Pluto
Plutonius Maximus, Twisted Black Maxta and Demonoid Spawn of Satan, is facing the biggest challenge of his kitty life. He was behaving strangely today–listless, subdued, yowling and digging around in the litter box–so we took him to the Blue Cross Animal Clinic, our family vet for last 15 years or so. It turns out his urethra was blocked and he was unable to urinate. The vet drained him with a catheter and did an ultrasound; bladder stones were causing the blockage (not crystals in his urethra brought about by a urinary tract infection, which occurs in older male cats and is usually the prime suspect in a case like this.)
Anyway, he’s currently hospitalized at the local emergency animal clinic, receiving fluids and being monitored until he goes in for surgery on Monday. His kidneys took some punishment, but because the problem was treated quickly they shouldn’t suffer any permanent damage. He will be undergoing a procedure to enlarge his urethra, hopefully allowing the stones to be extracted and preventing further troubles down the road. If the stones can’t be extracted, a surgeon will need to cut directly into his bladder and remove them manually (a pretty straightforward procedure and the “least of his worries” according to the vet.)
The particular surgery Pluto is having poses some risks, but offers him the greater chance for good health down the road, and reduces the likelihood of another blockage in the future. An alternative would be to simply have the stones removed manually, but it is very possible they will form again in six months and we’ll be right back where we started.
There is roughly a 25% chance that the surgery will cause scarring , leading to major complications. There is a chance that Pluto will not survive this ordeal. Needless to say, I’m pretty bummed, but to quote Miker, “It will take more than this to bring down the spawn of Satan.”
I sure hope so.
-Matt
November 3rd, 2006 at 8:56 pm
Sorry to hear about Pluto. I sure hope he’s alright. I know if our cat Daisy was going through that I’d certainly be freaking out.
November 3rd, 2006 at 8:59 pm
No shit, man, me too.
I love Pluto.
November 4th, 2006 at 8:24 am
Man that sucks, I’m sorry. It’s never fun to have to face that sort of thing. I’m here if you guys need me.
Jamo
November 4th, 2006 at 8:49 am
hey quys sorry to here the news. Not because I question Pluto’s survival because I know that’s the most likely, but because he has to spend time in the hospital, something I avoid like the plaque. He’ll probably be looking for revenge when he gets home. Let me know if Athena, Xena or I can do anything and if anything changes. My prayers are with him and you.
November 4th, 2006 at 4:31 pm
man, i hope he is alright
November 6th, 2006 at 4:20 pm
Hey thanx for all the comments! Pluto had his surgery today and apparently it went well. I’ll most likely be picking him tomorrow after work unless they decide to keep longer. My initial post was actually inaccurate–they did in fact cut into the bladder and remove the stones, as well as doing the surgery on the urethra.
Anyway, I look forward to gettin’ him back home. :)
-Matt
November 7th, 2006 at 8:09 am
glad the surgery went well, let us know how he’s doing after you get him home!
November 8th, 2006 at 10:30 am
was the brunt of the risk dismissed after the surgery went well?
November 8th, 2006 at 2:43 pm
The surgery itself was a major obstacle, but there’s still a possibility he will develop some scarring. By next week if he hasn’t had any problems then I think we’ll be pretty much in the clear.
We went to visit him last night and he looked great–reall lovey duvvy and just generally seemed happy. Looking forward to bringing him home tonight!
-Matt
November 23rd, 2006 at 11:05 am
Well Pluto seems to be doing well, much to my relief. He’s on antibiotics for another few days and has a couple of stitches that still need to come out, but he’s definitely back to his old crazy self. The Black Maxta is victorious. :)