Conference misery::feline

    It sounds to me like you're taking good care of Hoover.  It must be
    very stressful for you to have a constant concern about him, but
    I actually think your worry about a shortened lifespan for Hoover is
    fortunately unjustified.  It sounds like he just needs careful
    monitoring so that these bouts are detected and treated early.
    When my Sweetie was first diagnosed with a different disease (respiratory
    problem) that needed careful attention, I worried myself into a
    swivit, but after some time it becomes a calmer, normal part of
    life.
    
    I have a couple of thoughts:  it sounds like it is worth a try
    at reducing stress;  that would probably help you, too;  if there's
    some way that you can manage it.  Also, I believe my vet told
    me that S/D was not nutritionally complete for long term use,
    so perhaps you should ask your vet about the advisability of
    a vitamin supplement if Hoover will be on S/D a lot of the
    time.  
    
    I also noted that my Holly, who has a problem with indiscriminate
    urination, improved when she was on prednisone a couple of years
    ago, so there's probably something to that idea as well.
    

    For more information about FUS, check the keywords FUS, Cystitis,
    bladder_infection, and litterbox_problems.  I will add this note to
    those keywords also.
    
    I think that stress is probably triggering Hoovers attacks.  When you
    are gone, who takes care of Hoover?  Does he stay home with a pet
    sitter or do you board him?
    
    Jo

    When we first got Mocha, she took a long time adjusting to our
    two other male cats (i.e., she wanted to rip their eyes out
    everytime she saw them).  Anyway, she had been picked up as a stray
    by another DEC person, they got her neutered, we adopted her, then
    she had to deal with two other strange male cats, twice her size.
    A few weeks after we got her, she showed symptoms of FUS, and the
    vet advised putting her on low-ash food or C/D.
    
    I tried the few varieties of Friskies that are supposed to be low
    in ash, but after a month or so, she came down with symptoms again.
    
    Since then (over two years ago), I've been feeding her C/D wet and
    dry exclusively (with an occasional treat of chicken every now
    and then), and she has had no problems.  I really do believe
    the first incidence was triggered by stress.
    
    Hang in there - I felt the same way when she kept getting blocked, 
    but things worked out in the end.  Have you tried feeding your kitty
    only C/D?  My vet didn't mention anything about S/D, but did say
    that she shouldn't have fish or cheese either.
    
    Good luck and chin up!
    Pam

    You'll want to keep the magnesium intake to a minimum and keep a couple
    of extra water dishes about to encourage him to drink more water.
    
    My vet made an interesting observation re FUS and Stress - he said that
    it was sometimes equivalent to people getting cold blisters from being
    stressed out.
    
    There are a good variety/quality foods out there that a very low in
    magnesium.  Bring a magnifying glass with you when you go shopping.
    
    Giudi

        Missy has this too.  She was given some medicine (I don't recall
    what at the moment) and put on S/D for 2 months.  At the end of 2
    months, we tested her again and she was alright.  The vet said to keep
    her on either C/D or Science Diet for the rest of her life.  (she's
    only 2 years old).  I use Science Diet because you don't have to go to
    the vet to buy it.  
    
    	I have since discovered that she was picking at the dog's food.  My
    dog never was one to eat her food all at once.  She picks and picks all
    day.  Since Missy loves the dry food she would help herself to the dogs
    whenever she felt like it.  Poor dog, now when I put the food down, if
    she doesn't eat it, it goes back in the container.  Also S/D doesn't
    have a dry food, so Missy was real uphappy until I could give her C/D
    dry or Science Diet.  

A few years back my cat peter had this problem.
My roommdate called and told me that my cat had
a sex change and was the first transsexual kitty
on the block....naturally I was not amuzed.

Peter had been having urinary tract problems for
some time and the doctor did a penidectomy and basically
cut everything off, turning him into a girl-it (?).

The cat has been fine since, but sleeps with his
tail between his legs and in strange positions sometimes
but he has never had the problem since....personality
no change.....

didn't finish reading all the notes in this section
but If surgery is required....its not all that bad
and I had good luck with Peter.

Without the surgery, my cat would have died!

Another way to increase fluid intake is to mix the wet food with water.  I've 
used anywher from a couple tablespoons extra, to making 'catfood soup'.  It's
great for those who _inhale_ their food without even tasting it - it slow's 'em
down a bit.

    Argus had the surgery but wold still occasionally have bouts of FUS.
    I started using bottled water and started giving that to the cats as
    well. I noticed that Argus and the other two FUS cats seemed a lot
    better, so I went ahead and installed a water filter. I have had no
    problems wih Argus since, and fewer problems with Niky and Kostas.
    Also, I noticed that Niky (and Pip) seemed to develop bladder problems
    when the temp in the house fell below 65. So, now, I don't turn the heat
    down very low, and keep the wood stove on all day.
    
    Deb

    Thank you for all your responses.  In answer to the question concerning
    who takes care of him when I'm gone, one of the animal technicians from
    the Amherst Animal Hospital is their regular "sitter".  She does a
    great job and the cats really like her.  It makes me feel good knowing
    that if Hoover was to get sick while I was gone, she would know right
    away and bring him in.  
    
    Concerning food, he was maintained on C/D for a while but got sick
    again which is why we've had to incorporate the S/D as a major part of
    his diet, along with distilled water.  I will follow the advice of one
    noter who mentioned vitamin supplements and talk to the vet about it.
    
    I had asked the vet about surgery but he said it's not necessary
    because Hoover's problem is not blockage and/or scar tissue restricting
    the opening in his penis.  He has never blocked. Of course there is
    always a potential for that but with close monitoring we should be able
    to avoid that.
    
    Very interesting note about Niky and Pip having problems when the
    temperature drops below 65.  It just so happens that while I was gone,
    the house was kept at 57 and the temperature only increased when the
    sitter was actually there for an hour.  So, temperature may have been a
    factor in this last incidence.  Thank you, Deb.
    
    Good input, everyone.  I really appreciate it.  I think more than
    anything else I just needed encouragement that I'm doing the right
    things.  Although I hate to admit I have a favorite cat, Hoover is it. 
    He had a rough "kittenhood" before he came to live with us-  he came as
    close to being euthanized as you can get, had coccidium, had fleas,
    had two bouts with tapeworms and now the FUS.  Through it all he has
    remained loveable, affectionate and even when he hasn't felt well he's
    never been a grouch or fought me when I've had to give him medication. 
    It just really bothers me when it's evident he's feeling lousy.
    
    Terry
     

    Hi.  Barney has had bouts with FUS for quite some time now.  I tried
    controlling his diet with C/D or S/D, but then he wouldn't eat.  I
    currently feed him 9-Lives canned cat food, Fromm dry food (ok'd by the
    vet) and he occasionally gets Bonkers.  When he starts acting as though
    he's getting FUS, I give him Uroeze (to help the crystalization of his
    urine) and Prednisone (to control the urge to pee where ever he is). 
    The Uroeze *can not* be given with Science Diet since they do the same
    thing.  The vet has completely ok'd this diet and for Barney, it seems
    to work.  My other cats, since they're not affected with FUS, also seem
    to like it.
    
