I feel so good now

All my life I suffered from urinary problems. My first family got so tired of me, they locked me outside. It was scary since they had taken my front claws away, but I survived. One time I got so sick I couldn't go to the bathroom at all, they took me to the vet. I don't remember much right after that. I know I waited and waited for them to come get me, but they never did. The nice people at the hospital tried to make me happy, but after so long I started getting scared to come out of my cage. At first, I was happy to wander around the hospital at night when one nice lady let me out, but after a while, I got used to staying in my cage and just didn't want to come out.

My new mommy came in one day and was so very sad. Every day she came by many times and each time she cried. I tried to make her smile and she would for a few minutes, but she told me she was worried about her Chloe. I didn't understand how someone could care so much and spend so much money since my people abandoned me when I got really sick, but I realized she was a special person. I began to trust her. She was allowed to let me out of my cage and I let her pet me. That was scary for me but she didn't push it.

One day, she came with this really fat thing she called Jack. He tried to smell me and wash my head, but I hid from him. The next thing I know, she was back and tried to put me into a cat carrier. I panicked and tried to run away. I scratched her and the nice nurse at the vet. Somehowe, they got me locked into that awful box, but in a short while, I was let out. It was like going to a playground for cats. I had all the food and water I wanted. I had boxes to potty in and toys as far as the eye could see. My new mommy left me alone and didn't try to hug on me too much. She showed me where everything was and left me alone to sniff on that fat thing she called Jack and all the other stuff in the house.

I was skeptical since my first family abandoned me, but even when I've peed on mommy's expensive rugs and ruined them, she never yelled at me. She even felt guilty for not realizing I was sick. I think I'm the luckiest cat alive. I am sorry my mommy lost Chloe, but I am so glad she found me.

Why can't I seem to get well?

Mommy thought my urine issues were all better because the hospital where she adopted me told her I got a clean bill of health. She made sure she took me back on schedule to get me checked out and they said I was fine, but it still hurt me to pee pee. I tried to hide it from my mommy and kept using the rugs, but she ended up taking the rugs away. She said they were ruined for good and we'd just have to live with the hardwood floors for now.

She did leave a few small wool rugs in some other rooms, so I used them too. After a while, mommy figured it out and said they smelled. Now there are no rugs in the whole house. Ok, there is one, but mommy says it's the most expensive one and it's in the guest bedroom. I did pee on the corner, but since then, mommy is trying to save it and has totally locked all of us out of that room. She leaves the doors shut all the time. We all try to sneak in there when mommy goes to her big closet, but she's pretty strict. We don't like her keeping us out. It's mean to keep us from exploring!

Mommy got worried and took me to her doctor that all the other kitties go to and that doctor ran some special tests on me and found out that even thought my crystals were gone, I had some sort of underlying infection. My mommy cried. She gave me lots of hugs and said she felt so guilty. She had been going by what the hospital where she adopted me told her and all along I still had an underlying problem. She got pretty mad too. It turned out I had some infection and her regular doctor did some kind of culture to find out exactly what medicine would make me better. Mommy got a bunch of pills and had to chase me around twice a day to give them to me. I hated them and even though I love my mommy, she did have to find me and I managed to give her a lot of scratches. Believe it or not, it took four times to get the test and four rounds of the medicine to make me well. I can't even begin to tell you how much happier I am now. In all my life, I'd never been able to pee pee without pain. It was great.....for a while.

It seems my problems are back. I've totally ruined the one room that has carpet in mommy's house. She says it's because I stole turkey at Christmas and steak not too long ago. I can't help it. I love to jump on the counters and rip off the covers on her food and steal a big piece. She says it makes me sick, but I'm not convinced. I'm going to the vet again this week, so keep your paws crossed for me. I really don't want to take more pills, but mommy is worried about me. I just want it to stop hurting like it did for a while. Wish me luck.

I may finally be well now.

Between my last entry and now, I had a staph infection in my bladder. It was painful and what was worse was that mommy kept giving me this yucky pink liquid stuff and making me open my mouth to get it. I ended up with pink sticky stuff on several areas of my face. It was terrible, but mommy kept at it and made me take it. I guess it was good for me because now I am all better and have been for a while.

I'm really hoping, and so is mommy, that I won't get sick so much anymore. She wants to buy some new carpeting for the one room that doesn't have wood floors and hopes I won't pee on it. I do know she's joined some yahoo group for kitties like me and has been getting ideas from other mommies and daddies who have cats that suffer. She says she's going to talk to my doctor about some things, so I hope my potty issues are a thing of the past.

