I looked up how to sterilize catheters for re-use. Had wondered about boiling them, but I'll have to experiment with that, as I don't know if the plastic these are made out of will stand such high temperatures.
Basically, they say to wash the catheters with water. Then have a container full of rubbing alcohol (70%) and put the catheters in them for a few minutes. Then take them out and store them in a freezer bag, one per bag, but the bags can be re-used until they start leaking. The alcohol can be re-used for about a month, then should be replaced. Alternatively, 1/4 c. bleach to 1 c. water will work. Or betadine solution. And when we run out of those alternatives, we'll see if the tubes can be boiled.
Even if we never got another shipment of the disposable catheters, I could make the ones we have last a long time, so hopefully we are good on those. I do think it's not a bad idea for everyone to keep a few of these things in their medical kit. I would never have expected to need them, but now I can see other possible uses, like if someone is laid up in bed for a while, or unconscious.
Kathleen