    One background note.  Barney is FAT (19-20 lbs).  I've noticed that
    when he doesn't eat and looses weight, or when I try to control his
    diet to get him to lose weight, he gets FUS.  As soon as the FUS is
    under control and the weight goes back up, the FUS goes away and I
    don't have to worry about it anymore.  Also, when I go away and have
    someone watch the cats, I make sure Barney gets his Uroeze every day to
    prevent him from getting sick.  It seems to work.
    
    Mary
    

    Update on Hoover.  After 2 weeks of S/D and a course of Prednisone,
    Hoover is still frequenting his litterbox, though he's not licking
    himself excessively or trying to go anywhere and everwhere.  Still, it
    means something's up so the vet asked me to drop him off this morning
    so he can take a urine sample.  Could be an infection or radio-opaque
    stones which did not show up on his x-ray.  If it is stones, they're
    likely to be made of calcium which means the S/D wouldn't be doing any
    good.  I don't even want to think about the course of treatment if
    that's the case.
    
    Poor Hoover.  He hid under his blanket in the carrier and wailed all
    the way to the vet.  The 3-mile drive seemed like 30.  I know I'm doing
    the right thing but how do you explain it to them?
    
    I'm really worried about him.
    
    Terry
    

      Bandit has problems with FUS as well.  The first time this
      occured, two and 1/2 hears ago, he was completely blocked.
      The usual diet of S/D and antibiotics soon had him back to
      normal and we started using C/D full time.

      He had no problems until three months ago, in late November.
      This time there was no blockage but he was put on S/D and
      antibiotics again.  We went back to the vets to visit one
      month later and he still had crystals so the vet told me
      to keep him on S/D for another 5-6 weeks.  In late January,
      I started feeding him half C/D, half S/D and about 3 weeks
      ago, he was back on C/D full time.  Last Tuesday, we went to 
      the vets and the vet tried to catheterize him to get a sample.
      Poor little (19 lb) guy was dry so the vet told me to assume
      things were back to normal.

      Not so!!  Sunday, Bandit started frequenting the box quite 
      often.  I knew he was not blocked because I kept a close 
      eye on him.  Last night, I picked up another bag of S/D 
      after talking with the vet and have put him on it for two
      weeks.  After two weeks, he will get half S/D and half C/D.
      I will be on vacation at that time and a fellow feliner
      will be feeding him.  Since I don't want to make things
      difficult by asking her to feed the two cats separately,
      I will make a 50/50 mixture that she can feed both cats.

      I don't know why this is happening.  I think that the upset
      of going to the vet last week may have triggered this bout.
      He hates being catheterized.... I cannot even stay in the
      room with him, he makes my cry!  Even in the waiting room,
      I was in tears just listening to him and people thought 
      he was being killed!  

      I hope that I can get him stabilized and back on C/D for
      good.  It's really difficult to feed two cats different
      foods, especially when each prefers the food that the 
      other is getting.  They also take an hour of nibbling
      just to eat the contents of their bowls.  T.K. is not
      supposed to be on S/D... it is not a maintenance diet!

      Karen

    If Hoover has stones, can't they use the ultrasound(?) treatment
    that's used to get rid of stones in people?  My impression is
    that that procedure is virtually pain free, involves no
    cutting of tissue, etc.
    

    I'm not sure if they use ultrasound treatment on animals for this type
    of condition.  In people, it's used for kidney stone, not bladder
    stones and it's rather uncomfortable to the patient.  My uncle had it
    done and he said it's not exactly pain free but it beat surgery.
    
    Anyway, Hoover's urinalysis done yesterday afternoon showed a lot of
    blood but no bacteria.  He had another x-ray which was negative for
    stones.  Another urinalysis this morning showed no bacteria but they
    are sending out a specimen to be cultured to see if something out of
    the ordinary is there.  He was discharged to me this morning with
    prednisone (3 weeks worth, gradually decreasing the dosage), an
    antibiotic (2 weeks), S/D for 3-4 months, distilled water, absolutely
    no treats/table food/the other cats' food.  Hopefully, this will do the
    trick.
    
    There is a possibility, as I mentioned before, that he has radio-opaque
    stones that do not show on x-rays.  To determine that takes dye being
    injected into the bladder so they'll show up, or opening him up and
    looking.  The vet said both those steps are too drastic at this point
    and we should try the other alternative first.  He did say he's never
    had a cat recur like this on the premium diet if stones and infection
    had been ruled out.  His exact words were "It's baffling".  Hoover
    seems to have an attack every 2 months beginning last April.  It's gone
    end April-beginning July-October-December-February.
    
    Well at least he's home now.  Sid sure was glad to see him.  It was
    really evident last night that she missed her wrestling partner.   
    
    Keeping my fingers crossed,
    
    Terry
    

	We're keeping our fingers and paws crossed for Hoover too, 
	Terry.

	Sandy & crew

    Zeno had a serious bout with FUS in September '90.  We had gone to
    Annapolis for 2 days for a friends wedding.  We came back Sunday
    afternoon and proceeded to crash on the couch.  Zeno is usually kind of
    a loner so we didn't think anything when he didn't meet us at the door.
    Later I heard him *HOWL* like he was being tortured! I mean, siamese
    cry alot but this was definately different.  I have that book on cats
    that's like a mothers encylopedia(I forget the name) and was checking
    in it, but I didn't really see anything physically wrong with Zeno. He
    did walk a little stiffly. Dave said to wait till the morning to see if
    he was better, but after another howl I called the emergency room (this
    was Sunday night). After decribing what he was doing the vet said to
    get him in *PRONTO*! I was scared to death, and on the verge of tears.
    I wrapped him in a towel, and Dave drove to the emergency room.  The
    vet felt his bladder,said it was about to burst it was so full and
    proceeded to yell at us for waiting so long! This does not help the
    situation when you think your cat might die.  We left Zeno with the vet
    and went home to wait.  Dave was devestated and cried the whole way
    home. I was thinking whether to cremate him or not.  When we got home I
    picked up Pearl and, crying, took her to Dave.  He wanted nothing to do
    with her.  He wanted his little buddy and proceeded to say that if Zeno
    died, we were not keeping Pearl because one without the other didn't
    seem right.
    the vet called around midnight and said that they had gotten to him in
    time, and there was no permanent damage. She asked what we feed them,
    Cat Chow, and she said "figures." like I was an idiot or something for
    buying my food at Giant.
    We picked him up the next day, and he looked very relieved to see us.
    He had had a catheter, which he had pulled out that morning, and they
    had shaved his forearm for an IV. He was on a diet of S/D for 2 wks and
    then C/D. He also had antibiotics for 10 days. He is still on C/D as is
    Pearl-figure it can't hurt her.
    I watched very carefully for a while after that to make sure that he
    was getting some urine out.  I would follow him to the bathroom and
    praise him when he did. :-)
    
    I know this is long, but one more point-we didn't notice that he was
    having problems before, and had never heard of FUS. When you're not
    home all the time, it's hard to tell which cat is using the box and
    which one isn't. So try to keep an eye out!
    
    shannon

       Having just been reading this note, would someone please expand on
    the abbreviations S/D and C/D please? Our male cat, Buster, has a
    cystitis (sp?!) problem and is on tablets at present. His normal food
    is Hill's Science Diet Feline Maint, which I'm hoping is OK for him,
    although he still doesn't seem to be passing much urine.

