or the surgery to make him a girl.
This is what the vet wants to do to her cat and will charge her $1800 to do it. It does not solve the problem fully, but it will take care of the blockage in 90% of the cases, but the cat can get bladder infections easily after the surgery. All the info is here...
http://www.sniksnak.com/cathealth/urethral.html
Spending the $1800 is not going to solve the whole problem for her or her cat. The cat will most likely have more problems later on after they do the surgery.
If the cat is put on the correct diet, he should be fine, post surgery.
There are no guarantees with any pet. And there are always risks with any pet surgery. A lot of kittens and puppies die during spay/neutering due to an allergic reaction to the anesthetic. All you can do is love them when they're yours, and return the love they've given you.