Rabies Kitty gets sprung today and I am home free

[mona-camille]

The 10 day quarantine is up and since he is alive, that means he is fine and so am I. No rabies for him YEAH!!! and no shots for me, DOUBLE YEAH!!! And yes, it's a boy! And the little sucker turned into such a love bug that we should be able to find a home for him quickly. Going up to the vet to take some pictures of him later. I was so darn worried that he would stay wild after that trapping/attacking debacle, but according to the vet, he is a sweetie and loves attention. I am sooooo happy.

[The Redhead]

Glad to hear the kitten is ok. How are your battle wounds doing after the incident? ...healing ok?

[Willi333]

Oh Mona, glad everything turned out good. Are you really sure you wanna find that little stinker a home other than yours ???

(((HUGS)))

[Kittycat]

That's great Mona, for both of you!!!

[fat2nrml]

So glad to hear that you and kitty are going to be OK!!! They can be little terds sometimes, eh??!!

While I have your attention.... do you have any tips on how to stop my male kitty from spraying? We have 4 total, 3 boys and 1 girl. Binx is the only one doing it. I took him to the vet because he's been peeing on my throw rugs [this is besides the spraying] and they said he has crystals in his urine and I had to change his food to Science Diet. All this has been going on since Spring and I don't know how to get him to stop!! I love all my kittys and I'd never get rid of any of them, but I already ripped up 2 rooms of carpet..... any advice would be greatly appreciated!! Also, any tips on how to get out the pee smell?

Thanks ahead of time Mona, Darlene

[The Redhead]

So glad to hear that you and kitty are going to be OK!!! They can be little terds sometimes, eh??!!

While I have your attention.... do you have any tips on how to stop my male kitty from spraying? We have 4 total, 3 boys and 1 girl. Binx is the only one doing it. I took him to the vet because he's been peeing on my throw rugs [this is besides the spraying] and they said he has crystals in his urine and I had to change his food to Science Diet. All this has been going on since Spring and I don't know how to get him to stop!! I love all my kittys and I'd never get rid of any of them, but I already ripped up 2 rooms of carpet..... any advice would be greatly appreciated!! Also, any tips on how to get out the pee smell?

Thanks ahead of time Mona, Darlene

Hi Darlene,

Just thought I'd add my 2 cents here too. I have two male cats and one used to spray all the time. That smell is HORRIBLE. I used something called 'Natures Miracle Stain and Odour Remover'. I bought it at the Vets. It was the only thing that worked. Also, my cats don't spray anymore. I think they will keep spraying if that smell is still around. We used a black light to find all the spots. Once ALL the spots were cleaned, he stopped.

My other male cat gets crystals. I have kept them both on Royal Canin, Urinary SO. It's pretty expensive but a LOT cheaper than the vet bills. He hasn't had crystals in 2 years now, so I think this food is doing the trick.

Denise

[fat2nrml]

Hi Darlene,

Just thought I'd add my 2 cents here too. I have two male cats and one used to spray all the time. That smell is HORRIBLE. I used something called 'Natures Miracle Stain and Odour Remover'. I bought it at the Vets. It was the only thing that worked. Also, my cats don't spray anymore. I think they will keep spraying if that smell is still around. We used a black light to find all the spots. Once ALL the spots were cleaned, he stopped.

My other male cat gets crystals. I have kept them both on Royal Canin, Urinary SO. It's pretty expensive but a LOT cheaper than the vet bills. He hasn't had crystals in 2 years now, so I think this food is doing the trick.

Denise

Thanks Denise, I'll ask the Vet about the spray. I used over-the-counter type sprays and they DO NOT get rid of the smell at all. The Vet thinks he's peeing because the crystals hurt and he's associating the pain with the litter box and won't go there.

I'm hopeful that the change in food will stop the peeing outside the litter box.

The Science Diet is expensive too, especially with 4 cats, but it'll be well worth it if it works. Thanks again, Darlene :superstition:

[mona-camille]

The vet only gave you food? He didn't give you antibiotics or anything? He didn't flush his bladder out? If the vet is relying on food only, then it is going to take quite a while for those crystals to disappear. The food method usually helps, but takes a long time. So he still has pain. Which, he does associate with his litter box. Denise is right. Try the natures miracle for smell removal. A new litter box with with a new type of litter could also help as could additional boxes. You need to get it stopped quickly though so he doesn't keep it up forever. I would set up more boxes in more places around the house because with crystals, he may not be able to make it to the box fast enough. Like us when we have bladder infections, we have to go right away. So, more boxes in moreplaces would makeit easier for him to get to them in time.