	Hi Gwyn,

	I'm not an expert, but I believe that S/D refers to the regular
	Science Diet food.  C/D is the cystitis diet, K/D is the kidney
	diet, R/D is the reducing diet, and so on.  All are made by
	Hill's.

	Sandy


	

    Also, the "abbreviations" are that way on the Science Diet labels.  For
    example if you want the correct Science Diet for your cat with
    cystitis, get the food labelled "Science Diet C/D".

    There's been some confusion about this in the past.  S/D also stands
    for Stone Diet, which Hills makes.  It's a special food to be used only
    for a few weeks, because it's not nutritionally complete;  it dissolves
    stones in the bladder.  About once a year my Little Bit has to go
    onto it.
    

    
    My cat, Zorro, was diagnosed with FUS about a year ago.  He is
    suppose to eat C/D only.  I got the label from the C/D can and dry
    food and brought it to the pet store with me.  Science Diet Light -
    Feline Maintenance is the one that matches C/D.  The vet said that
    it was ok to feed him the Science Diet light.  What you have to compare
    is the magnesium level.  He's been eating Science Diet Light and he's
    been fine (knock on wood).  

I called Hill's about the difference between c/d and Science Diet Feline Light
and they said that the BIG difference, and the reason c/d is there, is that
it has a urine acidifier.  My vet recommended w/d as a lower fat alternative
to c/d, as it also has an acidifier.  Cats with FUS need the acidifier that
just isn't in regular Science Diet....

Mary

    My Miskey is experiencing this problem, and will for the rest of her
    life. (I feel so bad for her. She seems like it hurts). Question - Is
    there any other place that I can purchase Hill's C/D. My Vet just
    charged me $8.00 for a 4lb bag. I am hoping that someone in here would
    know where I could buy the same thing for less money.
    
    
                          Thanks,
               Crys  (mom to BeeGee, Miskey, Sandy and Papoose)

    Where do you live???  You might try your pet store for a brand called
    Hi-Tor, who make a c/d-like formula.  You might also try Purina's
    Special Care for cats with FUS.  My gang loves it.  C/D will only be
    available thru a veterinarian.
    
    Mary
    

    My vet basicly sells the C/D at cost, and I think that most other vets
    do the same. The reason that you paid so much is because of this size of
    the package, but C/D does typically sell for just under $2/lb. This
    might seem like twice as much as supermarket food, it does go furhter
    since you feed the cat smaller helpings (it is very highly caloric, and
    "normal" size servings could cause kitty to put on weight.)
    
     I suspect that the vet gave you the four pounder just to
    see if kitty will eat it. I find it most cost effective to purchase the
    20 lb bag which is around $38 in MA(which will last two large cats about
    almost two months). My mother has purchsed it in ME (South Berwick Vet
    Clinic) and paid roughly the same price.
    
    Having had several cats with recurrent FUS, I justify the extra cost as
    a preventative measure. 
    
    Deb

    Re: .23, Miskey
    
    It shouldn\t hurt her except when she actually flares up.  If she seems
    to hurt "all the time" I'd get back to the vet promptly.
    

       Thank-you for the information. I will look into the other brands
    mentioned. I didn't know that c/d is caloric. This is nice to know,
    cause Miskey is a happy butterball. ;) 
    
       I would not wish this experience on anyone.  What a terrible time.
    I felt sooooo bad for her. Always going to the litter box, with no
    success, and crying. But things will look better. One more thing. If it
    was not for all the caring and knowledgable people in this file, I
    would not have caught it as early as I did. Thus saving her alot more
    pain then she was in. A very BIG thank-you for that!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
    
    
    
                Crys  (Miskey, BeeGee, Sandy and Papoose)
    
    
P.S.  Would this be ok for BeeGee, my other cat??????????

    I used to feed CD to all my cats, with my vet's approval.
    

    I talked with my husband and thinks we should feed Miskey the real c/d, 
    not a substitute. Like one of the replies said, she IS worth it. Thanks
    Karen, I will start feeding it to BeeGee. Again, thank-you for replies 
    and support.
    
    
                    Crys (who is very worried about Miska)
                                                      ^
                                                      |
                            one of Miskey's nicknames-|
    
    

    The Honorable Colonel Sebastian Moran, DROFFC, is currently residing in
    Central Animal Hospital enjoying first class service. I am suspicious
    of his motives, however. I got home Friday and found him in great pain,
    howling and walking even more strangely than usual (he has the feline
    version of cerebral palsey). I first thought he might be plugged, then
    wondered if he'd launced another military attack at a mouse or at our
    bird and fallen and broken something. So, I piled him, the two dogs and
    myself into the car after calling in and alerting them the Colonel was
    going to make a personal appearance. 34 miles later we arrived. They
    looked at him between regular customers, so I paced the parking lot
    with the dogs. Reconnoitering the area as it were. After an xray or two
    it was decided he was plugged. Dr. Moss came in immediately (it was her
    day off, but the Colonel is her Godson so she is the Official Staff
    Physician to the Colonel). He was somewhat slow to recover, fostering
    many phone calls and a Very Anxious Weekend for his Mother and
    siblings. The official word has come down that he is on the mend and
    will be returning home shortly. 
    
    Now, what would prompt the Colonel to do such a thing? Is there some
    potential Threat that is lurking in Leominster? I understand a goat was
    being treated at the clinic. Did he have Information of a Sensitive
    Nature that the Colonel needed to get first hand? Or, were there no
    mice and the Colonel was in search of an Adventure?  Perhaps he had
    advance notice the Landlord was going to call Saturday night and tell
    us he is not renewing the lease and we have to be out December 14th.
    (not a good weekend by any standards, except for a nice trip to the
    Museum of Science in Boston on Saturday) No one wanted to be in the
    house with me after that call. My language was hardly fit for a
    Decorated Colonel. Interesting possibilities abound. I wonder if he'll
    ever tell me what he was Really Up To?
    