One thing I know. She has made several nifty places where I can go and hide from my playful sister, Mama Kitty. That girl stresses me with all her chasing and playing. Mommy thinks the stress was bad for me. I've also been snuggling with mommy a whole lot more lately. I'm not sure what has come over me, but I'm not as skittish as I once was. Maybe it just took me some time to figure out she's safe. I really am not sure what it is, but I like it. I purr a whole lot and get lots of love whenever I want. Things are really looking up for me and I'm really quite happy.

Health update

Hi everycat. I went to the specialist and it was so scary. They were nice, but I don't know them like my regular vet, so I simply refused to come out of my carrier. Mommy finally got me out and it wasn't so bad at first, but then she LEFT me. I'm used to being left at the other vet, but this time my soon to be furdaddy was there too and it felt so much like the time my other family left me and never, ever came back. Both kissed me and said daddy would be back be back soon because mommy had some kind of meeting at work, but I wasn't sure and was reallly scared.

They took me into this room and put me through all kinds 0f horrible things. They took pictures of my insides and then they actually shaved my belly The indignity of it all was unbearable. They glopped some stuff on my naked tummy and then rubbed it with some wand and got more pictures. They kept calling them pictures but I swear it's not the same as when mommy gets out HER camera and takes pictures. Then they gave me fluids and got another urine sample. I just wanted to hide.

Luckily, daddy came back after that and took me home. The vet told him I was embarrassed because my tummy was naked. At least she realized this and was nice about it all! She told daddy the x-ray pictures showed no stones and the ultrasound pictures didn't either, but my bladder was irritated. Duh. No kidding. I could have told them that. Mommy spent a whole lot of money to find out something I already knew. Humans are kinda dumb. She did find out there wasn't scar tissue, and everyone said that was good.

Anyway, mommy got a pill to give me and I didn't throw it up. I heard them say when the labs come back next week. I may end up with a different pill. It depends on what some culture says. This vet says she gets a much more detailed report than my regular vet, so we will have more medicine options. Mommy is happy about that, but I sure am not.

Depending on what happens, I may have to switch food again and may end up on a low dose of antibiotics for the rest of my life. Mommy seemed concerned, but the vet promised it would be really low dose and most kitties don't get superinfections or anything. We talked about Mama Kitty and stress and may end up doing something to help that out. If she'd just grow up and quit playing all the time, it would make it so much better. The vet also showed us pictures of my previous operation and how it can sometimes make kitties more prone to infections. Daddy laughed and told me I got circumsized without my consent just like a baby, whatever that meant. I wonder if I should find out what that means??

Sorry this is so long, but it was a huge ordeal for me. All of the purring, notes and rosettes have truly helped me get through it all. Please keep purring that this medicine works and that my darned tummy fur grows back SOON. I don't like being half-naked.

thanks to everycat for the rosettes

My mommy has been really busy looking for a new job, planning a wedding and making sure I'm getting better, so she is sorry for not writing to everycat that sent me a rosette. I really appreciate the well wishes and wish I knew who belonged to the Black Cat Secret Purr Society >^..^<

Please accept our apologies if we didn't thank you personally. Mommy had the best intentions, but just loses track sometimes and gets flustered.

Thanks again for all the well wishes. I am feeling better for the moment.

Good and bad news

The urinalysis came back and it was negative, so the internal vet lady said I could stop my meds. The only thing is, I'm still peeing where I shouldn't. Mommy and the new vet lady think stress may be causing my problems. I have a new thing to take that is supposed to help my bladder, but it's a big pill and I hate it.

Mommy bought some special litter that stains if I have a problem, and she is going to add it to the boxes tomorrow.

I hate to upset her and have her worry. I can't even tell her if I'm sick again (after just a week) or if I just prefer to use the carpet sometimes. She promised to help me either way, so I am hoping I can make her happy. I know she loves me because she never scolds me for peeing in the wrong place and I have overheard I've ruined some really, really expensive kinds of rugs she had.

If anykitty knows anything that can help me, please let me know. I want to get better and I know mommy wants me to also.

I am high strung, so we are trying the feliway plug in things again. Mommy is willing to try anything and I want to help too. I'd love to hear from other kitties to find out what worked for them. I follow my Rx diet and everything, so why can't I get better???

sick again

Well, I'm sick again. The staining litter shows I have a PH problem, and since I've been peeing on the carpet again, mommy has to call the special vet lady. Daddy got really sick with this bug and then mommy got it, so we haven't been updating as we should. Mommy thinks she's never gonna get better, but she's going to the doctor in a few minutes because she said it's turned into some kinda infection. I'm not sure I understand, but it's something about green stuff. It just sounds really gross.

