Cats: Progress with the *Ahem* Problem
To continue with where we left off last week — one or more cats urinating in places they are not supposed to — I took Pretty Boy Floyd to Dr. Val on Monday. She couldn’t find anything specifically wrong with him, but the ultrasound on his bladder indicated some “junky” stuff in there. Some male cats have bladders like that, so that doesn’t necessarily mean he’s my culprit. But Dr. Val’s gut feel is it’s a male kitty with the problem. Since we “only” have three of those, I said I’d been considering bringing all three in on Monday and I offered to bring the other two back with me. We set it up for the end of the day — she had a few surgeries lined up and hoped to be done then.
I rounded up all the boys and brought them in. Everyone seems to be in good health, but she couldn’t get any urine samples to verify. In fact, Ajax gained back some of the weight he lost before getting his teeth cleaned. There was the matter of Floyd’s “junky” bladder. She sent me home with a specimen cup and syringe and asked me to suck up any samples I discovered to bring in for testing. So, I turned all the cats loose this week, trying to get a sample. This wouldn’t tell us which cat, but it would tell us if we had a kitty with a urinary tract infection or a kitty with a behavioral problem. Since the infection is easier to fix, we were left in an uncomfortable position of hoping we had a sick kitty. I’m also treating both Daphne and Floyd with Amoxicillin twice a day as a preventive measure.
The week has been pretty quiet, but earlier this week I caught Floyd “burying” a fake sheepskin fleece cat blanket. Sure enough, it had been urinated on. I washed it and put it back out. I caught him doing the same thing this morning. Also, in the kitchen sink, I found a urine sample someone had left overnight. I sucked it up with the syringe and put it in the specimen cup. While Mr. L was dragging me around yard sales this morning, we stopped at the clinic to get the sample analyzed. The “good” news is, we have a kitty with a urinary tract infection. We’re pretty sure it’s one of the boys, and I’d place bets it’s Floyd. To be on the safe side, I’m taking all three boys in on Monday and dropping them off. Dr Val’s going to put them in a position to willingly give her a sample (Vee haf ways…) and test it. Assuming someone tests positive, she’s going to send off for more detailed analysis to find out what will be the best treatment for the problem.
Other than that, it’s been a pretty uneventful week here. Since Floyd has jumped Rossie a time or two, I had Mr. L pick up a collar with a bell to let Rossie know he’s around, too. We’ve had a few scuffles this week, but nothing I’d call a really major altercation. Since nobody is getting injured in these dust-ups, and Rossie isn’t hiding as much as she used to, I’m less concerned about their dislike for each other. I don’t want the disagreements to happen of course, but some of it is probably normal in a household with this many cats.
Lady is mostly taking her medication inside a Greenies Pill Pocket. I have to watch her, but she’s offering less resistance to me chucking it down her throat if she spits the pill out of the pocket than she was before I figured out to give her a treat (I initially tried wrapping it in cheese, but she wouldn’t touch it) right after popping it down her throat.
I’ve made no significant progress with Mooch, but he does perk up when I have the Fancy Feast. He won’t eat the L-lysine treats I got for him, but I crumble them onto his Fancy Feast, and he gets them that way. I don’t know if they help or not, but I’m sure they don’t hurt.
A quiet week is a good thing. Maybe we’ll have a few more.
You are like an angel to these kitties, and as a pet “owner” I’m vaguely aware of the time, money, and thought it takes.
We took our two dogs and one cat in for their annual “well pet” visits a few weeks ago, and the bill was just shy of $800.
One of the dogs–the big boy–enjoys going for car rides. (When you get a dog, get a lab or a lab mix. They are cooperative, willing, and loving.) The little dog shakes so badly at the mere THOUGHT of getting into the car–I’ve worried for her just on account of her nerves. And the cat–she’s an independent, garage-dwelling, property-guarding, hard-a$$ed little outfit, and she doesn’t like car rides, either. Nor does she like getting into her carrier.
But everybody survived. Well–okay, the animals went one-by-one. While the lab was out, the little dog shook and cried at the door to the garage. While the little dog was out, the lab whined and whimpered at the door to the garage. While the cat was out–the dogs were more relaxed than I’ve ever seen them. Yes, that 11 pound manx tabby is the Big Dog of our place.
With humans, she’s sweet as sugar. Unless you want to take her for a ride.
Dr. Val isn’t cheap, but she’s reasonable and fair. Boarding is nearly $14 a day with her, but she has always given me a very reasonable discount for the eight of them (it will be nine this year). She cut me a very reasonable break on the spaying/neutering for the seven ferals I’ve had done, most of which I ended up keeping (wasn’t my intention, but nobody was looking for kitties when I had them with her for adoption, so I wound up keeping them). I protested, but they insisted. She’s also a damn good vet, and we’re lucky to have her here in our little town. She was at the top of graduating class in vet school, so I’m sure she could have chosen to set up a practice somewhere else, but she’s here. When she tells me she suspects something, I trust her.
Revolution was the killer. I think one package of feline Revolution is $75 for six doses (and they throw in two free if you buy six). I was looking at about eighty-five dollars a month for flea and parasite preventative. She suggested I get the big dog version and a syringe and apply it that way. I get eight doses from one big dog tube, and I use two individual doses for the remaining two cats, dropping my cost to $18 a month for everyone. Whew! THAT was a budget-saver. And the cats hardly notice when I apply it with the syringe (minus the needle — that stays in the tube) — no air sound.
I love how cats run the house no matter the size of the dogs. We have two that are very difficult to get into the carriers. Several others are problematic. I have about four who give me no trouble at all. I joke that I have to have a Navigator L (an Expedition El would work the same) to transport the cats. I bought the L when we had two medium size dogs, because the space behind the third seat was very comfortable for the dogs to travel with us. Now I fold the third seat down and line the back with carriers. Since Daphne has joined us, someone gets to ride up front. We rotate that. Just like with kids. My truck has remote start, so if I’m traveling with the cats and need to run inside a store for a minute, I get out, start the truck with the remote start, and leave them in comfort and security.