Posted on March 12, 2024

I have been studying cat behavior for a long time. However, it wasn’t until recently that I went back to school to earn a certification in cat training and pet nutrition through Animal Behavior College in California. This was a new endeavor for me as I have been working in higher education for many years advising students. As a student advisor, I need to be an ally and advocate for my students to support them academically and on an interpersonal level. Sometimes this is tough when students don’t not want to disclose why they might be struggling academically. They might be having personal issues with a roommate. They might be having a mental health crisis. It is my job to observe their behavior and extract what is causing their issue to help them work through it. This isn’t too far off from working with cats when you think about it. As an advisor, I need to care about my students as people. As a cat mom, I need to care about my cats as I am their human who is responsible for them.

What prompted me to do this was my cats, specifically my cat Charlie. When he was four years old, Charlie developed a urinary blockage due to mucus plugs. I rushed him to our emergency vet after I noticed him going in and out of the litter box, straining to urinate. Once Charlie was triaged, the ER veterinarian called me into a room where he explained to me what occurred and that they were going to unblock him. I was a nervous wreck. How did this happen? Charlie was finally discharged, and I was able to bring him home. During the night, he did not seem any better than he initially was, and he still appeared to be straining in the litter box. So, he went back to the ER vet. Sure, enough Charlie blocked again. Twice within a 24-hour time frame. This time the vet talked to me about a surgery called Perineal Urethrostomy, or PU surgery for short. It is performed on male cats with a urinary obstruction. It is more common in male cats since their urinary tract anatomy is different than a female. I have also been told by several veterinarians that they see this a lot in male, orange cats. Charlie is a male, orange cat. This procedure removes the narrowest part of the urethra (the tube that transports the urine from the bladder to the exterior of the body), allowing easier urination along with a lower risk of re-obstruction. This surgery would help so Charlie would not have a blockage again.

Charlie was set for surgery the next day and he came through it with flying colors. However, I asked the surgeon why this happened in the first place. She explained that urinary crystals often form in cats that eat a lot of dry food and who also don’t get enough moisture. They can also be caused by certain ingredients in the food such as ash or high amounts of magnesium. This was something I did not know. I was amazed that the food he was eating caused this to happen. This situation with Charlie was an eye opener for me. I began reading everything I could about the type of surgery he had, the food he had to eat and the long-term supplements he must be on. I started to pay more attention to Charlie’s behavior. This would be important for Charlie as well as my other cats.

Charlie has become what I call my million-dollar cat. A few years after his PU surgery, he encountered another medical issue. I noticed he had been lethargic and did not seem interested in eating. He was also hiding under my bed. This was not normal behavior for Charlie, so I took him to our regular veterinarian. She ran a variety of tests as well as an abdominal ultrasound. His bloodwork came back with very high amounts of ALT. She was concerned about his liver. I started him on Denamarin which is a liver health supplement. I also had to syringe feed him baby food since he was not up to eating his regular food. Slowly but surely the Denamarin was working, and Charlie started to feel better. His ALT levels were checked again, and they dramatically decreased from when the first round of bloodwork was taken. The vet wasn’t quite sure what caused this.

All was going well with Charlie until about three months later. He started to vomit bile and would not eat. He looked very pale. I had medication to prevent vomiting. It wasn’t working. This started during the overnight hours, so I had to wait until the ER vet opened the next morning. I had to leave Charlie there until they were able to find out what was causing this. I authorized whatever tests and ultrasounds needed to be done. I then waited. I received a call shortly after leaving him and the ER vet said that he had an enlarged gallbladder and that gallstones were blocking his bile duct. He also had an off the chart reading of bilirubin. They immediately needed to perform a cholecystectomy, or removal of the gallbladder. This poor cat. He has been through so much and now he had to go through another surgery. The ER surgeon assured me he would be fine. A few hours later I received a call that Charlie’s surgery was complete, and he was in recovery. The surgeon ended up removing 108 stones that were blocking his bile duct. That had been a record removal of stones for her. This is most likely what caused Charlie’s liver issues a few months prior. The surgeon also told me that he may also develop issues with his pancreas after having this surgery. Charlie spent the night in the ER recovering and I was able to take him home the next day. And yes, he did eventually develop pancreatitis.

It has been a very, very long haul with Charlie but he is a fighter, and we have a very tight bond. I keep a list of things to look out for when Charlie isn’t feeling well. I call this his “toolbox”. If he starts to vomit foam, then I know he has acid reflux and I give him famotidine for that. If he looks like he is feeling nauseous or won’t eat, then he gets ondansetron for that. Sometimes after a bad pancreatic flare up, he needs to get subcutaneous fluids, so I keep lactate ringers and needles on hand so I can administer them myself. When he starts to hide and stays in the hunched over position, then he is most likely having abdominal pain and he gets pain medication. Due to his prior urinary issues, I have cameras set up near the litterboxes so I can monitor how many times Charlie and my other cats use the litter box. Yes. Some might think this is overkill, but if I can prevent a major issue from occurring then I would rather be safe than sorry.

So, my point in writing this is your cat might not be able to tell you in words what is wrong, but they tell you in other ways. Whether it be a medical issue or something in their environment that is upsetting to them, they do learn to communicate with you about their behavior. You must learn how they are trying to communicate based upon what you consider to be normal behavior vs abnormal behavior. I have learned a great deal from Charlie’s behavior as well as my other cats and I want to be able to use those experiences and my formal training to work with cat owners who might be having behavior issues with their cat.

Please note that none of the information in this post should replace the advice of a veterinary professional. When in doubt, take your cat to a veterinarian.

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