What to Do If a Cat Has Stopped Urinating

"Blocked Tom" Syndrome

• The male cat's small, funnel-shaped urethra traps urinary crystals, small bladder stones, dead epithelial (skin) cells and other urinary waste materials in its tiny opening, leading to the name "blocked tom" syndrome. According to Dr. James W. Day of Glendale Animal Hospital in Glendale, Arizona, "while females can contain the same debris in their urine, a large, somewhat straight urethra makes plugging unlikely."

  When the bladder swells and becomes inflamed, blocked cats show acute symptoms including crying in pain while straining to urinate, blood in the small amounts of urine being excreted and excessive licking of his genitals. Toms vomit, drool, show pain upon palpation of the abdomen and become unable to walk as the blockage worsens. If a veterinarian does not treat your cat, death by acute renal failure or sepsis, due to a burst bladder, is inevitable.

Treatment

• Treatment for your blocked tom involves hospitalization and, unless he is comatose, sedation, to place a small urinary catheter into his urethra. The vet uses the catheter to flush the blockage back into his bladder with fluids and a small syringe. The vet then sews the catheter to your pet's prepuce (skin covering the penis) and attaches a bag to monitor fluid output. Intravenous fluids and electrolytes are administered to rehydrate and balance your pet's kidney function.

  During his hospitalization, antibiotics and pain medications are dispensed to your blocked tom to remedy any ongoing infection and make him more comfortable. Typically, blood is drawn over a period of several days to test for kidney and other organ failure. His urine will be tested periodically for bacteria and the presence of urinary crystals. Abdominal radiographs may be taken to check for the presence of kidney and/or bladder stones.

  If your veterinarian determines that a preponderance of bladder stones are forming in the bladder, he may recommend surgery to completely remove all of them. Bladder stones, also called uroliths, cause recurrence of this disease on a frequent basis.

  When your cat urinates freely on his own and his urine is clear, home treatment includes feeding him a prescription diet designed to stop the formation of crystals and uroliths. Your vet will recommend which type of diet to feed your pet depending on which type of crystal or uroliths he finds in the urine. The animal must stay on this diet for the rest of his life to avoid any recurrence of disease. Your cat also needs his litter cleaned frequently, fresh water at all times and infrequent changes in routine to avoid stress.

  Claws and Paws Veterinary Hospital advises that with early treatment, "most blocked tom cats respond very well. However, there is a possibility that renal (kidney) damage can occur if the obstruction is severe or prolonged." They also say "due to enlargement and stretching of the bladder wall, some obstructed cats may not be able to urinate on their own for a week or two following resolution of the initial obstruction."

  A small number of cats re-block after their initial treatment. If this occurs to your cat, he may need a perineal urethrostomy, a special surgery performed to widen his urethra. Side effects of this surgery may include bloody urine for a wee to 10 days after, urinary incontinence, narrowing of the surgical site and incidence of more bladder disease.