    Sari

    Extra special kitty hugs for the Colonel.....
    
    MAYBE...he got so sick of watching the presidential debates that
    he had to do some of is own "kitty campaigning"...and what a better
    place to do that then in Central Animal Hospital!!
    
    I can see it now....."Vote for the Colonel....and he promises that 
    every kitty household will have gardens of catnip, special treats,
    clean kitty litters, and many mice for pleasure".  All this without
    raising taxes!!!"
    
    Hope he's home soon....
    
    Sandy

    Col Bob sends greetings to his diminutive comrade in arms, the
    Honorable Sebastian Moran, DROFFC, and wishes him a speedy and complete
    recovery from the mysterious malady that struck in so cowardly a manner
    without warning.  But every war wound and mysterious malady are the
    stuff that great war stories are made of.
    
    It was good to read that the Col is on the mend, and a proper salute is
    proffered to the good doctor who so ably attended our stricken comrade.
    
    Col Bob notes that there is a considerable element of mystery
    surrounding the circumstances whereby the Colonel was stricken. 
    Fortunately, there is sufficient intelligence available so as to make
    an informed interpretation of the facts and draw a meaningful
    conclusion.  It seems highly unlikely that a mere goat, from the lower
    rungs of the Other Ranks, would be the provider of any sensitive
    information, especially when one considers their digestive system. The
    theory about a threat lurking in Leominster bears greater
    investigation.  However, resulting from the Colonel's superior
    intelligence service, it is reasonable to draw the conclusion that the
    Colonel had advance information about that wretched telephone call,
    that would result in notifying him that he had only a short time to
    find and establish a new location for his general headquarters.  It was
    this information that sent the poor Colonel into a dyspeptic physical
    state requiring emergency hospitalization.
    
    Steffi & Col Bob

    I am delighted to report that the Honorable Colonel Sebastian Moran,
    DROFFC, has returned home. There was a formal review at the door, with
    the dogs offering respectful wishes for a complete recovery. The
    Colonel reviewed the troops, then went thru the house (all three rooms
    of it) and played once with each toy. Probably checking for Fiendish
    Devices or Evidence of Sabotage. He lounged for a while and then
    requested dinner be served. He is on CD cat food, which at first he did
    not care to partake of. I explained: A. That was all he was going to
    get and B. The stuff costs over $3 a pound. He ate it. Very discerning
    fellow.  He is not quite back to his old self, but he is obviously
    feeling better. Someone has purloined all the hair on his hindquarters.
    I trust this was a medical procedure and not an attempt to extract
    vital information. Apparently it is quite drafty and he had a little
    trouble settling down for the night. He reconnoitered and discovered
    that if he put his back against me and his posterior against his
    brother the St. Bernard, he was nice and warm. I was concerned about
    his weakened condition, so I put a cover over him. At first he was not
    too happy about it, but soon realized it was much nicer and warmer. I
    am amazed how anyone can sleep and purr at the same time. Perhaps Col.
    Bob could let us know if this is a form of code transfer science?
    
    The Colonel is greatful for the well wishes he has received, and so is
    his mother.
    
    Sari
    

    Greetings from the west to the Honorable Colonel Sebastian Moran,
    DROFFC, his staff (his brother and sister in arms, the two extremely
    distinguished members of the canine corps), and most certainly to his
    primary care giver and most loyal admirer, his mother,
    
    Aye, because of a certain inherent superiority, the recovery from an
    illiness, or wound can often be the cause of the inadvertent
    identification of a heretofore closely guarded feline ability that is
    only rarely revealed, and when revealed somewhat defies understanding,
    but always brings a sense of wonderment and awe.  Only when in a
    situation of total security, contentment, and comfort does this almost
    magical and mystical combination of sleep and purring occur.  This is
    obviously the condition that the Colonel found himself in when he
    positioned himself with his back against his devoted mother, his
    denuded posterior (done in the name of the medical healing arts)
    against his loyal and dedicated lieutenant, and was then clocked with a
    warmth providing coverlet.  What could more exemplify the condition
    necessary to cause this exceptional response.
    
    We hope that this finds the Colonel rapidly recovering from his recent
    indisposition.
    
    Steffi and Col Bob.

    The Honorable Colonel is recovering nicely. He has developed the
    remarkable ability to turn his entire body into jelly when I attempt to
    give him is pill in the morning. Nothing to hold on to. Gives me a nice
    challenge first thing in the morning. I hate challenges first thing in
    the morning.
    
    He is developing an aversion to the CD food. He'll eat the dry, but the
    canned is not to his liking. Then he sits and stares at me as if the
    whole thing is my fault. Yesterday he got his revenge through a series
    of commando drills on the bathtub. The first foray was called: Knock
    the Shampoo into the Room and get it as Far from the Tub as possible.
    Then we had Sudden Attack on the Soda Glass in an effort to Toss it in
    the Tub. Following that was Heard the Dogs in the 4 x 5 foot bathroom
    so all the Warm Air goes out. The concluding drill, which was really
    the best executed, was Make Suspicious Noises at the door so the dogs
    think Someone is There and bark and make mother get out of the tub. I
    think he's operating under the "if I'm miserable ain't nobody gonna
    have a good time" concept. I hope the vet lets me go back to turkey and
    giblets Alpo soon.
    
    He's still doing the purr in the sleep routine, which is still cute,
    even at 3:41 a.m.
    
    Sari

The Colonel must be taking lessons from Blue.  Poor Blue gets 4 pills a day and
he just detests it.  Fortunately, he can't slither all over the place so he's
kinda just pissed at me.  He just loves the CD canned, however.  And he
seems to like the dry, but he has a hard time eating it just yet.  I put some
thru the blender to make it a little easier for him to munch and he's doing
OK with that.  The things we do....

Give the Colonel Blue's best wishes...

Mary

    
    	Does anyone know how to get in touch with Barbara Kendrick
    	now?  Is she still with Digital?  I sent mail to XCUSME but
    	it got kicked back...
    
    	I'm having a problem with Chloe.  She's had UTI's before so
    	I recognized the signs when it started happening again a month
    	or so ago.  I took a urine sample, brought it in, and sure enough
    	lots of bacteria and blood in the urine.  She went on Amoxicillin.
    	Didn't work at all.  So I called the vet back and brought her in.
    	Dr. Clough checked her over and didn't feel anything abnormal.
    	He gave me some Prednisone and Cefa tabs for her.  And prescribed
    	S/D for a month.  Well the Prednisone is gone, there's only one
    	Cefa tab left and she's been on the S/D for about a week.  And 
    	not much has changed.  She still goes into the box but when I
    	look after she gets out, it doesn't look like anything's 
    	happened.  She's drinking a lot of water.  She's peeing in front
    	of my kitchen sink, underneath my microwave cart, ON MY BED, and
    	most of the time when she uses the box in the bathroom, she hangs
    	her butt over the edge and pees on the floor right outside
    	the box.
    
