Renn Goes to Hospital

Renn had to go to the hospital yesterday. For a week or so, my big boy has been vomiting thick liquid. Initially, it was clear, then it turned yellow. I thought it may have been a hairball. After all, the symptoms were similar to what Josie had shown recently; my Chubs is much better since she commenced receiving regular doses of a hairball remedy. But Renn stopped eating, which wasn’t any sign Josie exhibited. I began feeding him a nutrient-rich food called Recovery. As the name suggests, it’s for convalescent cats. It is easily digested and high in what the animal may be missing. Renn disliked the process of forced-feeding - but who wouldn’t?

This seemed to be working. The vomiting abated, he started to eat hard-food again and eventually some soft-food. But last night, I noticed his continued trips downstairs to the litter-boxes, where he remained an inordinate amount of time. Following him down, I watched him try to use a litter-box. After several minutes of attempting to leave a deposit, two tiny drops had been produced. He was also crying.

With memories of Tucker’s urinary blockage in mind, I whisked Renn off to the veterinary hospital. My regular doctors have someone on-call for such emergencies, so at 9.30 at night, my big boy was being examined. His bladder was empty, and his bowels not close to being full. There was no blockage. He was kept overnight for observation.

This morning, a sample of urine was taken from a fuller bladder. He pH level is very good, and there were no crystals that could be found. It was possible that an infection was caught in its earliest stages, but it would, I thought, be unlikely to produce the effects of an infection in its later phases. The doctor believes a very mild inflammation may have been exerting pressure, telling Renn that he had to go, when he did not. He has been given an injection to reduce any possible inflammation. He will be coming home in a few hours.

I may have to isolate my friend for the night, in order to see if he leaves any deposits in a litter-box. Hopefully, by keeping an eye on his wanderings and litter-boxes that are free of anyone else’s results, I won’t have to lock Renn up until tomorrow morning. He likes to sleep on my bed, near the bottom, with periodic forays toward my head for reassuring pets.

Please excuse the old picture. I didn’t have the time to get a recent one of him. And if you will, spare a moment to wish him good health.