Family cat sick - help me think through options

[Anonymous]

Hi all. I have two under two and a 12 year old male cat. He has had major blockage issues and was at the ER animal hospital. We took care of the acute part of it ($1.3K) and brought him home a little early b/c we couldn't shell out another $2K for 2 more days of hospitalization.

I love my cat and don't want him to be in pain. But now I am dealing with a cat with urine issues. He's never peed anywhere outside his litter box and today he peed on couch and on bed.

We travel a lot to see family out of state. I have babies crawling and walking on floors and now he's tracking litter all over. I feel horrible, but I feel like I can't give him the love and care he needs at this stage of his life. I'm too busy to even really pay attention to him anymore and kind of go crazy when my kids are making a mess being kids and then on top of that I have to clean up kitty litter so they don't eat it from the floor or slip in cat pee.

What are my options at this point that 1) help him get care and love; 2) not fork over more money than our in my kid's college savings accounts; and 3) help me not go crazy over an animal that is adding more work to my already full plate.

When I got this cat at 23 years old I didn't forsee still living in a 2br apt in the city with 2 kids and what that would mean for our life. Help me think through humane, realistic and rational options please!

[Anonymous]

OP, he may calm down in a few days after all this trauma is over and goes right back to his regular, steady litterbox habits. I wouldn't make any decisions now. I'd give it a while and see what happens.

[Anonymous]

It sounds like he is still having some pain. Have you talked to the vet on the phone? They may be willing to prescribe something without an additional visit. In the meantime, if he is still peeing in inappropriate locations, I would recommend as a temporary measure, putting him in a large dog crate with a litterbox, food/water and a soft bed or blanket that can be machine washed if needed. I would not confine him to the crate for more than a few days, but you do not want a temporary reaction to a medical problem to develop into a bas habit. Make sure to use an enzyme cleaner on anything he has peed on to remove the residual smell so that he will not be confused by it later. If you give him time and appropriate treatment, he will likely recover. Canned cat food is usually recommended for cats with urinary tract issues.