My cat won't eat after urinary blockage and catheter. Are kidneys harmed?
Updated On September 23rd, 2025
Pet's info: Cat | Himalayan | Male | 3 years and 1 month old | 9 lbs
My male cat was blocked for one day and urine catheter is made up for him 2 days ago. Since then, he refuses to eat and I force feed him. Is it expected that his kidneys got harmed or failed?
2 Answers
Most Helpful Answer
Published on April 13th, 2018
HI, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Poor Do-Do! When cats are blocked for a long time they can have elevated kidney and potassium values that with IV fluids and relieving the obstruction the elevations usually return to normal MOST of the time. Was blood work done when he was hospitalized? I would have him rechecked and blood work ran since it has been 2 days with out eating. Cats shouldn't go longer than that as they can get a secondary liver problem from not eating. If you changed his diet to a prescription urinary diet consider going back to his old food until he is eating and urinating well then trying the prescription food again. There are also other brands to try. I wish you the best!
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
Related Answers from Veterinarians
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Published on January 29th, 2019
I'd take Snowball back into a vet immediately. It's extremely serious when a cat won't eat or drink, and it's concerning he can't take his medication because he won't eat. He needs veterinary care now, please take him into a vet right away. Best of luck.
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
Health & Wellbeing
My cat has just return from a urinal blockage he won't eat because he's constipated but when he does produce fecal matter he tends to eat.what do I do? I know it's the side effects of the Medecine but I can't have him starve or stop giving him the me
I would suggest you supplement him with a critical care diet like this one. There are many different ways you can mix it up and make it for him. Most cats like the taste. This is a great diet because it is packed with calories and nutrients so they don't have to each much to get the proper amount of calories. ( https://www.amazon.com/s?k=B07ST3L7LH&ref=nb_sb_noss ) You can also try canned tuna, canned chicken and human organic baby foods (meat flavors). You may have to force feed him until he is feeling better. There are many YouTube videos on how to do this. You will need to get some large syringes from your vet or you can get them on Amazon. You need these specific ones with the large tip: ( https://www.amazon.com/s?k=B07VWQLJJY&ref=nb_sb_noss ) If he is truly constipated you can feed cats Miralax powder (humans) mixed in food BUT, I recommend you speak to your vet first before doing this as there may be interactions with the drugs he is taking or if he had some bloodwork a
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
how much water intake does my blocked cat need everyday after being admitted to the hospital and treated?
If he was treated with IV fluids in the hospital after he was unblocked, and was sent home with normal kidney values, you don't need to worry too much about how well he is drinking; just keep multiple sources of fresh clean water available throughout the house. Feed him canned food, as it naturally has a high water content and is a sneaky way to ensure your cat is getting more fluid. If he was not treated with IV fluids in the hospital, talk to the veterinarian who treated him regarding how much water your cat should be drinking. If you are asking if his water intake DURING his stay at the hospital; if he was on IV fluids, he was getting hydration through the IV, so even with water available to drink, he would not have felt thirsty since he was getting fluids through the IV. I hope thats helpful. Thanks for asking Boop by Petco!
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
Hi, my male cat got admitted to hospital yesterday not being able to pee. He is on a catheter now and medication ( for pain, antibiotic) this situation has been going on for about 18 hours now. How can I help him not to have this again? What must I c
Hi, thanks fir using Boop by Petco! Poor Jose! The most common causes for urinary obstruction are: crystals in the urine (struvite or Calcium oxalate), bladder stones, stress causing inflammation or a urinary tract infection (not common). The goals of therapy are to relieve the obstruction, test the urine for crystals and infection, do blood work to make sure he isn't sick (high potassium, increased kidney values) take an X-ray to look fro bladder stones. We treat with antibiotics for 2-3 weeks, a urethral relaxant (Prazocin) for a week, and pain medications for a few days. If he has bladder stones surgery is require to remove them. Long-term management is a life long diet change to a prescription urinary diet (royal canin s/o, Hill's c/d, Purina UR) and increase water intake. You can buy a water fountain and change him to an all canned food diet (more water in canned food) from one of the above company's. Jose will also be at risk to reblock and should always be monitored and on a p
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Training & Behavior
This came out of our cat today and we don’t know what it is. Recently to vet for urine obstruction. Part Mainecoon. Approx 2 yrs old. Not eating or drinking much since vet visit 2 days ago.
