Peeing inappropriately!

In article ,
wrote:

That's not true and I don't appreciate your gross exaggeration. I have
said that a UTI, left untreated, can be deadly. That's completely
accurate.

OK, but how common is this?

I mean, male cats VERY, VERY seldom get infections in the lower urinary
tract. The long, narrow urethra precludes such problems even as it
predisposes the cat to other problems that arise from sterile cystitis.

Female cats might get them more often, but even if the bacterial
byproducts create such an alkaline urine that it precipitates a stone,
the nature of the female urethra is such that it will VERY, VERY seldom
result in a life-threatening blockage.

So how often does a urinary tract infection threaten the life of a cat,
and by what mechanism? The only means I can think of is some kind of
sepsis from bacterial overgrowth, or translation of the infection to the
kidneys.

Haven't heard much about this happening.

-Alison in OH

From: ybodice (SongSylvan)

Thanks. He's going tomorrow morning, but his vet (knowing him as she does)
is
pretty convinced he's probably irate about something, and we just can't
figure
out what it is. Here's hoping.

I'm glad to hear you're taking your cat to the vet. I think that no matter how
well a vet knows a cat, the vet cannot know without a urinalysis whether or not
that cat has a urinary tract infection or some other medical issue. It's
imperative that whenever a cat is inappropriately urinating outside the box
that a medical cause is ruled out immediately.

Best wishes for your kitty,

Lauren
________
See my cats: http://community.webshots.com/album/56955940rWhxAe
Raw Diet Info: http://www.holisticat.com/drjletter.html
http://www.geocities.com/rawfeeders/ForCatsOnly.html
Declawing Info: http://www.wholecat.com/articles/claws.htm

From: ybodice (SongSylvan)

Thanks. He's going tomorrow morning, but his vet (knowing him as she does)
is
pretty convinced he's probably irate about something, and we just can't
figure
out what it is. Here's hoping.

I'm glad to hear you're taking your cat to the vet. I think that no matter how
well a vet knows a cat, the vet cannot know without a urinalysis whether or not
that cat has a urinary tract infection or some other medical issue. It's
imperative that whenever a cat is inappropriately urinating outside the box
that a medical cause is ruled out immediately.

Best wishes for your kitty,

Lauren
________
See my cats: http://community.webshots.com/album/56955940rWhxAe
Raw Diet Info: http://www.holisticat.com/drjletter.html
http://www.geocities.com/rawfeeders/ForCatsOnly.html
Declawing Info: http://www.wholecat.com/articles/claws.htm

From: ybodice (SongSylvan)

Thanks. He's going tomorrow morning, but his vet (knowing him as she does)
is
pretty convinced he's probably irate about something, and we just can't
figure
out what it is. Here's hoping.

I'm glad to hear you're taking your cat to the vet. I think that no matter how
well a vet knows a cat, the vet cannot know without a urinalysis whether or not
that cat has a urinary tract infection or some other medical issue. It's
imperative that whenever a cat is inappropriately urinating outside the box
that a medical cause is ruled out immediately.

Best wishes for your kitty,

Lauren
________
See my cats: http://community.webshots.com/album/56955940rWhxAe
Raw Diet Info: http://www.holisticat.com/drjletter.html
http://www.geocities.com/rawfeeders/ForCatsOnly.html
Declawing Info: http://www.wholecat.com/articles/claws.htm

From:

Oh, and one more thing, Jeannie:

http://groups.google.com/groups?q=ut...e=UTF-8&selm=0
1be62d9%2498f3eaa0%248d3cb08e%40pavilion&rnum=4

It took me exactly 10 seconds to find this. There are more stories just
like this one.


How sad
________
See my cats: http://community.webshots.com/album/56955940rWhxAe
Raw Diet Info: http://www.holisticat.com/drjletter.html
http://www.geocities.com/rawfeeders/ForCatsOnly.html
Declawing Info: http://www.wholecat.com/articles/claws.htm

From:

Oh, and one more thing, Jeannie:

http://groups.google.com/groups?q=ut...e=UTF-8&selm=0
1be62d9%2498f3eaa0%248d3cb08e%40pavilion&rnum=4

It took me exactly 10 seconds to find this. There are more stories just
like this one.


How sad
________
See my cats: http://community.webshots.com/album/56955940rWhxAe
Raw Diet Info: http://www.holisticat.com/drjletter.html
http://www.geocities.com/rawfeeders/ForCatsOnly.html
Declawing Info: http://www.wholecat.com/articles/claws.htm

From:

Oh, and one more thing, Jeannie:

http://groups.google.com/groups?q=ut...e=UTF-8&selm=0
1be62d9%2498f3eaa0%248d3cb08e%40pavilion&rnum=4

It took me exactly 10 seconds to find this. There are more stories just
like this one.


