Conference misery::feline_v1

    You probably caught it early enough.
    
    The amount of food could have something to contribute to the water,
    particularly since 9-lives is rather salty.  But it may be preferable
    to control his weight. 
    
    FUS is often a recurring disorder.  Your vet can best give you the
    options.  If it becomes a frequently recurring problem, there is
    an operation that can sometimes have a successful effect.
    
    The major thing to watch is the temperature, as that indicates
    infection.  Our vet has issued us a large bottle antibotics for
    Rocky, as we are very good at identifying FUS.
    
    Good luck.  It sounds like you have the situation well under control.
    
    Sebastian is in good hands,  yours.
    
    Dave

    If you have the cat at the vet now then you should be just fine.
    I have 2 cats with FUS and since they eat only C/D and occasional
    fresh venison or trout from a former neighbor then they have been
    just fine.  It has been over a year for one of them and about 2
    years for the other that they have had FUS.  They have never shown
    any discomfort or problems since.  Hang in there.  It should be
    fine.
                 Carol

    
    
    Actually I'm surprised that the first vet let Sebastian go home,
    because FUS can get very serious very quickly.  As long as you
    have gotten him to his regular vet already, then the situation 
    should be under control.
    
    I was told quite a few years ago that 9-Lives canned food is not
    the best food to feed cats because of the high ash and magnesium
    content.  Even though my cats _loved_ it, I changed over to
    Friskies Buffet.  Also, they get a low ash dry food as a supplement.
    Does the dry food you are feeding Sebastian have a low ash content?
    
    Carole
    

    Well, people, thanks for your support!  I don't know what would have
    happened if I hadn't, first of all, had all the info on FUS/cystitis to
    begin with, and second of all, had an outlet for my worries with
    people who can sympathize.  I really am appreciative.
    
    So, as the story goes, Sebastion went unhappily to the Vet.  (He just
    NEVER will believe me that he'll feel better when it's over... he just
    looks at me skeptically.)  
    
    To make a long story longer, the bummer was that of the three Vets at
    the Animal Hospital he got the woman that he *don't like*.  I think the
    feeling's mutual by the way, she can't seem to control him. Granted,
    he's a ferocious feline in the Dr.'s office, but the male doctor that
    is there never has problems with him...  She examined him and also
    couldn't get him to express his bladder, but seemed even a bit afraid
    of him.  Now Sebastion can act pretty ferocious, but he's a pussycat
    when you let him know you're boss and that he can trust you (he's just
    a 'fraidy-cat). Anyway, she took him away and said she may have to
    sedate him to extract a urine sample with a hypo through his belly.
    She did, and got her sample, and came back to tell me he does have an
    infection, early cystitis, and that he will have to be put on
    medication and special diet (C/D.) Well, I am relieved that it's
    finally diagnosed properly, but I can't help wondering if the sedation
    was really necessary since she's supposed to be able to "handle"
    animals. 
    
    One thing I've noticed is that the other doctors always "make friends"
    with our cats before doing anything they may not like.  She just starts
    grabbing away.  Is it normal to have to sedate a frightened animal to
    care for them?  I can't help wondering if she was lazy, not having the
    patience to earn his trust.  He's NOT a nasty kitty, unless he is
    scared. 
    
    She had me leave him there to make sure he "woke up okay" and I will
    pick him up after work.  It seems silly to ask for a specific Doctor
    when I make an appointment, and of course I don't have that luxury when
    it's an emergency.  I guess I don't like the idea of sedating cats
    because cats seem to need to be in control of their surroundings. I had
    a bad experience when I used tranquilizers on Sebastion before taking
    him on a plane, the disorientation frightened him terribly and he
    became panicky.  What do you folks think? 
               
    Oh, and I don't know about the dry food I feed him... It's Nine
    Lives and Purina Cat Chow.
    
    Amy.

    re .4:
    
    Amy, most vets have (or can obtain) a list of "supermarket" cat
    foods that are low in magnesium (the basic villain in FUS); keep
    your child restricted to _that_ diet plus C/D (we use "dry") and
    there should be no problems.
    
