Sassy cats – Special edition, Gus update

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The peep is planning something. I smell deception.

Background: Gus has had three episodes of urinary track blockage (idiopathic cystitis) in the last six months. When it happens, it’s a medical emergency. It requires finding an available veterinarian who can see him asap. Non-treatment would end in death.

Gus had his surgical consultation yesterday. He is a good candidate for surgery that will prevent this from happening. The surgeon will shorten his urethra which will also widen it. The cautions are the usual from surgery – anesthesia issues, scar tissue which may need to be retreated and the big one – neurotic owner syndrome.

I was instructed to “fast him for 12 hours” before the appointment. That meant I had to sequester him in a room without access to food or the occasional bug that might come waltzing by. Sasha was devastated. She slept outside the door. He sang the song of his people especially in the morning when he was super hungry. Sasha joined in for the refrains. The vet didn’t do anything that required fasting. I was more than a little miffed. These things are hard enough for the minions of the cats without added stress.

He will need to wear a cone. I am not a fan of cones. I have had cats for over 50 years and never used a cone until the veterinarian community invented them about 20 years ago. The last two occasions where I was instructed to use a cone, it lasted less than 24 hours. One was for a dental. I’ve never used one for a dental before. The other was when perfect cat Morgan broke her leg. The staff was convinced she would chew her splint off. She didn’t. She groomed right up to the bandage edge and stopped. (Did I mention she was the perfect cat?)

However…in this case, he needs to be prevented from chewing or grooming his private parts (and wondering where they went). I’m researching alternatives to the hard plastic one. The vet said I could try an inflatable, but the reviews are mixed.

Now Gus is happy to be home and unaware of all the trauma his owner is going through.

I don’t have a date, but the surgery will be soon. We are hoping he doesn’t have another episode before the surgery. Fingers crossed for good results.

61 thoughts on “Sassy cats – Special edition, Gus update”

  1. Louis Catorze says, “Nonnnnn! Not Le Cône!” He was supposed to wear one for a couple of weeks during lockdown but it ended up being a couple of months because he was such a shite. And it didn’t stop him from having altercations with magpies and chasing squirrels. Thinking of you all. 🖤🖤🖤

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      • I think that, once Le Cône is on, they kind of end up resigned to it. Maybe putting it on when he’s woozy and defenceless will be better? You can get ones with a bit that unfastens from the front to allow for feeding.

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        • I’ve been looking at inflatable ones and some with soft necks. We have to see how active he gets. He’s a laid back cat but the trial run did not go well. He doesn’t like stuff around his neck.

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          • Your gang don’t go outside, do they? Catorze got very sneaky with finding inventive ways to scratch his wounded face even with Le Cône. I once caught him scratching on a pile of bamboo canes in the garden, and the sticking-out nature of the canes meant that they could bypass Le Cône.

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  4. On initial reading I somehow misread that YOU, Kate, were supposed to fast! LOL! Maybe you really will, given the stress that comes with the approach of Gus’s surgery. Your vets must love you. You are so good to your cats, both in preparing them for surgery and the sensitive after care. But I think you should be planning a “Me Day” following this time. It’s a lot! 🙀

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    • Excellent idea. I used to periodically get a massage but my person retired from the profession. I miss them. They can really make you feel great. I was fasted because there was no way I could eat before taking him over. When they told me I had to fast him, I took the earliest appointment I could get because I didn’t want to hear a hungry cat screaming at me.

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    • Cones are a relatively new thing. I’m not a fan as I think they are overused but for Gus’s surgery, I see the need. The tissues down there are so delicate that a vigorous grooming could rip them out. I just know that it will bother me more than him. Gracie hated it (for the 10 minutes she had it on) but Morgan was good about it. We’ll see with Gus.

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  7. Lots of prayers here for Gus (and his Sasha) and the Peeps in the house. The positive side of this is that Gus is in the perfect home and he will have family that will be there for him. And he is going to get lots of prayers and good thoughts heading his way. I really believe in the power of positive thoughts. I will be thinking of you, Kate. I know you will let us know when you can how things are going. Fingers crossed here that there is not another episode before his surgery. Hugs and scritches all around♥

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    • Thanks so much. I get a lot of support from the blogging community! Gus is such a sweet cat, he deserves the chance to live a somewhat normal (as normal as is possible in this house!) life.

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  10. My angel Sammy was always pulling out tummy fur from allergies so we resorted to an inflatable cone and he didn’t mind it. It is kind of like having a built-in pillow to rest his head on. I will pray all goes well.

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  11. Poor Gus. I’ve never had to use a cone for a cat. I remember years ago having one for my dog. I can imagine how difficult it is keeping one on a cat. Glad he can have the surgery and be better soon.

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  12. Poor Gus! Poor Kate! I’ve seen some dog cones made from pool noodles that looked more comfortable… I don’t know if they would work for cats, though. Can you imagine how horrible it would be if we had to wear one for several days? Best wishes for a smooth operation and speedy recovery!

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  13. Poor Gus and equally Poor Kate. I am so sorry that you are going through this. If it helps at all, my son used an inflatable donut-like thing for his dog instead of a hard plastic cone and that seemed to be the better of the two evils.

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  14. Glad they can do something for him. We never used a cone on Maggie when she had her mammary strip. Barney had a cone for a cyst removal on his flank and he was bucket butting everything, including us. Good luck!!

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    • I’ll look at that. I asked about maintaining. The answer is that it may never happen again without intervention or it may continue. No way to tell. When it happens it’s terrifying. You were lucky! I’ve never had this issue with a male cat before.

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  18. Oh, poor Gus! Oh, poor Sasha! Oh, poor Kate! Oh, poor Kate’s bank account! As much as neither you nor Gus will like whatever you use as a ‘cone’ solution, remember that it is a temporary nuisance to a long-term problem!

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  20. Glad to hear Gus is a candidate for the surgery though I know how hard this must be on you. I’ver used both soft and the hard satellite dish type cones (most recently over the last 10 days-don’t ask-I’m receiving mental treatment for that injury). It’s a pain in the you-know-what but serves a purpose. Our pets may give us the stink eye and object to the use of them but it is for their own safety and health. We’re sending our best vibes it all goes well. And now that it’s the last day of dry January, a stiff margarita will help you get through the owner trauma. Good luck.

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  22. Sounds like you liked the people at the vet office, other than someone telling you to fast the poor little darling. I’m glad that things sound pretty positive and hope you get in very soon. Hugs to you and Gus and poor, poor Sasha. Gus is going to smell funny again.

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  23. Oh my….well, hopefully all will go beautifully and Gus (and you) won’t have to go through those awful blockages ever again. No cone huh? Well that’s a toughie. I know there is an inflatable but there is also a “pillow-ish” one that might be more comfy ? Kinda looks like one of those pillows people use in airplanes or in cars for napping? I just know you will come up with something – you are a wonderful and clever Cat Mom. Nobody knows their cats like a Cat Mom. Keep us posted – will be sending plenty of POTP to Gus AND you!!

    Hugs, Pam

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  24. Neurotic Owner Syndrome, LOL. I can’t believe you had Gus fasting and they did NOTHING, not even blood work. And they wonder why owners get neurotic. Was it just his way of helping Gus continue dieting?!

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