How sad
________
See my cats: http://community.webshots.com/album/56955940rWhxAe
Raw Diet Info: http://www.holisticat.com/drjletter.html
http://www.geocities.com/rawfeeders/ForCatsOnly.html
Declawing Info: http://www.wholecat.com/articles/claws.htm

"Alison Perera" wrote in message
...
.... So how often does a urinary tract infection threaten the life of a cat,
and by what mechanism? The only means I can think of is some kind of
sepsis from bacterial overgrowth, or translation of the infection to the
kidneys.
Haven't heard much about this happening.
-Alison in OH

I believe that the problem is that the bladder can burst if the blockage is
complete. I don't know how a person at home with a UTI cat could accurately
predict when the infection would progress to that exact moment when the
bladder would burst and the cat would die a terrible death. Or even if it
would progress to that point or not. So, without taking that cat to the vet,
that person will be risking the cat's life.
So just how often does that happen: what is the risk, you ask. Well, I don't
know how often, but you can be sure that when it does happen, it matters a
lot to the cat who is the unlucky statistic.
But, even if a urinary tract infection is not at the point of being life
threatening, it certainly can affect the cat's ability or willingness to use
the litter box, which is the original problem under discussion here.
Although I sympathize with the person, in my personal opinion, inconvenience
to the owner is not the main point. More important, the cat will suffer
needlessly and could die if the UTI is not detected and treated, the sooner
the better.
However, let's forget for a moment about the poor misbehaving cat and focus
on the owner.
Taking the cat to the vet at the first sign of a UTI has benefits to the
owner. Some are listed here.
If a UTI is discovered, it can be treated with much less expense sooner than
later.
If a UTI is the cause and is not treated, other approaches to the problem
will not work and the owner will continue to be inconvenienced.
If the UTI is not the problem, the owner can focus on behavior modification.
Taking the cat to the vet does not prevent the owner from looking for
environmental causes and solutions, which have been listed time and time
again on this and other newsgroups.
Annie

"Alison Perera" wrote in message
...
.... So how often does a urinary tract infection threaten the life of a cat,
and by what mechanism? The only means I can think of is some kind of
sepsis from bacterial overgrowth, or translation of the infection to the
kidneys.
Haven't heard much about this happening.
-Alison in OH

I believe that the problem is that the bladder can burst if the blockage is
complete. I don't know how a person at home with a UTI cat could accurately
predict when the infection would progress to that exact moment when the
bladder would burst and the cat would die a terrible death. Or even if it
would progress to that point or not. So, without taking that cat to the vet,
that person will be risking the cat's life.
So just how often does that happen: what is the risk, you ask. Well, I don't
know how often, but you can be sure that when it does happen, it matters a
lot to the cat who is the unlucky statistic.
But, even if a urinary tract infection is not at the point of being life
threatening, it certainly can affect the cat's ability or willingness to use
the litter box, which is the original problem under discussion here.
Although I sympathize with the person, in my personal opinion, inconvenience
to the owner is not the main point. More important, the cat will suffer
needlessly and could die if the UTI is not detected and treated, the sooner
the better.
However, let's forget for a moment about the poor misbehaving cat and focus
on the owner.
Taking the cat to the vet at the first sign of a UTI has benefits to the
owner. Some are listed here.
If a UTI is discovered, it can be treated with much less expense sooner than
later.
If a UTI is the cause and is not treated, other approaches to the problem
will not work and the owner will continue to be inconvenienced.
If the UTI is not the problem, the owner can focus on behavior modification.
Taking the cat to the vet does not prevent the owner from looking for
environmental causes and solutions, which have been listed time and time
again on this and other newsgroups.
Annie

"Alison Perera" wrote in message
...
.... So how often does a urinary tract infection threaten the life of a cat,
and by what mechanism? The only means I can think of is some kind of
sepsis from bacterial overgrowth, or translation of the infection to the
kidneys.
Haven't heard much about this happening.
-Alison in OH

I believe that the problem is that the bladder can burst if the blockage is
complete. I don't know how a person at home with a UTI cat could accurately
predict when the infection would progress to that exact moment when the
bladder would burst and the cat would die a terrible death. Or even if it
would progress to that point or not. So, without taking that cat to the vet,
that person will be risking the cat's life.
So just how often does that happen: what is the risk, you ask. Well, I don't
know how often, but you can be sure that when it does happen, it matters a
lot to the cat who is the unlucky statistic.
But, even if a urinary tract infection is not at the point of being life
threatening, it certainly can affect the cat's ability or willingness to use
the litter box, which is the original problem under discussion here.
Although I sympathize with the person, in my personal opinion, inconvenience
to the owner is not the main point. More important, the cat will suffer
needlessly and could die if the UTI is not detected and treated, the sooner
the better.
However, let's forget for a moment about the poor misbehaving cat and focus
on the owner.
Taking the cat to the vet at the first sign of a UTI has benefits to the
owner. Some are listed here.
If a UTI is discovered, it can be treated with much less expense sooner than
later.
If a UTI is the cause and is not treated, other approaches to the problem
will not work and the owner will continue to be inconvenienced.
If the UTI is not the problem, the owner can focus on behavior modification.
Taking the cat to the vet does not prevent the owner from looking for
environmental causes and solutions, which have been listed time and time
again on this and other newsgroups.
Annie