Pet Story -- Ricky the Kitten

“Ricky” is a kitten that presented to MSAH when he was only 6 weeks of age and only weighing 1 lb. 8 oz. Ricky’s owner told the attending veterinarian that the kitten could not urinate and that his stomach seemed swollen. On physical exam, Ricky had a fever of 104.5° and looked somewhat weak. He also had severe edema, or fluid accumulation, underneath the skin of the rear part of his abdomen. He appeared to have an obstruction of his urinary tract and that the fluid underneath the skin was in fact urine. This urine could be leaking from a ruptured urethra or another damaged area along the urinary tract. If this was true, Ricky’s condition was very serious and critical care was needed right away.

Ricky was hospitalized immediatedly and an intravenous catheter was placed in one of his little legs. He was started on antibiotics and received an injection of an anti-inflammatory drug to decrease the swelling and discomfort on his abdomen. The veterinarian obtained a urine sample to check for any problems such as crystals, abnormal cells or signs of infection.

After a few hours of treatment and observation, there was almost no improvement of the abdominal swelling. The veterinarian decided to inject a special dye into Ricky’s urethra and then take a radiograph. On a radiograph, this dye would show in bright white and allow the doctor to determine if there were any tears or obstacles in the urinary tract by making the boundaries clearly visible. In a normal animal, the dye travels from the urethra into the bladder. In Ricky’s case, the dye went directly underneath the skin, proving the doctor’s theory that the urethra had ruptured and that urine was actually leaking into the skin.

At this point, a surgical intervention was needed to repair the problem. Because of Ricky’s age, having to go under anesthesia presented another concern. However, the risk of anesthesia was very small compared to what could happen if Ricky did not have the surgery as soon as possible. The owners understood this and agreed that Ricky needed the surgery to have a chance of surviving.

That same afternoon, Ricky had a surgery known as a Perineal Urethrostomy. This is a procedure commonly performed on adult cats that have a tendency to have urinary tract obstructions. He received another antibiotic injection and intravenous fluids after coming out of surgery. To our delight, Ricky had a wonderful recovery and started eating and walking around the next morning. Ricky stayed in the hospital to be monitored for any complications. He did very well and started urinating without any problems. He went back home to his owners just a few days after surgery. He still needed a lot of care at home, but his owners were more than happy to do anything to help Ricky get well.

Ricky came back ten days after the surgery for a recheck and to have his sutures removed. He was doing well at that time and looked great! A couple of days ago, we talked to Ricky’s owners. They told us that Ricky is still doing great and is back to being a normal and playful kitten again!