    	I called Dr. Clough yesterday.  He said if it hasn't improved
    	in a week, to call back and I'll have to bring her in.  They'll
    	have to put her under, take X-rays, then inject a dye into her
    	bladder and X ray again.  He gave me the name of a condition
    	but I don't remember what it was.  Something about the bladder
    	not properly forming at birth and attaching to something else,
    	thus causing a chronic infection.
    
    	Now I've noticed that she and Sasha have been fighting a lot
    	more than usual.  They've never liked each other but there's 
    	a lot more hissing and spitting.  So stress could play into
    	this I guess.
    
    	I've been locking her in the bathroom at night so she won't pee
    	on my bed.  I hate doing it but I don't like my bed smelling
    	like cat pee, nor do I like being woken up at three in the morning
    	by her scratching at the sheets after she's peed.
    
    	It's been suggested that I try placing her in a another home.
    	That's a drastic measure for me.  And I know it's hard enough
    	placing and adult cat, nevermind one with chronic urinary
    	problems.....
    
    	Suggestions?  ideas?
    
    
    	Thanks
    
    	JJ
    

    Judy....I work with this guy who had very similar problems as Chloe.
    After visiting the vets multiple times, trying the SD diet and
    trying antibiotics they did further testing and found the kitty
    had stones.   He was operated on Friday and is now recuperating!
    
    It started with the many trips to the box..the peeing in other places,
    to visible signs of blood in the urine.  During this entire time the
    other two cats in the house "HATED" this cat and we believe it is
    because of the peeing/scenting everywhere.
    
    It might be time to have further X-rays on Chloe if nothing else
    seems to work.   I don't know who Barbara is...so I can't help
    you there!!!
    
    Keep us posted....
    
    Sandy

    
    
    	Sandy,
    
    	First I have to giggle at the way your worded your first 
    	sentence.  I hope it was his cat having that problem and
    	not him!  =)  =) =)
    
    	Dr. Clough did mention stones.  That's what they'd X-ray
    	for I guess.
    
    	Sigh.  Good thing they're willing to do a billing cycle cuz
    	there's no way I could afford to pay this all up front.
    	When it rains, it pours.
    
    	Thanks for the info...
    
    	Jj
    

    giggle giggle...it was his cat!!!  It was considered a major
    operation...but the kitty is doing fairly well.   I can keep
    you posted because I get daily updates.
    
    Sandy

    Judy,
                                                 
     I hope they figure out what it is, and as horrible as stones sounds,
    at least it is treatable. Just look at Sandy's friend! ;-)
    
     Sorry Sandy couldn't resist. I thought the exact same thing when I
    first read your note! ;-)
    
     Healing thoughts and kitty prayers are coming your way from The
    Colaianni Clan.
    
    Love,
    
    Yonee

    Me too, Sandy; I just didn't want to be the first person to bust you
    about it!!
    
    JJ, I hope Chloe is better soon!  Himalayans seem prone to having
    litterbox/UTI problems.  Hang in there, and I'm glad your vet is
    willing to take payments!
    

    
    
    	Re: Sandy
    
    	yes, please keep me posted!
    
    	And thanks Yonee, and Ro
    
    	JJ
    

    Hi,
    
    I adopted a cat from PBS this fall, and ever since I have had her
    she has had one bladder infection after another.  I finished up her
    last round of medication last week and noticed her in the litterbox
    straining, so I knew the problem wasn't cleared up.  I took her back
    to the vet so they could get a urine sample, and they decided to take
    an xray too see if the cat had bladder stones.
    
    It turns out that the cat has an abnormally shaped bladder.  Instead
    of being sort of oval shaped, it is more like a figure 8.  The vet 
    put her on amoxocillan, 2 a day for 2 weeks and 1 a day for another 2
    weeks.  I asked the vet if infection would be a cronic problem for this cat
    and she believes it will.  She stated that when the cat pee's, her 
    bladder doesn't completely empty and because of the shape of it,
    she never will. 
    
    Has anyone else had this problem with their cat?   How were you able to
    deal with it?  
    
    Thanks,
    
    Linda

    
    
    	Linda
    
    	As we speak I'm awaiting a call from my vet to find out 
    	what's wrong with my cat.  She's had a urinary problem
    	for over two months.  She's been on three types of medication
    	and a special diet, none of which had any effect.  My vet
    	told me that it's possible Chloe has an abnormally formed
    	bladder also, which is why they took X-rays yesterday.
    	
    	Sigh.  If I'm told anything that might help you also, I'll
    	try to remember and post it here.
    
    	JJ
    

    
    
    	Well there's was nothing abnormal on the X-rays.
    	They've sent urine out to see if any bacteria 
    	grows in the cultures (or something like that)
    	and I'll have those results in a couple days.
    
    	Sigh.....
    

    JJ and Linda....sure hope they identify what the problem is and
    fix it soon.  Poor kitties...it's so sad watching them strain to
    go!!!
    
    Please keep us posted.....
    
    Sandy

    
    
    	Thanks. =)  Forgot to mention that since Chloe's been drinking
    	alot of water, they may end up having to test for diabetes.
    	But he's going to wait till the other test results come back
    	and see what they have to say first.
    
    	

    
    
    	Well Dr. C says Chloe has Staph somethingsomething.  I won't
    	go into the big explanation he gave me.  The jist of it is 
    	is that there's nothing *serious* wrong....just a very nasty
    	infection that won't go away.  So we're back to the Cefa tabs
    	and prednisone for a month.  Unfortunately, he said sometimes
    	it just doesn't go away and some owners get so frustrated that
    	they give the cat up or they put the cat to sleep.  I really
    	don't want to resort to that.  Chloe's so sweet.  So with
    	a lot of luck, *this* round of antibiotics will work.  If
    	it doesn't I don't know what I'll do.  She's locked in the
    	bathroom at night and mopping up dried cat pee off my floors
    	is a daily routine.  I have to make sure she stays out of
    	the bedroom when I'm home (I leave the door open when I'm here)
    	or she pees on my bed.
    
    	sigh.....
    
    	JJ
    

    JJ, I feel for you; that's an awful thing to be going through, for both
    you and Chloe!  I hope this round of meds work and she is on the road
    to recovery soon.  Himalayans can be very sensitive to illness; I know
    my Herbie needs a bit extra TLC to keep both of us happy.
    
    Please keep us posted on her progress.  Sometimes infections hang on
    for what seems like forever, and then all of a sudden go away.
    

    
    
    	Thanks Roe,
    
    	I'm hoping this'll work out soon.  She doesn't seem to be 
    	in any pain but I'm getting tired of the pee everywhere and
    	despite the fact I have to wash her butt area a couple times
    	a week she still smells pretty bad, poor thing.  If this
    	does clear up, the first thing I'm going to do is bring her
    	in for a good grooming!  There's no way I could do a sufficient
    	job myself.....
    

