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How to prevent urinary blockages in my male cat after hospitalization?
Updated on September 23rd, 2025
Pet's info: Cat | Domestic Shorthair | Male | neutered | 2 years and 8 months old | 12.3 lbs
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 change in his food/ water? Shall I give him some maintenance medications for life to help prevent this? Many thanks
5 Answers
Most Helpful Answer
Answered By Laura Johnson VMD
Veterinarian
Published on November 9th, 2017
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 prescription diet. Other wise there are no life long medications.
I hope this helps and I wish Jose a speedy recovery!
1Pet Parents found this answer helpfulRelated Answers from Veterinarians
Answered By Destini R. Holloway, DVM
Veterinarian
Published on February 24th, 2017
Oh my! Poor Orestes. The immediate concern is to obviously relieve the obstruction, which will require unfortunately an ER vet visit right now! Toxins build up in th body very quickly when a pet can't urinate and the urinary bladder can also rupture, which means emergency surgery and possible death.
If you followed the vets recommendations and placed him on prescription urinary food, then the chances of stones forming again this quickly and causing the obstruction are very low. It is more likely he has a mucous plug causing the obstruction. This can be alleviated by he vet placing a urinary catheter (under sedation) and hospitalizing him for a few days. He wouldn't need another surgery if that is the case.
But first things first. He needs to be taken in. If he comes out of this acute crisis ok, then you can discuss with your vet about placing him on prescription urinary canned food to increase water content and dilute the urine. Also environmental modifications to reduce stress seem to help prevent reoccurrence. I hope your pet Orestes makes a full recovery!2Pet Parents found this answer helpful
Answered By Ana M, DVM
Veterinarian
Published on January 18th, 2020
Thank you for submitting your question regarding Jackson. A urinary blockage is a life threatening emergency. He needs to see a veterinarian right away if he is unable to urinate properly. Longterm management strategies include a prescription urinary diet or even a special surgery. I hope this information helps!
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
Answered By Andrea M. Brodie, DVM
Veterinarian
Published on April 10th, 2017
Your vet did the right thing, however you should start feeding a urinary feline diet, he will need to lose weight, if he is chubby, should get lots of exercise. If this happens again then Musi will probably be better off with surgery (urethrostomy with removing the penis to ensure that any crystals can be peed out, and do not block him.). A blocked urethra can be fatal. You should consult with your veterinarian about what next step he recommends.
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
Answered By Lotus Altholtz
Veterinarian, Board-Certified Lab Animal Medicine Specialist
Published on January 23rd, 2019
Any cat that has blocked in the past should be on a prescription urinary crystal dissolving diet for life such as Hills c/d or Royal Canin Urinary SO wet and dry. You can get these diets from your veterinarian or request a prescription from your veterinarian. These diets prevent formation of and help dissolve struvite crystals. Feeding at least a partially wet prescription urinary diet is also recommended as wet food provides more better hydration than dry food alone, thus minimizing the chances of recurring urethral blockages. Purchasing a water fountain also encourages drinking which will help minimize chances of a repeat blockage. Lastly, dosing of VetriScience UT Strength Feline chews can help minimize the chances of your Cat developing a urinary tract infections caused by bacteria. You can also look into different Pet Insurance plans and whether they will partially cover a repeat blockage if there is a history of one in the past. Best of luck!
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful