u/Human_Strawberry_873

My 1 year old male cat had a urinary blockage two days ago, and I’m honestly still recovering emotionally (and financially) from the whole experience.

He was unable to urinate, and I noticed he was bleeding one morning, so I rushed him to the ER. His potassium levels were dangerously high and affecting his heart rhythm. The ER team stabilized him with medications to protect his heart and lower his potassium, then sedated him and placed a urinary catheter to relieve the blockage.

They:

• flushed his bladder
• kept the catheter in place for a little over 36 hours
• ran bloodwork twice
• did an X-ray to check if the catheter is placed right
• gave IV fluids
• started pain meds
• gave antibiotics
• used urethral relaxers
• monitored his kidney values/electrolytes closely
• A urine culture test

His urine apparently showed crystals and possible signs of infection, but no bladder stones showed up on X-ray.

Thankfully, he’s doing much better now and was able to pee before discharge.

The total ER bill was $4,000 for slightly more than 36 hours of hospitalization. I'm an idiot for not having insurance. It's probably too late for me to get insurance for this matter now.

I’m grateful they saved him, but I wanted to ask other cat owners. If he ever blocks again (hopefully never), are there any emergency clinics or vets in the GTA / Toronto area that handle urinary blockages at a lower cost while still providing good care? I want to be ready if this happens again.

TIA

I need to travel to Pakistan tomorrow night for my father's funeral, but my NICOP expired ten years ago. Someone said in a facebook group to apply for an e-Visa, which is supposed to be processed in two hours, and to fly with that along with my Canadian passport.

I've booked my flight with Qatar Airways, which has a layover in Doha before continuing to Lahore. I am looking for confirmation that this will work because no one is answer the emergency number for the Pakistan consulate and I have also sent several messages and emails, but no one has responded.

The website they sited is; applyevisa something

I really want to get out of my 9 to 5 and do something part time of my own but....

1. I feel lost.
   If I were to start something on the side, I genuinely don’t know what I’d even do. There’s too much out there, and I end up doing nothing.

2. I’m exhausted all the time.
   I used to be able to grind in my 20s; work a 9 to 5, come home, cook/clean, then go to a second job. I did this for years.

Now? I finish work, and I’m completely drained. Mentally and physically.

Another issue: it takes me like an hour to get into the zone (I'm like that at work as well). By the time I sit down in the evening, I realistically have 1–1.5 hours before bed, so it feels pointless even to start.

Then the worst of all are my periods of low energy/mental health dips for weeks every month, but that one good week of a month, I start thinking “ok, I’m going to change things”… and I fall off again for weeks and the cycle resets.

It’s honestly been the same loop for years, and I don’t know how to break out of it.

For anyone who’s been here and made it work:

• How did you pick what to do?
• How did you manage your energy after work?
• Did you push through without burning out or impacting your mental health?

Would really appreciate any real advice (not “just wake up at 5am” type stuff 😅