drive-by picture posting

Response to Lynne :

-Lost wrote:

I hope this doesn't sound too stupid... but how did you notice
he was having troubles? I mean, is the litter box visible to
you? Did he vocalize discomfort?

Oh, not stupid! I totally noticed, and I credit my recognition
of what was happening with posts I have read on this very
newsgroup! And I am soooo grateful. With male cats especially
(since males are more likely to have urinary tract problems),
it's pretty important IMO to observe their litter box habits.
If they strain to pee, even just a little, something is
definitely up. Another symptom cats may exhibit when they have
problems is urinating (or trying to urinate) outside of the
litter box, because they start to associate the box with pain.
If they develop a blockage, surgery becomes a requirement. Left
untreated, the situation can become life threatening (someone
please correct me if I am wrong).

For Levi, when the workmen were here, he was mostly using the
litter box in the basement. He normally likes to use the box in
the master bathroom when I am on my "throne." I don't know how
long he was having problems, but one night I saw that he was
straining to urinate. It was horrible to watch, the poor little
guy. After he strained for a bit, he didn't pass any urine as
far as I could tell. I was sure he was blocked. I was beside
myself with worry, and took him to the emergency vet even though
I have a wondeful vet who was open at the time! Thankfully he
wasn't blocked, but I wasn't taking any chances. It took a
couple of months to get him cleared up as his pH went all over
the place with the dietary changes.

The most important advice I can give you is to feed only wet
food (every 12 hours) and have an uncovered litter box someplace
where you can observe potty habits and detect any problems ASAP.

Thanks for this information!

--
-Lost
Remove the extra words to reply by e-mail. Don't e-mail me. I am
kidding. No I am not.