I have been very busy lately fluting and photographing (this crackberry pic isn't a shining example of the photography that I have been working on...) and neglected to report the latest updates on the kitties. Here's a catch-up:
Late in Feb I found JP urinating outside the litterbox (living room carpet, then just outside box (then IN litterbox!!! yay!) then back on carpet - all within about a 3 minute span). I knew that was medical and not necessarily behavioral, so I rushed him to the vet. Turned out he had a "raging urinary tract infection". She gave him subcutaneous fluids, vitamin c, and an antibiotic shot and sent us home with Baytril pills. She claims he was dehydrated and holding in urine. When we went back for a check up he was still dehydrated and retaining urine. So...we were thinking that he might be nervous about using the litterboxes. Perhaps INKY or another cat had bullied him around the box. Dr. Colker put him on 5 mg (?) of Elavil (for anxiety) a day and gave us more Baytril since his infection hadn't improved all that much. OH YEAH....you'll love this part: I brought JP's urine sample with me! Yes, that's right....I'm on my way to professional vet-techdom! JP tends to not give urine samples to vets....so, I got one at home just before we visited Dr. Colker. I won't even get into the logistics of that right now...
Well...today my husband and I brought JP back to the vet for his checkup (see picture). JP was really nervous and was hiding in the house before I even broke out the carrier! I guess he was really listening to me last night when I told him we were going to the vet. I usually don't tell him. So...he was very upset about it all and about using the smaller prettier carrier...so, he peed and pooped in it! Guess what that means. Guess! No, it means I have to gather another urine sample from him soon and drive it back down there again! I wish Dr. Colker was closer to us! We'd probably be in there all the time. $$$. Well, today she sent a scab off his side in to pathology to be sure he doesn't have leprosy or bubonic plague (believe it or not, this could happen!!!). She wants him to continue on a lower dosage of Elavil and she gave us some magic liquid that will improve his poop (yes, he gave her 2 tiny hard dry presents on the table).
Enough medical info?
Behavior info:
Everyone seems to have received him back home from the doctor with no problems. YAY!!! I always spray felliway and do some allo-grooming (no link today, sorry) with INKY just to ease the transition home so we don't have a repeat of the INKY-CC war.
In other behavior news:
With the colder weather, Scooter has been sleeping on the bed every night for months.
INKY wakes me up every morning between 5 and 7 by chasing around other cats (usually Scooter) who are often hissing and growling at him. And once I'm awake...my adrenaline is pumping and I cannot go back to sleep.
A few weeks ago INKY saw a critter in the yard and had a very minor (on the INKY freak out scale) freak out. Since then I have noticed spraying on the dressers and by the back door (though I caught JP trying to spray the back door - historically it is a very popular spraying spot since CC's old cat door is located there). I have switched to a gallon of Anti-Icky poo which seems to be the best cleaner out there.
Well, sorry this was a long (overdue) and boring update...but I felt the need to get it all out. Thanks.
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