There is a difference between regular pee and marking pee. Marking pee is spay which is not the same thing as regular peeing.

A cat that sprays is a behaviour problem that has many causes. Simply adding more boxes or changing litter types often helps in this case. Also, NEVER EVER use scented litter. EVER!! They should not even make the stuff! NO CAT likes it. Also, if you have a stray cat wandering around outside your window, that could cause problems for your inside cats too.

Just give the above things a try and see how you do. Let me know if it doesn't stop and we can go from there. There is ALWAYS a cure for peeing problems. I RPOMISE!! It just may take a lot of trial and error to find out HOW to fix it, but all of those types of problems ARE fixable!

[mona-camille]

Thanks Denise, I'll ask the Vet about the spray. I used over-the-counter type sprays and they DO NOT get rid of the smell at all. The Vet thinks he's peeing because the crystals hurt and he's associating the pain with the litter box and won't go there.

I'm hopeful that the change in food will stop the peeing outside the litter box.

The Science Diet is expensive too, especially with 4 cats, but it'll be well worth it if it works. Thanks again, Darlene :superstition:

You can get Natures Miracle at anypet store, it doesn't HAVE to come from the vet.

[The Redhead]

He didn't give you antibiotics or anything? He didn't flush his bladder out? If the vet is relying on food only, then it is going to take quite a while for those crystals to disappear.

Hi Mona,

Can you rely on food to clear out crystals??? I thought you had to clear them out with flushing (sometimes by a vet sqeezing their bladder to make them pee) or else the crystals would block the uretha, causing the bladder to erupt, killing the cat. ...at least that was what my vet told me.

A while ago, just after the ex and I split, I was a single mom with NO money and two kids and a BILLION bills to pay. There was no money for food for us, let alone vet bills. Our male ginger cat Tommy, got crystals so bad that he would lay on the floor and blood would seep out. I took him to the vet and they told me that it would be about $600 - $1000 (up front) to 'see if' they could save him. I did not have $60, let alone $600. The cat belongs to my daughter and I told the vet that I would have to take him home and think about and talk to my daughter. I also told her I would call her back later that afternoon and tell her what I was going to do.

When I got him home my daughter wasn't home. I immediately called a lady I knew who works at another vet. Within 10 minutes of me arriving home the SPCA showed up at my door. They told me they were there to take a cat from me that was in distress. I was SHOCKED. Tommy then came out to greet the company, like he always does and walked up to the man. The man was very surprised because he was still walking and definitely wasn't in too much pain. The SPCA guy said that he 'thought the vet may have over-reacted'. I told him I was just on the phone trying to get another vet to look at him and told him where I was taking him. I took him to that vet and they kept him for a few days until the crystals were cleared up. They charged me $250, which they let me pay over time. They also gave me a free 'sample' bag of Royal Canin.

If that wasn't bizarre enough... Tommy's brother, Oliver, lived across the street. Oliver also got crystals at the same time. My neighbors took Oliver to a different vet. They quoted about the same for medical bills ($600+). The neighbors are ex-farmers. They believe an animal is just an animal. They took Oliver home and let him die. The SPCA wasn't called on him!

The whole incident was crazy from start to finish. I was dealing with a lot of personal issues that were consuming me (separation, money, etc.) so I never investigated it further. To this day though I wonder what the heck happened with the vet and why she called the SPCA. ..by the way... the SPCA checked up on me to make sure I brought Tommy to the vet that I said I was taking him to. They also stopped in to check on him there. The neighbor... NOTHING! I know that the vet I saw worked at several other vets as well. I'm wondering if she got Tommy and Oliver mixed up. Maybe she should have sent the SPCA to pick up Oliver.

[mona-camille]

Hi Mona,

Can you rely on food to clear out crystals??? I thought you had to clear them out with flushing (sometimes by a vet sqeezing their bladder to make them pee) or else the crystals would block the uretha, causing the bladder to erupt, killing the cat. ...at least that was what my vet told me.

A while ago, just after the ex and I split, I was a single mom with NO money and two kids and a BILLION bills to pay. There was no money for food for us, let alone vet bills. Our male ginger cat Tommy, got crystals so bad that he would lay on the floor and blood would seep out. I took him to the vet and they told me that it would be about $600 - $1000 (up front) to 'see if' they could save him. I did not have $60, let alone $600. The cat belongs to my daughter and I told the vet that I would have to take him home and think about and talk to my daughter. I also told her I would call her back later that afternoon and tell her what I was going to do.