Hello, thank you for using Boop by Petco. So sorry that Otis is not feeling well. This just looks like soft stool with some mucus and blood in it which I don't think would be completely abnormal after being ill. If he is not feeling better after 2 days from the vet visit you need to take him back for a follow-up examination. This behavior would not normal after a urinary obstruction if it was treated promptly and resolved. I would be worried that maybe his kidneys sustained some damage due to the urinary obstruction.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
My Kitty had UTI and US showed possibly crystallized mass in his bladder. The Vet prescribed Hill's Science Diet Adult Urinary & Hairball Control Cat food, which he has to stay on it, forever. My cat has not eaten in a almost a week. He is still o
It is not safe for cats to not eat for a week. Please speak with your veterinarian today about what you should do. Depending on what his urinalysis looked like, you may be able to stop the antibiotics (which can cause nausea and a decrease in appetite). You may also be able to try canned food or a different type of prescription diet food. Regardless, it is more important to get James Bond to eat regardless of what he eats right now in order to prevent potential liver problems from not eating. If blood work has not been checked, that may need to be done as well. If James Bond continues to not eat, he will likely need to be hospitalized. Good luck! I hope that was helpful and that James Bond feels better soon. Thanks for using Boop by Petco.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
My cat went to the vet yesterday and was eating fine before hand. He was treated for a urinary block and given medication he was passing a little urine. He hasn't eaten since we came home and has been sick a few times.
Poor Nox! Not eating and vomiting are both very common signs of a urinary blockage, so I would be concerned that he may be blocked again. Unfortunately, it's quite common for this to recur in the first 24-48 hours after coming home from the vet's office. Another possibility is that he isn't tolerating his medication well, which can also cause nausea and vomiting - but regardless, I would recommend having him rechecked by your vet right away because if he's blocked again, this is a life-threatening emergency. If it does turn out that he has another urinary blockage, the recommended treatment at that point is often surgery to widen the urethral opening - this may be something you want to speak to your vet about, if it's determined that this is the problem again.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
My cat had a urinary blockage and he left the vet today. He's taking clavamox and a pain medicine. When he was there he was eating/drinking fine and using the litter box. Since bringing him home 9 hours ago he has peed in my car, on the floor, in the
You just took him back from the vet and he has been urinating so far. clavamox is an antibiotic that often affects the appetite, the pain killers can do that as well. unless you have reasons to believe he is blocked again i would recommend to wait until tomorrow, if he is not eating by then you should take him back to the vet. don't forget that this condition is often caused due to stress and your main aim is to reduce his stress at the moment, taking him home and back to the vet may add more stress on him and can worsen his condition. stay in touch with your vet on the phone if you are in any doubts.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
I noticed my orig msg did not through right, but thanku Rodrigo for the prompt reply. My cat was treated for urethra blockage n was released after 2 days in the hospital, I brought him home, he drank a little water, but since then he has not being ea
If it has been more than a day without drinking or urination, or your cat seems in severe distress (vocalizing, painful abdomen, attempting to urinate but can't, etc), then this should be seen by your vet immediately as it may indicate another blockage that requires treatment.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
Got cat back after blockage. Still not peeing much sinice he is home
It can be normal for cats to have some irritation of their bladder and urethra for the first few days after being un-blocked, so you may see some straining and he may only urinate small amounts at a time. He should be on some medications to help manage this, but if not you can call your vet and ask if there is something they can give you to help - often pain medication and muscle relaxers are helpful for this problem. However, some cats do re-block shortly after being sent home from the hospital - if he goes more than 24 hours without producing a normal-sized clump of urine in the litter box, or if he is vomiting or not eating, take him back to the vet immediately so that they can check his bladder.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Training & Behavior
My cat suffers from urine obstruction but his vet used a catheter to treat him and at the moment he is hospitalized to get his medication. My concern is, i have noticed that he has dilated pupils. He has not eaten for 5 days. But today when i visited
Poor guy. Unfortuantely we can't predict survival or give a prognosis without seeing any labwork or examining the pet. However, you are doing the right thing by keeping Mishka hospitalized until he starts to eat on his own on a regular basis. This is a good indicator that he is improving with his condition, especially if his labwork is improving as well. Most pets with a urinary obstruction only have to be hospitalized for 2-5 daysd in uncomplicated cases. However, eating is a crucial part in this. Cats that don't eat can get other complications like hepatic lipidosis; therefore, eating from here moving forward is key. : ) In rare cases, a feeding tube needs to be put in if the pet continues to not eat well, but again this is not very common. Also Mishka should be on a medication to help relax his urinary sphincter. Ask your vet about this. It also may be a good time to remove the urinary catheter and see how he does. Discuss these concerns with your vet and hopefully you'll
Updated on September 24th, 2025
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