Jumper's Journey

This is Jumper's story. He has been diagnosed with urinary tract obstruction. It has been an interesting week for him. Follow his story.

Jumper is a Manx. He showed up at our house 2 1/2 years ago. Somebody had dropped him off and we took him in. He's always been kind of standoffish. He'll let you pet him, if he's in the mood. You can walk up to him and pick him up, if he's in the mood. He stays indoors and has his own way of doing things. We love him very much.

Last Monday, I got up and found him laying in the litter box. I had no idea what was wrong with him. When I got him out of the litter box, he was very limp. He'd just lay down. He's never limp! He squirms around or pushes against you or grabs your hand to pet him some more. I put in our bed and laid down with him. He didn't feel well but I couldn't tell what was wrong. I thought maybe he'd hurt his leg and that was why he couldn't stand. Later that day, he got up and walked very slowly through the house and went and laid down in the litter box. I called the vet's office, told them what I knew, and they told me to call emergency care.

I called them; they said bring him over. When we got there, they took him away immediately. After a while, the vet came to talk to us. Just like she thought, it was a urinary tract obstruction. Some cats' bodies make crystals which clog up the system and they can't pee. It is 100% fatal if not treated. They wanted to put a catheter in, run an IV, and see what happens. I was devastated. My poor kitty. He was fine and now he's having to stay in the hospital. They want to keep the catheter in for 48 hours. I went to say good-bye to Jumper and left not knowing what was to be in store for him.