When I got him home my daughter wasn't home. I immediately called a lady I knew who works at another vet. Within 10 minutes of me arriving home the SPCA showed up at my door. They told me they were there to take a cat from me that was in distress. I was SHOCKED. Tommy then came out to greet the company, like he always does and walked up to the man. The man was very surprised because he was still walking and definitely wasn't in too much pain. The SPCA guy said that he 'thought the vet may have over-reacted'. I told him I was just on the phone trying to get another vet to look at him and told him where I was taking him. I took him to that vet and they kept him for a few days until the crystals were cleared up. They charged me $250, which they let me pay over time. They also gave me a free 'sample' bag of Royal Canin.

If that wasn't bizarre enough... Tommy's brother, Oliver, lived across the street. Oliver also got crystals at the same time. My neighbors took Oliver to a different vet. They quoted about the same for medical bills ($600+). The neighbors are ex-farmers. They believe an animal is just an animal. They took Oliver home and let him die. The SPCA wasn't called on him!

The whole incident was crazy from start to finish. I was dealing with a lot of personal issues that were consuming me (separation, money, etc.) so I never investigated it further. To this day though I wonder what the heck happened with the vet and why she called the SPCA. ..by the way... the SPCA checked up on me to make sure I brought Tommy to the vet that I said I was taking him to. They also stopped in to check on him there. The neighbor... NOTHING! I know that the vet I saw worked at several other vets as well. I'm wondering if she got Tommy and Oliver mixed up. Maybe she should have sent the SPCA to pick up Oliver.

Yes, they absolutely should have sent the SPCA to the neighbors house. I am sure they DID have you mixed up!!! The reason they come out is the vet is required to report abuse or neglect on an animal. You can't let an animal suffer like that, it is against the law.

For you, the situation worked itself out, but for the neighbor he absolutely should have been charged with animal cruelty. Alllowing a blocked cat to go without medical intervention is nothing short of torture. Crystals are different, as long as the cat can still pee. Blockages are torture and require immediate medical intervention. What that man did was to allow that cats bladder to burst and kill the cat. That is extreme torture and it took a while for that cat to die so the torture was long!

Although it seems like a personal attack, I am glad the vet called SPCA for you because at least they would have intervened if needed if your cat would have gotten blocked. So try not to be insulted, they were thinking of the cat. And thank God that really he just had crystal and not a true blockage, that is so much worse. I am sure they had you mixed up though and they went to the wrong house.

But yes, you are right, I would have thought they would flush it. Food can help as long as it is not blocked yet. Once it is blocked, food won't do anything. A cat needs emergency care to be un-blocked. Maybe the crystals weren't that bad. It can take a while for the food to get rid of crystals though.

Unfortunately, this is common in male cats and has a lot to do with the food they eat. People should never EVER feed cat food from the stores that has anything to do with the bladder. None of the PH food, none of the crystal food, none of it. See, there are 2 main types of crystals cats can get and without the vet telling you which one your cat has, you can't know which food to buy. Those foods can actually cause crystals if giving the wrong one. And the ones with blueberry and cranberry and all those other urine PH foods are also bad. They shouldn't even be allowed to sell those foods because people buy them without the vet telling them too and then they create new problems in the cat. You should only feed regular food unless the vet tells you otherwise.

Geez, did you expect all of this from me? Sorry! It's just that I have had 2 cats with crystal problems and spent many thousands of dollars fixing them. So I over educated myself, LOL!!

[fat2nrml]

Thanks Mona for the info., Binx and I very much appreciate it!!

I wanted to say that Binx is not blocked and was tested for infection and has none. He can pee, I know cause it's all over my house. He's not crying or bleeding [thank god!] The Vet feels that the food will help with the crystals and I'm hopeful.

I've been keeping my eye on him and have'nt seen him pee anywhere for the past few days. He's a big ball of love [he's with me on the computer desk and as I'm typing he's pawing at my hand to keep petting him! I LOVE HIM SO!!

I did have a stray running around outside and she won't come to anyone, she just runs away. I think the spraying is because Binx is begining to be the 'old man' [8] and Bettis is 2 and I think he's trying to be 'the man' of the house [meaning Bettis.] They don't fight-fight but they eye each other and hiss from time to time. Right after one confrontation they had, Binx went right over to the end of my couch and sprayed it.

Thanks again for everything Mona and Denise, I'll keep you posted. :-h Darlene

P.S. I have 4 cats and 5 litter boxes in different places in the house.