A male cat cannot pee - massage the urethral plug

Sometimes, massaging the urethral plug at the penile tip area will release the urine, without the need to do urinary catheterisation. Many vets are not aware of this procedure. Instead, they syringe normal saline into the catheter to flush the sand into the bladder. This will unblock the urethra and release the urine. In this case, the vet inserted the urinary catheter to unblock the plug.