    Also, slipping him a vitamin C tablet wouldn't hurt (the acid helps
    discourage crystal buildup in the urine); just don't make it _too_
    strong. [50 mg seems good.].
    
    Be careful of 9-Lives "low magnesium" foods; they seem less effective
    than the Friskies.  
    
    Steve Kallis, Jr.
    
    P.S.:  Our current cats _don't_ have FUS, but both _love_ C/D dry.

    We feed both C/D wet and dry, and use dry a lot for treats.
    ALL of our cats like C/D dry the best of any dry cat food.  It's
    amazing how crazy they go over it.  When your cat has FUS, I would
    suggest that you only use C/D or Science Diet dry, or get a list
    of the acceptable ones from your vet.  Don't trust the average
    supermarket dry food, as dry foods are usually the highest in the
    things you want to avoid.
    
    As for the vet, if you don't like her, then by all means request
    another vet when you call for the appointment.  If your cat behaves
    for the other vets and not for her, then that's a valid reason alone.
    
                      Carol   

    My feeling about sedation is similar to yours, yet if it helps the
    VET, it ultimately helps the pet.
    
    Just because a person's a Vet doesn't mean they know how to handle
    all animals.
    
    Of course, in an emergency, no one could/would be inordinately picky
    about which Vet treats the animal; otherwise, I have absolutely
    no compunctions about asking for the Vet I and my pet seem to prefer.
    
    Having read your first and succeeding notes, it appears you did
    all the right things.  (And, as you found out, limiting his food
    intake had/has nothing to do with the problem.)

    A few tidbits below, glad everything turned out okay.  Two of my
    cats have had FUS, and it dies tend to recur.
    
    1.  If I've religious about feeding them only CD canned food (plus
    treats of sliced turkey breast once a week), the FUS doesn't recur.
     Otherwise....
    
    2.  I would DEFINITELY ask for another vet when you had any choice.
     It is so true as someone else said that just because someone is
    a vet, that doesn't mean they know how to handle animals.
    
    3.  What my vet has said about urine samples:  dampened litter is
    no good, because the sample is contaminated.  I found to my amazement
    that I could slide a little dish right under my cat just as she
    started to go, and she seemed not to notice it was there.  Then
    I dump the urine into a bottle.  keep it in the refrigerator, the
    vet says.  It's not much good as a sample after three hours.
    
    4.  I have the vague recollection that urine acidifers can be harmful
    if the cat has some other medical problem, but I can't remember
    what it is.  If ask the vet.
    

    Thanks again for your great advice... Sebastion is getting back
    to his old self which is good and bad... >:-( 
    
    Now that he's got his strength back, he can fight when I try to give
    him his #&@%*!! pills.  I repeat, this cat is STRONG and stubborn. I
    was late to work today trying to mess around with him. Unfortunately,
    he sensed I was losing patience when I stopped saying "Here Sebastion
    sweetheart, baby, darling, good kitty..."  I tried smashing it in a
    teaspoonful of C/D, and he turned up his nose.  I couldn't just leave
    it out for when he got hungry because Claude was waiting in the wings
    to gobble it up.  So I stuck it in the refridgerator and stomped out of
    the house.  In other words, I was unsuccessful. The Vets always make it
    look so easy, I don't know what to do. I guess I'm a bit nervous, that
    I'll shove it in too far and he'll choke on it, so I'm pretty clumsy.
    I thought of pouring tuna juice on it which he loves, but then
    remembered about tuna being one of the highest in Magnesium content. 
    
    
    help???
    
    Amy_mother_of_stubborn_cat.
                                                                         

    First of all, I'm very glad that Sebastian is better!  Here's what
    a trusted vet once told me; "The more ornery your cat is, the longer
    they generally live."!!
    
    Here's how I get pills into my Billie:  I either get down on the
    floor with her, or pick her up and put her on the counter (the latter
    alerts her sooner that "the jig is up" as she KNOWS she's not allowed
    up there normally).  Since I am left-handed, I keep the pill in
    my left hand, and hold Billie firmly against me with my elbow, and
    QUICKLY hold her jaws open with the right hand (at the hinge of
    the jaws).  With the fingers of the left hand, I put the pill as far 
    back in her mouth as I can, being careful not to choke her.  With
    my right hand I hold her jaws closed, and stroke her throat with
    my left hand to get her swallowing.
    