Mama Kitty is home for good. She didn't catch the mousie at daddy's house. MOL. I would have caught that sucker, but they won't let me go over there. They say daddy has some nice rugs like the ones I ruined of mommy's and they can't take a chance on me ruining them too. What a bummer I'm sick. We don't get mousies around her. All I see is an occasional cricket in the basement.

The Feliway plug in things are really helping us though. MK not bothering me as much as normal. That's a good thing too. Mommy says I can't totally blame her because I "instigate" it too. Whatever that it.....I just attack her sometimes, so maybe that's what mommy is talking about. I can't seem to help myself.

I have been taken off the purr list. Mommy doesn't know why since we updated after our vet trip. We posted and sent Hazel Lucy a note, but my note never changed. Hazel's awfully busy, and I'm sure it just got overlooked, but I am gonna see if I can get added back since I'm still sick. I need all the purrs I can get to try to get over this problem. Mommy gets so upset when I pee. She can't buy a new carpet until I get better, but her main concern is that I am hurting.

Still fighting this thing

Here is an update on my health: They put me on another round of Baytril, but my special vet also put me on some thing called an anti-depressant. Mommy said it's generic Elavil called Amitriptyline. The special vet said it may calm me down and not make a nervous nellie since they believe stress is causing my repeat infections. Plus, it is also supposed to help kitty bladders. I tried to tell mom I wasn't crazy and she told me I wasn't. She said it might just help my bladder and she looked up a bunch of stuff and showed me, so I didn't fret too much even though I was still embarrassed.

However, Mommy hated how it made me act. She said it made me different. She knows it takes a while for that kind of stuff to build up in the system and was trying to ride it out, but she said it made me too tired and changed me too much. I was grumpy. I even hissed at Jack when he'd get anywhere near me and I don't mind living with Jack. Mama Kitty and I still fought, but I hid in the corner most of the time and Mommy couldn't do ANYTHING to make me purr for her. She called the special vet Friday, but the vet didn't call back. Mommy had been weaning me off it, but wanted to talk to the vet. I guess she will tell her Monday because I'm totally off it now.

I am no longer hiding in the corner and I've been headbonking Mommy and purring up a storm. So far, I haven't been off the Baytril long, so Mommy is going to see if another infection comes back. If it does, then I probably will have to stay on antibiotics forever. It would be a low dose, but it's better than the other stuff. Mommy is willing to try different things and is thinking of consulting with a holistic vet in our area. She says she'll do anything do make me all better forever and I believe her.

Please keep purring for me some. I don't need lots of purrs, but I do want to get better and not keep getting infections over and over. They hurt and it worries Mommy so much to see me get them.

Thanks everycat for the purrs you've been sending. So far, I haven't peed anywhere but the box since I've been off my Baytril. I'm keeping my paws crossed this stuff is gone for good.

peeing on the rugs again

Well, my last post said I hadn't been peeing on the carpet, but I am again. Mommy put down a rug in the bathroom again (she'd taken it up because I like to pee on it) and I have been peeing on it. I've been off the Baytril about a week, so mommy is gonna look at the special litter and see if it's changed colors any. The special vet called yesterday, but mommy missed the call. She'll be talking to her today. We don't know what we are gonna do now. I guess it's back to antibiotics once more.

I'm so tired of all the infections and I know mommy is frustrated with all the peeing on the floor. I just want to get better. Please keep purring for me and I'll update again once we talk to the special vet. I have this icky feeling I'lll have to go back to see her.

No Valium for me

Mommy talked to the special vet, and she gave me another Baytril Rx, and also one for Valium. Mommy and our regular vet talked and decided not to do the Valium right now. We also worry about using Baytil too much because it can cause blindness. My usage is fine for now, but if this continues, we will need to find another drug.

Since my pee pee opening is larger than normal due to my surgery, the vet has mommy taking a wet paper towel and wiping my bottom and tail every day. She said there is a chance some of the bacteria causing me problems can be wiped away. I HATE having this done. Mommy has forgotten once and got upset at herself, but she's just got to get into the hang of it she said. It's ok by me if we stop all together, but if it keeps me from getting sick, then maybe I can live with it.

If I get sick again after this round of Baytril, we are going to a holistic vet. We are already using Cosequin, but I like to "dispose" of it, and I'm not getting enough according to mommy.

We're hanging in there and are hoping sometime we can find a method that will keep me from getting infections all the time. Mommy is sure there is a combination out there, but she knows it will take time to find the right thing. At least I don't have to go to the vet's office every time now. Yeah.