wasn’t healed. I think I was more tired of the cone than Caleb was and toward the end, I gave him a few hours a day of cone-free time.

In time all of his stitches were removed and Caleb cleaned himself and stopped stinking. He was welcomed back into the clowder by his two siblings and is fully recovered.

I still get nervous when he pees. I’m always watching for anything, but the surgery is supposed to be “the fix,” but surprisingly it doesn’t work for all cats.  I’m hoping he is one of the more fortunate ones. So far, so good.

As mentioned, Caleb needs to be on a special diet to prevent crystals from forming in his belly, but I haven’t stuck to that diet 100% of the time.  I did add additional water stations around the house and limited fish-flavored food.

There may be ways to prevent your pet from getting a Lower Urinary Tract Disease (FLUTD) and maybe not, some things just happen.  A wet food diet is the way to go and make sure they have plenty of water.  Click to read more on Perineal Urethrostomy.

If you’ve read this far, thanks for hanging in there with me for the duration of this three-part post. I won’t write anything this long again.

One thing I’d also like to share is a few of my friends were kind enough to donate (monetarily) to his hospital stay and his prescription food diet.  I was touched, grateful, and vowed to pay it forward.

I am pleased to announce that a percentage of all photography sales will be donated to an animal shelter for a cat or dog in need.