    IF I do it all quickly and firmly, I usually have no problem.  So
    good luck, and please let us know how your baby is doing.
    
    Jane

Try approaching Sebastian from the back, grab his head and put your fingers
on either side of his mouth (in the pockets between his gums).  That usually
forces them to open their mouths.  Then pop the pill in his mouth, keep his
mouth closed and stroke his throat to encourage swallowing.  I find that
approaching the cats from the back - so they don't see the fingers coming
towards them - usually works.  If all else fails, either wrap him in a
towel or put him in a pillowcase with only his head sticking out!

I'm grateful that Munchkin, who get two insulin shots a day, is just wonderful
about medication--he even purrs with the shots!--and he's 12+ pounds and very
strong.  Mutu, who is only 8 pounds, very petite, is a horror about medicine.
Talk about lock-jaw - you haven't seen anything until you get a petite,
squirmy cat, with flashing blue eyes giving you dirty looks, with lockjaw!

If you still have problems with Sebastian, there is a pill dispenser 
specifically made for animals.  I think you can buy it at pet stores and
places like Breeder's Pride.  It's a long tube, with a plunger, so you just
have to insert the tube into the cat's mouth and press the plunger.

Regards,
J.

    re: .10, .11
    
    Both of those are good approaches. One thing to make it just a bit
    easier is to first coat the pill with butter. It makes it go down
    easier and should it not go down the first time,the cat will taste
    butter rather than a dissolved pill.
    
    Deb (who has to pill Argus 2 times a day for the rest of his life.)

    Honey has left scars on my hands from attempts to give him medication.
    My vet, of course, has no trouble.  Why??  Well, my vet says it's
    easy for him because the cat knows who's in charge.  If you give
    in to his behaviour, he'll do it everytime.  When I have to give
    Honey medication now, I plop him on the counter and say "Honey,
    I'm giving you this pill and you're going to take it!".  I then
    proceed with great confidence, open his mouth, and put the pill
    as far back as he'll tolerate, then I hold his mouth closed until
    he swallows.  This is immediately followed by hugs and kisses and
    a couple Pounces.  Once you establish yourself as boss, and get the
    confidence to make it stick, it will be easier.  You've got to be
    the one in charge!  Good luck...
    
    Mary

    A good deal of the success can be related to who is in charge. 
    Witch will let Jeanne pill her no more than three times then I take
    over.  All of these feline beasts are strong and limber but usually
    we're bigger.  I use the same method as above - thumb and forefinger
    of my non-dominant hand to open jaw ay the hinge area and forefinger
    of my dominant hand to push pill as far down the throat as possible.
    Hold mouth shut, stroke throat, watch for swallow, come back to
    area 10 minutes later, pick the tablet up from the floor and try
    again.  There is a device mentioned above called a Bull's Eye Piller.
    It has soft rubber fingers to grasp the tablet or capsule.  You
    still have to pry open the mouth but this lets you get the medication
    to the back of the throat and still have ten fingers.  There is
    a plunger to release the tablet.
    
    Re: Deb's note.  Coating a medication with butter may affect the
    dissolution and absorption of the drug.  Actually most antibiotics
    of the penicillin family should be given on an empty stomach since
    food slows absorption.  Most pharmaceuticals have been formulated
    to dissolve in the part of the GI tract where the best absorption
    for the particular drug takes place and the coatings are designed
    to aid in this process.  Coating with an oil (like butter) can
    adversely influence the designed properties.
    
    Guess from the previous paragraph you can tell I'm not an engineering
    type, huh?
    
    Frank

    
    Well.  You'll all be happy to know that Sebastion took his pills like a
    man last night.  I have a little white one and a big blue one to give
    him.  The little white one I was able to do by myself, -that is, after
    he spit it out the first time- I turned my back on him after I was
    CERTAIN he had swallowed it, and heard this little >click< on the
    floor, and there he was looking over the edge of the counter at it.
    PTUIE! 
    