    RE: .44

    My late cat, Argus J. Pussycat, ESQ had a horrible recurring case of
    FUS. He had a PU (basically the replumbed him to urinate like a female so
    he wouldn't block any more.) Anyhow, when he died (liver cancer) Angell
    Memorial did an autopsy. They found a good sized diverticulum on his
    bladder that was pretty well hidden from any x-rays that were ever
    taken. It was kind of "hooked", and they said that urine would collect
    there when his bladder was really full, but would stay there after he
    emptied it; I guess it probably crystallized there, and when the
    bladder got real full again, the crystals made it into the bladder and
    caused very painful urination/blockage. The sad part is that if this
    would have been on some other part of the bladder where it showed up in
    the xray, it would have been real easy to correct surgically.

    good luck,
    Deb

    
    
    	Sigh...
    
    	I need some serious advice folks.  Chloe has now had this
    	infection for 4+ months, I've lost track at exactly how long
    	it's been.  She's been on Cefa, Prednisone, Valium, Amoxycillin,
    	and Tribrissen (sp).  Right now I have about a little less than
    	a week's worth of the Cefa and Valium and still no signs of
    	improvement.  Some days her urine is almost clear, some days
    	it's dark yellow with a tinge of pink and very cloudy.  She's
    	still peeing all over the floors, drinking a lot of water and
    	using the box constantly.  As an example in a 15 minute time
    	period that I'm in the bathroom, she'll go in the box at
    	least 3 times.  She's had X-rays that showed nothing, had
    	a FELV test that was negative and had a bacteria culture
    	grown which showed Staph mumblesomething and that's why 
    	she's still on the antibiotics.
    
    	Dr. Clough has been really great about all this.  We're working
    	on a deal where if I teach him Microsoft Excel, he'll cut some
    	$$ off my bill.  However, if I continue to have numerous 
    	tests done that don't show anything and keep Chloe on antibiotics
    	that aren't helping, it's going to cost me a small fortune.
    	I'm losing my patience and I feel bad every time I have to
    	pin Chloe down on the floor to pill her.  After 4 months, she's
    	getting very irritated with me.  She's losing patience with
    	being locked in the bathroom every night (if I leave her out,
    	she jumps on the bed and pees on it).
    
    	Dr. Clough told me that sometimes in these situations, the 
    	infection just will not go away and owners are faced with the
    	option of giving the cat up or putting it to sleep.  I don't
    	want to put Chloe into a shelter because I won't know what 
    	happened to her and she's so timid, she'd be scared to death
    	with all those other cats around.  I don't know of many 
    	people who would be willing to adopt a 7 year old cat that
    	pees everywhere.  And she's so sweet that putting her to sleep
    	just doesn't seem fair.  I just don't know what I should do.
    	I'm fairly certain that when I bring another urine sample in
    	after this round of meds, that it will still show positive
    	for infection.
    
    	What would you do?
    
    	Thanks
    
    	JJ
    

    JJ, I have been in similar situations and decisions aren't easy.  The
    fact that Chloe needs to be confined could have her even more stressed
    out thus supressing her immune system and the infection lingers on.
    
    It sounds like every possible antibiotic has been tried and exhausted
    at this point.  A good deal of this could be behavioral.  You mentioned
    in past notes that the other cats pick on her a lot.  This could
    contribute to her problem.  As for yourself, do you spend a lot of time
    at home with the cats or are you out most of the time?  I know with
    Taja, he is so used to me being home, that if I leave for longer than a
    day he gets upset, beats up Kelsey, and I come home to two very
    stressed out felines (and a very messy house!).  Maybe Chloe would do
    best in an only cat household with someone who has the time and
    patience to dote on her.  Himalayans and Persians can be so sensitive;
    I've been lucky so far with Herbie (knock wood!) in that he is
    excellent about using his litter box, but he has an extremely jealous
    streak where if I am paying too much attention to Taja or Kelsey, he
    gets pissed and pushes them out of the way for his share.
    
    I hope you can work this out.  In my own opinion, it isn't cruel to
    humanely euthanize an animal when all options of trying to fix an
    ongoing problem are exhausted.  An example:  A friend of mine rescued a
    mother cat and her kittens from a dumpster in Boston years ago.  She
    was able to socialize the kittens, but the mom cat never came to trust
    humans.  She had the cat for over a year, and during that entire year
    the cat used her house as a bathroom regardless of anything she tried
    to remedy it.  She finally had the cat put to sleep.  Some might think
    this cruel, but her last option was to let the cat go outside and fend
    for herself.
    
    You could try a second opinion from another vet, but that just might
    mean spending even more money to reach the same conclusions your
    current vet has.
    
    Keep us posted!
    
    -Roberta
    

    
    
    	Roe,
    
    	Sasha and Chloe don't get along but they usually just
    	keep their distance from each other.  Chloe and Audrey
    	get along fine and play together often.  She still looks
    	for attention and still loves rolling around on the floor
    	with the catnip bag mashed against her face.  =)  I believe
    	Dr. Clough put her on the Valium in case some of what is
    	happening *is* behavioral but it hasn't had any effect at
    	all.  If anything, it seems to have made her *more* frisky
    	instead of mellowing her out!  She ate through two layers	
    	of tinfoil to get to a brownie - she's *never* done anything
    	like that before.  During the day, she has free rein of the house
    	like the other two (except the bedroom, that's always closed
    	off when I'm not home).  So I don't believe there are any
    	significant behavioral/environment changes.  I've always been
    	one to be on the go and Chloe has never been a really affectionate
    	cat.  She'll want to sit in my lap from time to time but other
    	than that she pretty much keeps to herself.  That's been the status
    	quo for the 6 years or so I've had her.
    
    	Thanks for the thoughts.
    

    After his death, we found Argus' FUS was caused by a diverticulum on
    his bladder ( a weak spot that balooned out). Had it shown up in an
    xray, it could have been fixed surgically. As a last resort, you might
    want to see if an xray shows anything.
    
    good luck,
    deb

    
    
    	Deb,
    
    	She's already had X-rays done and they showed nothing 
    	abnormal.
    
    	JJ
    

    JJ....
    
    With Van Gogh...they never found anything on an X-ray...but Tufts
    did find the problem with an Ultra Sound.
    
    Sandy

    One of our cats, Scooter, who ran up quite a bill at Tufts a few years
    back, evidently is very sensitive to the ash content of dry chow. What
    he was eating at the time (Purina, notorious for high ash) was causing
    crystals in his urine, which irritated his bladder. After two complete
    blockages, prededed by much peeing around, we changed his diet to Iams
    and he's been fine. They should be able to see the crystals in the
    urine if this is the problem (they will need a sample).

