Bye Bye Thunderbutt
A couple months ago now, I lost a wonderful cat to a bladder blockage. Though the vets tried valiantly to unblock the urethra after removing several nasty stones from his bladder, it was not to be. Finally, I could no longer bear the thought of the discomfort and misery he was in and gave my permission to humanely euthanize him. He was already under anesthesia at the time, so he never woke up.
Thunderbutt, so named because his method of dashing through the house was reminiscent of thunder, was a sweet, quiet and beautiful cat. I adopted him from the shelter when he was about 3 and he was a part of my animal family for more than 10 years.
All you cat lovers please take note! As it was explained to me by my vet, 10 years ago veterinarians and veterianary colleges promoted the use of DRY catfood only as the preferred feline diet. Well, unbeknownst to me, in recent years, the thinking has evolved, and now ONLY canned food is recommended. From what I understand, ingredients in DRY food lead to the most dangerous of stones. They are sharp and ragged, and they cannot be dissolved. They can only be removed through surgery. They still think a piece of a ragged stone was lodge in T’Butt’s urethra and no amount of flushing and catheterizing would budge it.
When T’Butt was only about 5, he had a problem with stones, so I put him on the ProPlan urinary tract food… thinking I was doing him a big favor. Well, over the next 8 years he had plenty of time to develop these very nasty stones that had to be removed.
So, be advised, at least look into the recommendations regarding canned cat food. My vet told me the best is Fancy Feast (also the most expensive of course!) and NOT to use the envelopes of wet food with gravy, as they have way too much sodium. If you are skeptical, please just check with your vet. It was a painful loss for me, my kitty suffered too much, and his life was shortened because of the food I was feeding him.
The house resonates with the emptiness he leaves behind. Here are pictures of my fuzzy bud.
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Gale- He was just one of the sweetest, most loving cats I have ever known and I am so sorry for the anguish and sorrow you went through losing him. He was my bed buddy every time I visited you and I know when I come out in February it will really hit me. I really loved him too. Very sad and I am so sorry for your loss.
Love Lil Sis