    I followed all of your advice and decided to be FIRM and as stubborn as
    he is, and it worked.  I'm not really strong enough to hold him myself
    - he's a great escape artist, so I waited for my husband to return to
    help launch the big blue one. He held him in place while I ready, aim,
    fire'd!  Then of course we told him what a good kitty he is, and hugged
    him.  He just looked at us with a "sure, easy for YOU to say!"
    expression.
    
    Thanks again!  He's back to his playful self, chasing shadows last
    night, and wrestling with Claude, and was up making "mmerrt!" noises
    at 4:00 AM! (Oh brother!)  
                             
    Amy.

    RE: .14
    
    it may *effect*  the disolution and absortion qualities, but it
    will not null them out. The cat will at least derive most of benifit
    from the pill. And as my vet says, if you can't get the pill into
    the cat, the drug isn't going to do any good at all.
    
    Deb

    response time is abysmal, so please excuse if these points have
    been covered:
    
    Get the cat on a course of low-ash (read magnesiumm and other mineral)
    diet, and put him on a urine acidifier.  (Your vet can prescribe
    the acidifier; if not get another vet [ :-) ] or find one who can
    get you the acidifier.
    
    We have had no trouble with our connstantly-FUS'd cat since taking
    these steps.

    
    Hi, it's me again.  I just had a thought.  (BING!)  I fertilize my
    outdoor shrubs and plants with MIRACLE GROW fertilizer.  It's in
    powder/crystalline form and I dissolve it in water to feed my plants.
    Well, one day a few months ago, I had left the box out and I caught
    Sebastion licking at the side of the box and plastic bag that it was
    in.  So I chased him away and put the box where he can't reach, but he
    had discovered a new yummy flavor, and didn't give up so easily!
    Before I knew it, he was following me around as I watered my shrubs,
    licking the droplets off of the leaves!  What a nut!  I kept chasing
    him away, and even gave him his own fresh water (sans fertilizer
    of course) and he was NOT interested.  I looked at the ingredients
    and magnesium was not listed, but it has the standard three which
    I can't remember... One is potassium(I think) another is potash(maybe)
    but I can't really remember.
    
    What I'm wondering is if that could have created a urinary disorder,
    and if not, WHAT was it that he seemed to crave?  After finding no
    POISON warnings, I tasted some that had stained my hand (it's green or
    blue), and it tasted rather metallic.  I can't figure out why he
    was so attracted to it.  Any bright ideas?
    
    Amy. 

    I decided to append this to the latest FUS note, If it offends SORRY.
    
    Ling is finally clean (no blood in her urin)!!!!!
    
    Question: Does the Ph affect the formation of Mg crystals or just
    make the bladder a less friendly place for mico-orginisms?
    
    Some things I learned,
    
    Urin can be collected in fair quantity in plastic wrap.
    There is a product (dont know the name/cost) that is used to detect
    blood in human urin (got a sample from a friendly nurse). Only takes
    a drop of P, and can detect much much smaller ammounts than cause
    a visible color change.
    
    There is a product to test PH available (not as lucky on samples)
    $18/180 tests, works good.
    
    Initially Ling was willing to eat a pill hidden amongst moist meals,
    eventially she caught on! Our cat sitter began (was upset by Ling's
    dislike for being pilled) hiding it in a meatball made of cat food.
    This still works, as does hiding it in a cheese ball. (good thing
    to since it looks like she will be on the Acidifier for a long long
    time)

    

    I'm not a doctor but this is how I understand it. When the urine
    is not acidic enough, crystals form. These crystals are like barbed
    sticks. (Argus actually passed some). They cause irritation comming
    out, or even blockage. This irritation (or straining from blocking)
    is where the blood comes from.
    
    By making the urine more acidic, it will cause the minerals to be
    suspended in the urine (and thus can be passed) rather than to form
    into painfull crystals.
    
    Deb
    

    Deb has the basic idea.  Not all materials dissolve at the neutral
    pH of water.  When a mineral cannot dissolve it forms a crystal,
    e.g., salt & sugar.  Some minerals only dissolve when they can form
    a mineral salt and for most this is at an acid pH.  Making the urine
    acidic results in being able to dissolve more of the mineral.  Basic
    urine means the minerals cannot dissolve and crystals form.  In
    humans, sulfa drugs can cause crystallization in the kidneys with
    resultant kidney damage.  The crystals besides being irritating
    actually pierce the cells.  A secondary infection can set in which
    is the reason for occasional antibiotic treatment.
    