    
    
    	Chloe has had just about every test possible. All they show
    	is a chronic bacteria infection that won't go away despite
    	change of diet and 5 or 6 different medications.  X-rays
    	showed nothing wrong, Leukemia test was normal, but she
    	definitely has the infection.
    
    	Sandy,  how much did the tests at Tufts cost?  You can
    	answer me offline if you want.  I honestly don't know that
    	I can afford another round of hundreds of dollars of tests.
    
    	Thanks
    
    	JJ
    

    
    Has she been tested for diabetes?  Frequent urination and drinking
    are a sign of this....

    
    
    	They mentioned it but I don't remember if they tested her
    	for it or not.  I made a call to the vet yesterday but he
    	was unavailable.  I'm on the phone with him now.  He's 
    	suggesting to take some blood to test for the diabetes but
    	when doing the urine tests they've never found any sugar.
    	So I guess it's back to the vet for blood work now....
    

    
    
    	Well I don't want to jinx myself but....Chloe *appears*
    	to be getting better.  There hasn't been any peeing on the
    	floor for a couple days.  I'm still waiting for the results
    	on the blood test and they want another urine sample.
    
    	It's even gotten to the point where I haven't locked her
    	in the bathroom at night for over a week!  =)
    
    	JJ
    
    	

    Hi there!  Well I need your help and/or advice.
    
    It seems Tubba has been peeing and spraying all over the house.  He now
    does it right in front of us and yesterday afternoon when I got home,
    he went right on the couch.  I knew a while ago that he was peeing a
    little but it wasn't any big deal and it wasn't all over the place.
    
    I can't say that he drinks more.  He eats Iams, has been on Max cat,
    only good foods and no bad snacks.  There doesn't appear to be any
    blood either.  At first I thought it was because I had girls in heat or
    that he was trying to act like a big boy.  Now I am worried that he may
    have some sort of problem.  He doesn't cry or act out of the ordinary
    other than all this peeing.  What do you all think?
    Thanks,
    Karen

	Ok, what next ????????  Seems like it's just one thing after the
	other lately with our menagerie...............anyway, on the the
	reason for this note...........

	I took Dickens, our latest adoptee, to the vet's on Monday - over
	the weekend, he had started crying when he attempted to use the
	litterbox, had a mild case of loose bowels on Saturday night and
	then ok on Sunday so we knew it wasn't an obstruction in *that*
	area, but we couldn't really "tell" that he was peeing ok.......

	Dr.Terry looked him over, no temp, otherwise fine, so she said
	she agreed that he might have a urinary infection - gave him
	a shot of antibiotic and another of anti-inflammatory there at
	the office and sent me home with liquid antibiotic to give twice
	a day and a request to get a urine sample (HA!) - after a couple
	misfires (as in *I* messed up getting it, not Dickens !), we got
	a sample Tuesday morning and brought it up along with a stool
	sample.........

	Results last night - the stool sample was fine, the urine sample
	wasn't, they found crystals.................

	We're all concerned, even the vet, because he's still so young
	(only 4 months old on Sunday) - the vet said to keep giving him
	the antibiotic until it's gone then bring another sample up for
	testing - she doesn't want to restrict his diet (altho' she said
	what he's on is good - IAMS canned and NutroMax Kitten dry) because
	he's still so young............We lost his sister just 3 days after
	bringing them both home, so we're overly cautious with this one
	anyway................

	We're also concerned about whether or not he's drinking enough -
	what I noticed over the weekend, and my roommate (his ownee - as in
	he owns her, not the other way around !) saw last night, is that
	he drinks off his paw - that is, he dips his paw in the water
	dish and then licks it off - he'll sniff the waterbowl, look like
	he may take a lap or two but then starts with the paw action -
	since he's double-pawed, it looks like he's scooping a palmful -
	kinda cute if it wasn't for the fact that he's developed this
	problem...................

	any advice, opinions, helpful hints ???????????????????

	Debbi, Virginia & the menagerie

    When I needed to entice one of my dogs to drink more water, I used to
    add just a smidgen of the water from a can of tuna to his whole bowl of
    water.  The smell from the tuna got him to drink the whole bowl!  Is
    there something similar you could do with Dickens?  Some people use
    bouillon, but they usually contain too much salt, sort of defeats the
    purpose...
    Sarah

     thanks, Sarah, we'll give your idea a try !

     Debbi

I originally posted this on BIX, and am reposting with my permission:

==========
pets/cats #1242, from hshubs, 3688 chars, Sat May 29 22:29:39 1993
Comment(s). 
----------
TITLE: Strange behavoir
Mu was peeing in the livingroom, almost always on the newspapers, then
she'd go into the kitty litter box, then she'd leave again, then she'd
come back to the kitty litter box, then she'd leavce again.

The other day, when I was changing the kitty litter box, she climbed in.
So I waited.  When she got out, all I saw were a couple of spots of blood.
Uhoh.  Called the vet, they said that it sounded like a bladder infection,
so I brought her in.  Sure enough...

So now she's on anti-biotics that smell like bubble gum.  I can state
catagorically that kitties don't like bubble gum flavor.  At least, this
one doesn't.  At least, not when it's being forced down her twice a day.

The moral of the story is, if you see strange peeing behavoir, call the
vet!  If they're peeing in strange places, and they know better, it may
be a sign of a problem.  If the cat with the problem is male, you better
notice it quick, or you may have a dead cat on your hands.  Mu, being
female, didn't have that particular problem.

Now both cats are off of Cat Chow and 9-Lives, and on a prescription diet
consisting of Hills c/d.  -Both- cats for two reasons: (1) it's easier to
feed both cats the same thing, and (2) if it happened to her, it might only
be a matter of time before it happened to Guz, and Guz is male.

From what I gather from the information the vet sent me home with, bladdeer
infections can result from crystals in the urine.  The crystals irritate
the bladder and the urethra, and can cause the penis to become blocked.
This does -not- sound like fun.

Anyway, the crystals come from foods with a high level of magnesium.  The
vet gave me a list of foods, classified by their magnesium levels:

Low Magnesium Foods:
(under 20mg/Cal)
Canned foods:
Hills C/D and S/D (prescription only)
Science Diet*
Purina Pro Plan*
IAMS beef & liver*
(* available in pet shops, groomers, and kennels)
Friskies Buffet turkey and giblets
         Buffet beef & liver
         Buffet turkey & chicken
9-Lives Ranch Supper
         Chicken & Cheese
         Beef & Liver
         Kidney entree
Purina  Beef & liver
         Chicken dinner
         Liver dinner
Premium Liver & Chicken
         Tender beef dinner
         Turkey & giblets
         Ship & shore
         Hearty stew
         Tuna & liver
         Kidney dinner

Dry foods:
Hills C/D and S/D (prescription only)
Science Diet dry
IAMS Cat food, Kitten food, Chicken formula
Purina Pro Plan
Blue Seal Cat Care (feed & grain stores)
Natures Recipe
Natures Recipe, Old Mother Hubbard, and Fancy Feast Beef & Liver are low
  magnesium, but not balanced; don't feed over 50% of diet with these.

