Help Stevie, the Brave Cat, Beat the Bladder Stone

Stevie has been to the vet more times in his 6 years of life than any cat I've known simply because he's had some bad luck.

Now, he has to have surgery. Again.

When I first took him off the street in 2018 and gave him his forever home, a few days later, an abscess opened up on his leg and he had to have 2 surgeries. It is impossible to know how it happened. He was probably wounded by another animal. Now he is 6 years old and has stones in his bladder. He is in pain. He has licked so much fur off of his belly.

A few years ago, a vet warned me he was developing struvite crystals and put him on a prescription veterinary diet. This food can dissolve struvites preventing them from blocking the urethra. Blocking is dangerous. A cat can die if a stone blocks. He seemed to be doing great.

On June 15th, I returned home from a week long trip to see family in Nevada after a terrible family tragedy. A friend had been looking in on him and his roommate Lola (my other cat) and there was nothing strange, but as soon as I walked in the door, he showed me he was having issues by going from litter box to litter box straining to urinate while staring at me. I rushed him to the emergency vet. She gave him a pain shot and gave me gabapentin, so he's been a little loopy lately. It is supposed to help with pain. That's what it cost:

The vet thinks the stress of me being away kicked them into gear. She said, "That's what happens when we're too close to our animals". She said it nicely. Stevie and I are really close.

Fortunately, he wasn't blocked but the vet told me to follow up with my regular vet which I did because, she said, he has a stone in his bladder.

The regular vet kept him over night and charged $400 and basically did nothing. This was my second time at this vet. I didn't realize they don't take Care Credit, so I paid the bill. Time to find another vet, which I did. I wasn't crazy about them anyway.

This new vet, who seems great, took an x-ray. Stevie has full on stones in his bladder now; however, these are calcium oxalate stones, a type that will not dissolve from diet. These things are like rocks in the bladder with jagged edges. He is in pain. The vet gave him a 4 day pain shot and I keep giving him the gabapentin.

Here are xrays of his stones:

They must be removed surgically. He will have to stay in a kennel (at home) for 2 weeks. I bought a large one off amazon... $85.

The surgery will cost $1,200.

This is a photo from the internet that shows what a calcium oxalate crystal looks like in a cat's bladder. Jagged. Big. Painful. Stevie's are not as big as this, it's just so you can see.

I've been giving him this homeopathic stuff called "Stone Breaker" but seeing as there is no real evidence anywhere on the internet that it works, I highly doubt it works. I'll keep you posted. I believe it will help prevent a recurrence, but it isn't going to make these things go away.

Stevie is so sweet and smart and loving to everyone he meets. And funny. He has been my actual emotional support animal and we need help. The good news is that he is eating and pooping and peeing and not blocked. He's playing and is acting sort of like his funny self. But these things are hurting him, I can tell, and could block his urethra and need to come out. Between the surgery, the cost of that kennel and the Care Credit bill, I don't know how we'll manage this without some help. I hate asking for help but ... I am.

The money will be used to pay for the surgery and not plunge me into debt. I will also use it to pay off the emergency vet. I earn very little and the urinary food is expensive! I have been seeking a higher paying job for 5 years.

Thanks so much for reading this and I appreciate any help you can give.