    If you have a cat that has to be kept on urinary acidifiers for
    recurrent FUS, and the cat develops any other medical problem for
    which the vet may prescribe medication, remind the vet that the
    cat is on the acidifier since acidic urine may have an effect on
    the action of other medications.
    
    Frank

    
    A former cat of ours had FUS.  As well as the standard treatments,
    the vet recommended feeding him tomato sauce on a regular basis
    to increase the acidity in his urine.  This worked out well; tyger
    especially loved red clam sauce :-)
    
    Rita
    

    RE: .22
    
    Rita, that is good to know, as Argus thinks lasagna is the world's
    most perfect food, and it is full of tomato sauce. My vet had suggested
    cranberry juice but he wouldn't touch it. So, as it stands right
    now, I get to pill Argus 2 times a day for the rest of his life.
    I'm going to try it.
    
    Deb  

    re .23:
    
    That must be why Garfield's favorite food is lasagna! -:)
    
    -Paula
    

    
    
    	Hi,  
    
    	I just got a kitten and although he does not have FUS I want
    	to make sure I feed him the right things so that he won't
    	get it.  We had a cat die of FUS when I was younger and I
    	would hate to see it happen again.
    
    	Reading through this note and through note 147 I have found
    	some conflicting things.  One person says that 9 lives is
    	high in ash and magnesium, besides being too salty.  Another
    	says that certain 9 lives are O.K.  Who is right??
    
    	Here are the notes I've collected so far.
    
    	High ash is a major factor in FUS.
    	High magnesium is a major factor in FUS - not high ash.
    
    	9 lives is too salty, high in ash and magnesium.
    	9 lives (country chicken, chicken and cheese, liver and
    		chicken, kidney in creamed gravy, chicken dinner) is
    		low in magnesium
    
    	seafood is high in magnesium 
    
    	friskies buffet (beef and liver, turkey and giblets) is low
    		in magnesium
    	friskies buffet is low in ash
    	
    	vitamin C acidity helps prevent crystals from forming in urine. 
    		Can give cat tomato sauce, cranberry juice or vitamin C	
    		pills (50 mg max) - 
    
    	
    	Some questions I have - as you can see from above, there are
    	some conflicting issues. 
    
    	Which is the factor in FUS, high magnesium or high ash, or is it both??
                                                                      
    	How often would you give your cat vitamin C pills or feed him
    		tomato sauce (and how much sauce)??
    
    	Whats the deal with nine lives??
    
    	I just called my vet and they recommended the two Friskies Buffets
    	that I mentioned above.  Any other input would be appreciated.
    
    	Thanks
    
    	Karen
    
    

    Re .25:
    
    Karen --
    
    _My_ vet has a whole leaflet on FUS and it pinpoints magnesium as
    the culprit.  If you feed low-magnesium food like Hill's C/D dry
    (the canned's low too, but ours don't like it) and the low-magnesium
    Friskies, I don't think you'll have any trouble.
    
    Avoid seafood.
    
    Especially avoid tuna.  Particularly red tuna.
    
    Steve Kallis, Jr.

    The Hill's C/D canned food is good too.  That and the two Friskies
    flavours are what my vet recommends.  He says go easy on the dry
    food, even the Hill's dry food.  It helps to keep their teeth clean,
    but it's not as good with respect to FUS as canned food.

Rather than starting another FUS note...

We had the stuffing scared out of us this afternoon.

We have two cats:
	Tigger, a 4 year-old caramel, male, neutered, tabby
	Gizmo, a 10 month-old gray, female, spayed, tabby

Today, my daughter found Tigger laying on our waterbed and approached to give
him a pat.  She found him soaking in a puddle of his own urine, and very
unresponsive. She became extremely concerned which panicked the cat.  He jumped
off the bed and hobbled away while dripping urine. By incredibly good fortune,
both my wife and I arrived home at this point and she called the vet while I
attempted to calm everyone (myself, the cat, the other cat) down. 

