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From: walsh@ihuxi.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.pets
Subject: Re: male cat disease
Message-ID: <685@ihuxi.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 18-Nov-83 08:52:00 EST
Article-I.D.: ihuxi.685
Posted: Fri Nov 18 08:52:00 1983
Date-Received: Sat, 19-Nov-83 22:57:40 EST
References: <257@nbires.UUCP>
Organization: AT&T Bell Labs, Naperville, Il
Lines: 18

One of my two male neutered cats had a bout with cystitis five years ago.
I had fed them dry food alternated with canned food and moist packaged food.
I gave him the medication for a few months and then stopped. I now only
feed them moist packaged food (i.e., Moist Meals or Tender Vittles). My vet
says this is fine (they don't like canned food). The cat has had no problems
since then, and the other cat never had any. I caught it early, as I was in
the vicinity of the litter box when he was trying to urinate and I heard him
cry. I called the vet immediately and they told me to bring him RIGHT in.
When I arrived, the vet ran out and grabbed him and catheterized him 
immediately. I was told that if it had been two or three more days, he would
have died. 
 I don't think it's necessary to use the medication forever, as I stopped
it after a few months with no ill effects. I notice that particular cat
drinks a lot more water now, which is good. The vet said to salt their food
to gget them to drink more water, but I never found that necessary (I don't
know how good salt would be for them, anyway).

B. Walsh