Burning through lives

Barney had another medical emergency this week.  When I went out to feed Tuesday morning he didn't eat.  That is not like Barney.  I checked him over and didn't see any obvious wounds or injuries.   Then I checked his bladder-it was not too big but was firm and he cried loudly when I felt it.  Obstructed.  Great.  Barney basically had the same problem Icy had last summer except  we didn't know because he's outside and we don't see what his bathroom habits are.  And, he's a boy cat so the crystals can form a plug and get lodged in the urethra making them unable to pee.  This is what had happened.

So he got to go into the clinic and get anesthetized so I could pass a catheter to relieve the obstruction.  Then he got some fluids, antibiotics and pain meds.  He is spending a few days in the house so we can make sure he continues to be able to pee.  Fortunately we caught this early and he was able to be treated with no complications so far.  The longer the problem goes on, the more severe the consequences.  Now we need to figure out the best plan to keep him from having another problem.  Icy is doing well with simply eating a quality canned food (not even prescription) but I don't really want to feed my barn cats canned food if I don't have to.