Tigger had one bout of FUS about 3 years ago.  Since then we've fed him, and
Gizmo when we got her, Iams, which they both preferred over the other foods,
along with a small can of Amore' or Friskies split between them.  Evidently
it wasn't enough.  Both cats passed their physicals a couple months ago with
flying colors.

The vet examined Tigger, and found that his urine was VERY alkaline and
contained some blood and SUGAR.  She surmizes that he had a partial blockage
and the pressure in his bladder "blew the blockage out" causing uncontrolled
urination.  He probably felt sick enough that he just didn't get up.  She gave
him a couple shots, and we have pills to feed him.  He is also on the C/D now.

Both the cats have always gotten regular baths, and Tigger seemed really upset
about being covered in foul smelling urine, so (with the vets encouragement) we
gave him a bath and lots of attention.  I can't explain it, but he seemed
intensely embarassed to be so unkempt.  Gizmo acted so flaky about Tigger being
sick we had to give her a bath too.  She wouldn't leave Tigger alone and sat at
the side of the sink, crying.

What upsets me most is that HE HAS BEEN FINE.  Yesterday, he was playful and
perfectly normal acting.  I combed and brushed him and he definitely DID NOT
have any tenderness or swelling in his abdomen.  We didn't seen any blood in the
litter, and there seems to be a normal amount of liquid in the litter boxes.  He
and Gizmo ran and played and acted fine.  Tonight he is so sick he just lays
there.  His bladder is stiff and the vet says he won't have much (if any)
bladder control.  They're spending the night in a spare bathroom with plenty of
soft sleeping space and a litterbox. 

We got some of the C/D canned food from the vet.  She wants us to add additional
water because Tigger never appears to drink.  Gizmo drinks lots of water, but
in 4 years I've never seen Tigger take a drink.  The vet says we can't feed the
C/D to Gizmo because its too rich.  For Tigger we can only give 1/4 of a can.
For a snack we have to give him lima beans or cauliflower (YEEECH).

We're sort of at a loss about what to do, and we were too concerned about the
immediate problems with the cat to ask the questions while at the vet.  How do
we keep this from happening again?  Why was his uring so alkaline?  Why did it
happen so fast?  We have been feeding the Iams because both cats would eat it.
They didn't like the Tami Ami, Purina, of Science Diet dry foods.  Does the
sugar in his urine mean he has diabetes?  My daughter is absolutely terrified
that if he has diabetes we'll have to put him to sleep.  We have another
appointment in 2 weeks.  Hopefully, we'll be a little better composed and get
some better information then.

I'm sorry this note wanders so much, I'm just upset and concerned, and a little
embarassed about being upset and concerned.  I'm proud of my wife and daughter,
though.  They handled it like pro's.

D

    We had a cat who was diagnosed with diabetes.  We were told that
    it was treatable, but expensive.
    
    BTW - We found that vitamin C tablets did wonders for FUS in several
    of our cats.
    
    Gary

    I'd call the vet up to ask your questions now, rather than sweating
    it out for two weeks.  You don't need an appointment, he could answer
    this stuff over the phone.  About the bladder being "stiff", I take
    it that will correct itself in time?  I also believe I've recently
    read in one of the cat magazines about how owners can have cats
    live a "normal" life with diabetes -- I suspect it's like with human
    diabetes in terms of varying severity;  I think one cat was maintained
    on medication etc.  Maybe the sugar is just a byproduct of the fus,
    though.  Give both pusses a big long hug for me.  Makes me nervous
    about mine....
    

    p.s. I think it's been mentioned before in this file that acidifiers
    like vitamin c are _not_ supposed to be used with C/D, as the combined
    effect is bad for some other medical reason which I forget....
    

    p.p.s. About how fast it happened -- I've heard that when one suspects
    fus, you should take the cat to the vet IMMEDIATELY, because a blocked
    bladder can rupture in 24 hours.  So maybe your puss was actually
    lucky, unlikely as that sounds to you in the present circumstances....
    

   Re: .28

   I'm sorry to hear about Tigger's FUS attack. It must have been a
   very frightening experience for all of you. Thank god he pulled
   through.