NOTE: salt, methionine, and uroeze are not added to Hills C/D or S/D


Medium Level Magnesium (21-30mg/Cal)
Friskies Buffet Seafood supper
9-Lives Liver entree
Kal Kan Mealtime
Moist & Tender
Tender Vittles
Happy Cat


High Level Magnesium (over 30mg/Cal)
Canned:
Fifaro
Whiskas - all flavors
Sheba - all flavors
Amore - all flavors
Puss & Boots Tuna, Fish
Strongheart
Pets Choice (IGA)
Friskies Fresh Catch - all flavors
Purina 100 Tuna
Bright Eyes Seafood dinner
Cadillac
Fancy Feast - all flavors

Soft Moist:
9-Lives Tender Meals
Alley Cat

Dry Foods:
9-Lives Tuna & egg, Crunchy
Pets Choice
Whiskas
Meow Mix
Friskies - all flavors
Purina Cat Chow Original, Mature, Ocean Blend, Special Dinner [sigh]
Purina Kitten Chow
Purina ONE
Thrive
Tami Ami
Kit N' Kaboodle
Almac's or Stop & Shop store brands, or other private label foods.


The above is from the handout the vet made up.

The idea behind retyping this stuff is to make you all aware of the signs
and of some preventative measures you can take.  I hope it helps.


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    Magnesium ash content isn't necessarily going to cause a problem. There
    are a couple of food brands, specifically the KalKan/Whiskas moist food 
    that produce a more acidic urine (which is what C/D also does), so it
    can counteract the negitive effect a little extra magnesium ash might
    have. Also, foods that are primarily fish or organ meat flavored have a
    tendency to set off more problems that "meat" foods.
    
    Deb - human of several FUS cats.
    

    
    Hello folks,
    
    Its been years since I've been in this file but I'm back.
    
    Today I dropped Bandit at the vet for a suspected UTI.  I got a
    call at noon saying that he hadn't peed yet so they were unable
    to get a urine sample (they wanted to to see him pee on his own
    to determine if he was blocked).  So they gave him valium in case
    he was just being stubborn and he tried for 10 minutes and only
    got 5 drops out.  So I got another call an hour ago and they are
    pretty sure he is blocked but we caught it nice and early.  Here is
    what they are going to do...
    
    1.  Knock him out and cateterize him
    2.  Intravenous IV fluids
    3.  Blood work and urinanalysis
    4.  Keep him until Monday
    
    This seems to be overdoing it.  If you read 189.12 you will see that
    Bandit has been through this before (once 4 years ago and once 6-1/2
    years ago).  The four year ago incident he was not blocked and he
    didn't have a stay at the vets.  The 6 year ago incident he was
    blocked and I know he stayed over but I don't think it was for 
    more that a day.  
    
    So, is this typical procedure for those of you with cats that have
    blockages?
    
    Also, is knocking him out to cateterize him necessary?  I recall
    that 4 years ago he was not knocked out... the vet told us that
    it didn't hurt him even though he screamed like he was in agony.
    Actually, I think it did hurt him and the vet was full of it.  This
    particular vet actually catherized him on a checkup a month later
    (again w/ no anethesia) just to get a urine sample!  My current 
    vet is horrified that this was done to Bandit without anesthesia!
    
    Thanks for any input.  Its been many years since I've had to deal
    with this (and only 3 times in his 8-1/2 years of life).         
    
    Karen

    I'm confused about which vet is doing what...can you have the vet
    you trust take care of Bandit?  Whenever I've brought one of my cats
    in for a suspected urinary tract problem, my vet has felt the 
    cat's underneath and said stuff like "his bladder is full" or
    "his bladder is not full" without any discernable trauma, although
    the former doesn't say if hte cat is blocked, of course.
    

    p.s.  Just out of general paranoia, I would be leery of leaving a
    cat with a problem that might need semi-immediate treatment, like
    a blockage, over the weekend at a vet hospital unless I knew he
    was going to be checked on regularly and not spend 12 hours or
    more at a time by himself.
    

    
    re: Karen Kolling
    
    I have a new vet.  This is the first time I've used him, although
    I've used his wife for checkups the past two years.  They practice
    together.  I've been pleased with them both so far.
    
    I haven't gone back to the catheter crazy vet.
    
    And I did check about his supervision over the weekend.  They
    will be there until noon Saturday and will check him regularly
    during that time.  They also said that sometimes they will take
    more severe cases home with them to watch over the weekend
    when necessary (although Bandit probably does not fall into
    this category it was nice to know that).
    
    The vet called me a while ago and said that they could not express
    his bladder when awake, even when given valium which is why they
    believed there was a blockage.  However, once he was out cold 
    they could express it which makes them believe that the anesthia
    may have caused the blockage to release.  They did the catheter
    anyhow and will leave it in until tomorrow.  If they take it out
    in the morning, he can probably come home Saturday afternoon and
    I told them that I would like them to try for that.
    
    Meanwhile, there are no crystals in his urine which leads them
    to believe no infection.
    
    So... question is, why the blockage.
    
    The only thing I can think of is the door in the basement that 
    leads to the kitty litter got shut for 2-1/2 days before it was
    discovered and he held it.  Finally, it got to be too much for
    him and, although he was able to pee at first, somehow he got
    a blockage.  A cat door is being installed this weekend....
    
    T.K. didn't bother to hold it ... my house is pooped and peed
    all over!  Luckily, he mostly peed on clothes which are easily
    cleaned...
    
    Karen

  If you call at 2 a.m. with a blocked cat, you'll be seeing a doctor 20 minutes
later. Blockage isn't the kind of thing you want to "wait-and-see" on. The cat's
probably been blocked for a while before you notice it and with nowhere to go
the urine and all the bad stuff it contains start to be a problem. To determine
if a cat's blocked the doctor palpates for the bladder and tries to
manually express it. If it's large and you can't get anything out, you probably
have a problem. If it's a real blockage, the cat's put under anesthesia, a
catheter is passed up the penis (if you think threading a needle is hard, try
threading a tiny one that's hard to hold on to, wobbles, and is blocked
somewhere by chunks of hard crystals), then it's stitched in so the cat can't
pull it out. The cat also gets an e-collar while the catheter's in to make sure
they don't tug on it. It stays in for 24 hours, during which time they get
fluids to help flush things out and keep them hydrated. At that point the
catheter comes out and we keep them another day to make sure they don't
re-block. They go home on Feline S/D Prescription Diet for a while before being
switched to another food.

Trace-owner-of-ex-blockee-Oliver-and-occassional-blocked-cat-assistant