Brighton's Home!

First of all, I want to thank everyone who has visited to check on Brighton over the past couple of days and will purrsonally visit each and every one of you this weekend, cuz I know some of you are 'new' visitors to our bloggie! And some are very frequent visitors...I treasure each comment and they feel like warm hugs, which I very much need right now!

On Wednesday night, about 6:00pm, I stopped by The Hope Center to visit Brighton, and they asked me if I was ready to nurse him at home...of course, I said Yes! They had taken out his catheter about 2:00pm and his bladder was empty so he hadn't urinated yet.

I was a bit anxious about taking him home, afraid he may reblock during the night, but I knew I could take him back if he did before he got into bad trouble again. I so wanted to sleep with him last night, but he was still dribbling urine a bit and he was a little woozy from the pain meds and relaxants he is on, so I set him up in the bathroom adjoining my bedroom.

I visited him every 15 minutes or so, staying with him, kissing-bonking-massaging him, and he was in the litterbox a lot! Just drip-drip-drip with lots of concentrating on his part. He wasn't really straining, but possibly due to swelling, he was having a slow go of it!

I stayed up with him til about 1:00am and he ate some baby food, nibbled at his favorite treat, t/d dental diet and he asked for attention...so I felt comfortable knowing I'd be awake again at 4:30am to get ready for work.


He did urinate a few larger clumps during the night, which was encouraging. So I loaded him up to go into work with me for Dr E to evaluate him and to collect urine for further testing, repeat his chemistry panel and give him some sub-q fluids.

I had a car full--Coco going with me for a pregnancy check as she was bred 21 days ago (YAY--2 buns in the oven); Bosco and Hiro with me for their last kitten vaccination (I've so enjoyed watching Miles and Pierro's activities the past couple of weeks!); and Bebes along for a 2nd urine culture to see how her UTI is doing on the new antibiotic (so far, she is behaving herself and using the litterbox...next step will be moving her into the guest bedroom and possibly changing her anxiety meds).

Dr E was able to express Brighton's bladder and collect a sample of urine, still slightly pink tinged and with a small blood clot in it. No crystals but lots and lots of white blood cells. He just started on antibiotics, but we submitted the sample for Culture and Sensitivity anyway in case he has a resistant strain of bacterial infection. Those results won't be back for 72 hours but hopefully what he has will be sensitive to the Clavamox he is on now.

She said a bacterial infection can also cause a blockage, with debris and mucous forming a plug. I would be happy if he didn't have to have a prescription diet, but of course, I would make any adjustments to all the cats 'lifestyle' if it meant keeping him healthy!

Brighton is on pain meds, and also meds to relax the bladder and reduce inflammation, but it's really only been just over 48 hours since his treatment began, so I am hoping as each day passes, he will become more comfortable and urinate more easily. Dr E added another relaxant to his meds, midazolam, which is an injection just once a day. He got it this afternoon and really seemed a lot more comfortable.

I am glad I have the next 3 days off and can be an attentive nurse. I am going to tempt him with all kinds of tasty stinky goodness, give him pedialyte to drink and buy him a water fountain, too.

I am purraying by this time next week, he will be feeling better, and enjoying the companionship of his buddy, Disco and will be back to sleeping with me once again!