   > The vet examined Tigger, and found that his urine was VERY alkaline
   > and contained some blood and SUGAR.

   > Does the sugar in his urine mean he has diabetes?  My daughter is
   > absolutely terrified that if he has diabetes we'll have to put him
   > to sleep.

   Don't panic until you talk to the vet about this. My impression is
   that diabetes comes with old age; that is, it is cats in their teens
   who are candidates for the disease. It is probably not impossible for
   a younger cat to develop diabetes, but I don't think it is common.

   > We got some of the C/D canned food from the vet.  She wants us to
   > add additional water because Tigger never appears to drink.  Gizmo
   > drinks lots of water, but in 4 years I've never seen Tigger take a
   > drink.

   As far as diabetes goes, this is is a good sign, because one of the
   symptoms of diabetes is when the cat starts drinking a lot of water.

   IF it turns out that Tigger has diabetes (which I doubt), then it is
   probably a good idea to ask your vet if she has experience (success-
   fully) treating diabetic cats. If not, I would find one that does and
   get all the information you can about what you will have to do for
   Tigger. Then you can make an informed decision about what is best for
   all of you. Tigger's youth and the fact that he has a family (that is,
   more than one person) to take care of his needs are in your favor. I 
   have an old cat who developed diabetes 13 months ago; while I have
   no regrets about giving him the extra care, it is time consuming and
   I have changed my lifestyle somewhat to accomodate him. Yes, there
   is some expense involved.

   > We're sort of at a loss about what to do, and we were too concerned
   > about the immediate problems with the cat to ask the questions while
   > at the vet.

   Write down all your questions -- immediately! -- before they get lost
   or fade away by the time the next appointment rolls around (this always
   happens to me). If you're that worried, maybe you should call the vet
   today with your questions rather than wait in agony through the next
   two weeks. Please let us know what you find out.

   Good luck!

   Linda

    How are things going today?
    

    Urine acidity is one of THE most important factors in preventing
    FUS blockage.  Alex was on a diet of C/D since his severe attack
    last fall, and he was also supplemented with vitamin C (a reasonable
    dosage, 250 mg a day, not a megadose).  When I read some notes about
    potential dangers of overdosing on both C/D and vitamin C, I
    specifically asked my vet if there was a problem.  He and she (I
    use both at the same hospital!) both indicated that the vitamin
    C wasn't necessary with a diet of C/D, but it also wasn't harmful
    in the dosage I was using.  With normal dosages, all the vitamin
    C is excreted in the urine (which is how it keeps the urine acidic)
    and does not harm the cat in any way.
    
    Problem now is that Alex gained SO much weight from C/D that he
    has been switched to R/D.  He is back on the vitamin C to ensure
    that his FUS stays under control, at least from the perspective
    of an acidic urine.
    
    I'm going to the Tufts Veterinary University Feline Symposium tomorrow,
    and there is a presentation on FUS.  I'll ask some of the more frequent
    questions I've seen in here and let you know what some of the responses
    are.  

Sorry to take so long...

Tigger is better!  He had lots of pills to take and C/D to eat, but he's
doing fine.  

However!  We have one large orange cat (Tigger) who is ONLY supposed to eat
C/D.  And one small grey cat (Gizmo) that is NOT supposed to eat the C/D and
only eat the Iams!  

I CAN'T KEEP THE STUPID CATS IN THEIR OWN PLACE!  Tigger keeps escaping from the
room where we put him with the C/D and runs out and eats the Iams.  Giz keeps
running into the room where the C/D is and eats that!  Tigger didn't like
the Iams before!  CATS!

Anyway, everybody is better.  We have to go back to the vet this week for a
checkup, but I was absolutely amazed at how fast his recovery was.  One day
he was a VERY sick cat and 24 hours later he was acting very normal again.  
It took a couple additional days to get his distended abdomen down, but he
seems to be fine!  I just wish there was some way to predict when an attack
would occur so I could get him attended to before he has all the discomfort.

D

    Sounds like if Giz could eat the CD you wouldn't have to keep them
    apart.  What did the vet mean by "too rich" for Giz?  I've fed 
    my cats CD for years as a safety factor against FUS.  Their vet
    recommended this.