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Path: utzoo!linus!philabs!seismo!hao!cires!nbires!lizard
From: lizard@nbires.UUCP (LisaLynn Turboff)
Newsgroups: net.pets
Subject: male cat disease
Message-ID: <257@nbires.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 17-Nov-83 12:10:14 EST
Article-I.D.: nbires.257
Posted: Thu Nov 17 12:10:14 1983
Date-Received: Sat, 19-Nov-83 01:26:42 EST
Organization: NBI, Boulder
Lines: 42

Saturday morning, I awoke to find my 2 1/2 year old cat, Mojo, sleeping in
a pool of urine (on my bed).  Knowing how clean cats are, I was quite
amazed.  I tried to move him to see if he really was lying in urine, and
he screamed like he does when I tease him for too long.  

A couple of hours later, the vet opened and I took him in.  Sure enough,
just as I had feared, the doctor told me that Mojo has cystitis (similar
or the same as kidney stones).  Mojo would get into the crouched 
urinating position for several minutes and nothing would come out.  Then 
the doctor tried to pick him up and he lost it.  My cat was lucky.  He was
not completely clogged up and didn't need surgery.

I was a fool.  For two years, I fed my cat only canned food with chicken
or meat by-products as the primary ingredient.  I also fixed liver with
grains for him.  And then we bought a house.  A box of dry food came with
it (as did sponges, some lumber and firewood).  So, we lazily, started
feeding him dry food, too.  Two months later, his first health problem.
Now, I'll either be spending a fortune on his food or his vet bills.  (The
vet showed us a cat whose owners would not change his diet.  The male
cat had just had his penis turned into a vagina.  Ugh!)

Male cats are more apt to get to cystitis due to their anatomy.  For any of
you that have male neutered cats, let me suggest the following preventions.
NEVER feed them commercial dry food.  Dry food is extremely high in ash and
cats may not drink enough after eating the dry food causing stones to block
the urethra.  The optimal fast food for cats is Science Diet.  I have 
only seen the canned food so far, but it contains no fish whatsoever.
We bought 25 cans (wholesale) for $19 and a friend bought 25 pounds of
dry food (retail) for $25.  If you feel like your cat is immuned to
cystitis, but you are a bit guilty, the next best thing to do is to check
the canned cat food labels.  Never buy food that has fish as the first
ingredient.  

It's a sad sight to see my huge, loving cat unable to control his bladder
or to urinate when he needs to.  He's been on and off the catheter since
Saturday.  The doctor said he'll probably be able to come home today
(Thursday).  He said that Tuesday morning, too.

To anyone who has had experience with cat cystitis, my vet said that we
would have to give Mojo medication for the rest of his life to treat 
prevent a recurrence.  That's hard for me to believe.  (Anyone know about
this for sure?)