Hi Robyn,
Great page and what a wonderful forum.
Down to business.

I have a 9.5 y/o boy cat named Bruiser. His first total blockage was when he was 4. I have dealt with this extremely expensive and potentially life threatening condition on almost a yearly occasion ever since. Last year, (to the week) i did not discover the problem until he was nearly dead. 5 days ago, i found him straining and decided to see for myself what the problem was. (i have never seen this particular part of my cat before) Anyways, at first he was very antsy and we struggled a bit. I was able to find that all the fur around his penis was basicly dried up blek that was so hard it took 5 min of warm wet cloth against it to unstick it. "not good" i said to myself. He struggled and i just grabed him firm, looked him in the eye and said "it's either this or i call the taxidermist". from then on, he never moved a muscle. (i swear to god) I found a yellowish substance protruding from the tip of his penis, after figuring out how to extend it. I tried almost (almost)everything i could think of to gently make this damned thing work, but to no avail. (the corkscrew was AWFULLY tempting) "dammitt"...vet is closed... (9 pm)

Now, unlike last year, i knew it was only hours since he had plugged and he was just uncomfortable at this point... nothing at all like last year. Well, rather then wait 8 hours, i decided to just take him to the ER. it's the same expense now vs later and he'll be more comfortable. $408.00 and 10 sleepless hours later i was picking him up to take to his regular vet. It seems Dr Cassler retired the week before and this new girl vet was here instead. (she looked younger then me and i'm 37) I wasn't keen on leaving him here, as it was friday morn, which meant i wouldnt get him back till monday. (half down=$60.00)

I went to visit saturday and bruiser was miserable. It was then i decided to take him home for the weekend whereas there was absolutely nothing he was going to get there that i couldnt give him at home, and he wouldn't be stuck in a cage all alone, wet in a puddle of piss, for the entire weekend. It really annoys me how some vets wanna pretend that it takes YEARS of training to be able to determine if a cat is leaking pee or not. I INSISTED he come home with me, and finally won out. I also found a new vet for him, where the whole pereneal euthrostomy would be about 400 bucks more then i was just about to finish paying. grrrrrr... Anyways, he was fine all weekend on the front porch. I never knew a cat with a cath would still be able to hold their urine and use a catbox. it was amazing.

monday came. I asked if it was really necessary for him to go there or if i couldn't just clip the stitches and remove the cath... They acted like i was about to attempt heart surgery. so, 20 minutes to get there, "snip-tug- that'll be $60.00 thank you bye". grrrrrrr i am really starting to think this whole vet thing is just a gigantic money collecting scheeme.

Now, my questions...
is it possible to find vetrinary supplies without actually being a vet?
is it possible to get medications without actually being a vet?
can any 1 offer me advice on how to do this myself, or how i can
possibly save some $ by doing some of it myself?
can i choose which particular classes i want to take in vet school?
am i totally crazy to think i can do this on my own?

Each time i get a savings going... WOOSH... vanish.
This time it was $630.00. Last year, it was over $1,000.
For someone on a fixed income, this is devistating.

Now, im not stupid. Before a massive back injury i was a mechanic. If the tranny shop said it would be between $2,500 and $3k to repair your tranny, I could either fix or replace it for $50-$500. It's all about procedure.
(and for them, the $) I KNOW it cant really cost $420 bucks just to cath a cat...

If my cat blocks again in the next 6 months, i simply will not have the $ to have him seen. it's that simple. I need to find a way to be able to do this at home. I'm not too sure i can cath him myself with him being awake, but i'm pretty sure with a srynge and a little helpful knowelege, i can get him unplugged so that he can go until the albon begins to work. It would also be good if i could get the proper injections and medicines, (eurease, antiinflam, muscle relaxant, ect)

If you can picture being on a deserted island with a few handydandy items tucked away in your backpack,(ie srynge, albon, eurease, clamshells, coconuts,ect) and you notice your cat is straining at the sandbox, it's either try to save his life, or watch him die. This is how i want you to think of this.

I know this was really long, but I need to cover every avenue while i still have time. As far as prevention goes, i will be checking his ph weekly and adding water to his food. i will also be looking into other ways to prevent this. It's just that if i am unsuccessful, i want (NEED) to be prepared.

Thanks
Rodster, bruiser and punky
ps, im in St Pete, Florida.
e-mail rdlarocque2@yahoo.com

I'm not clear on what exactly is Bruiser's problem? He had a stone blockage in his urethra? If so, can't that be removed or at least dissolved with certain chemicals as it would be with a human? I guess those were the chemicals you mentioned. So, basically, he's throwing bladder stones down his tract on occasion preventing urination?

"is it possible to find vetrinary supplies without actually being a vet?"

Yes but for many of the supplies, you need a vet prescription.

"is it possible to get medications without actually being a vet?"

For a few things but not many. My cat and bun need lactated ringers. It's just a bag of salt water but requires a vet prescription.

"can any 1 offer me advice on how to do this myself, or how i can
possibly save some $ by doing some of it myself?"

I've not dealt with this problem with any of my animals.

"can i choose which particular classes i want to take in vet school?"

No.

"am i totally crazy to think i can do this on my own?"

Only partly crazy.

I spend about $5000 a year on vet bills so I feel your pain. Vets are super, way overpriced. I don't know how to fix that. My cat, Saman, has kidney failure. I had her go to the emergency room for fluids and antibiotics for a day to do what I basically can do at home, almost $1000 for a day.

I suggest that you look in your phone book and call some of the vets who maybe are a little further away. Tell them about your situation and ask if any of them are willing to work with you on prevention, doing catheters at home, etc. Also, check on the internet for people who have similar cats as they will have more ideas for you than those of us who have not been there.

Good luck!