<snip>
It also gives great peace of mind for the owner! When Ernie got sick
recently, a rush to the vet reassured me greatly. He had an easily
treatable infection with a fever that has been successfully treated with
antibiotics. I suspect Ernie was playing sick by laying against a
heating vent to get extra attention from mom. ;)

To get back on topic, I too advise a vet visit. At least you'll be able
to rule *something* out.

Good luck,
K

Excuse me lady, but please point out where I said I didn't *want* to be
bothered taking Chase to a vet.  I said *hope*--everybody *hopes* there's
nothing seriously wrong with their pet, I'm pretty certain everybody here,
yourself included, would be relieved to find out, "This is common if you did
such-and-such."  There is not a darn thing wrong with asking if anybody has an
idea--when I called Chase's vet about this, she asked a lot of similiar
questions to what other posters have about possible changes or stresses that
might've triggered this, since her thinking is that peeing directly on me
indicates most likely he's mad at me about something.

Since you are not currently in my shoes with my worries, I'll thank you to not
assume that I only worry about 'convenience'.  

Magdalene
IWG #1024/Drill Sgt. of Local 35/Soiled Doves of Colorado
IFoRP # 57/First Mate of "The Flying Scotsman"
KC MasterPiece of the KCRF BBQ Wenches
One of Moonie's Naughty Kittens
Red Gemini Ghetto Smurf
To email me, remove my bodice

Since I mentioned a UTI in every response, I'm surprised you got your
panties all in a knot over it.

Of course it could be that. That's the first thing everyone should
check. The OP knows this and stated so. The post was about that ELSE it
could be besides that.

Geez, who pissed in your coffee?

--
~kaeli~
When you choke a smurf, what color does it turn?
http://www.ipwebdesign.net/wildAtHeart
http://www.ipwebdesign.net/kaelisSpace

...> So how often does a urinary tract infection threaten the life of a cat,

I believe that the problem is that the bladder can burst if the blockage is
complete. I don't know how a person at home with a UTI cat could accurately
predict when the infection would progress to that exact moment when the
bladder would burst and the cat would die a terrible death.  Or even if it
would progress to that point or not. So, without taking that cat to the vet,
that person will be risking the cat's life.
So just how often does that happen: what is the risk, you ask. Well, I don't
know how often, but you can be sure that when it does happen, it matters a
lot to the cat who is the unlucky statistic.
But, even if a urinary tract infection is not at the point of being life
threatening, it certainly can affect the cat's ability or willingness to use
the litter box, which is the original problem under discussion here.
Although I sympathize with the person, in my personal opinion, inconvenience
to the owner is not the main point.  More important, the cat will suffer
needlessly and could die if the UTI is not detected and treated, the sooner
the better.
However, let's forget for a moment about the poor misbehaving cat and focus
on the owner.
Taking the cat to the vet at the first sign of a UTI has benefits to the
owner. Some are listed here.
If a UTI is discovered, it can be treated with much less expense sooner than
later.
If a UTI is the cause and is not treated, other approaches to the problem
will not work and the owner will continue to be inconvenienced.
If the UTI is not the problem, the owner can focus on behavior modification.
Taking the cat to the vet does not prevent the owner from looking for
environmental causes and solutions, which have been listed time and time
again on this and other newsgroups.
Annie

circa Wed, 19 Nov 2003 11:17:59 -0500, in rec.pets.cats.health+behav,
Alison Perera (ask.me@cwru.edu.invalid) said,

What is your source for this claim? My own experience, information
provided to me by numerous veterinarians and everything I've ever
read about urinary health issues in cats run contrary to your claim.
This is *not* something that "VERY, VERY seldom" occurs. Urinary
tract infection, inflammation, cystitis and FUS/FLUTD are fairly
common in cats, _particularly_ in males when it comes to crystalline
blockage. To pooh-pooh what should *always* be an owner's first
concern when a cat eliminates inappropriately as "VERY, VERY seldom"
occurring strikes me as a lot more dangerous an assertion to make
than for somebody to jump to warn about possible dangerous infection.

If you don't like the way Megan phrased her posts, that's one thing.
But to turn around and assert what you did is, in my opinion,
irresponsible and contrary.

Laura

Otoh, I *would* (re: a cat's occasional inappropriate peeing).  My male cat
had a UTI a few years ago.  The only hint I had was that he peed 3 times in
inappropriate places in the time span of perhaps 1? weeks (trying to
remember back): on the cushion in the cat bed, in a cardboard box, & on some
laundry.  The rest of the time he was peeing in the litter box, was not
crying while going, no blood-tinged urine, etc.  The first antibiotic didn't
clear it up; it turned out that he needed a longish course of Baytril (3
weeks, IIRC) to zap it.

It may be your opinion, but sorry, it isn't a gross exaggeration.  Male
cats, if they become blocked, will die if not treated *quickly* - like w/in
24 hours. This is really important info for people who have male cats to
know.  If the cat keeps going to the litter box, but with no or very little
results, he needs to be taken to the vet on an emergency basis.  Note, she
didn't say it always is life-threatening, but that it *can* be - and that is
perfectly true.

In many instances, an opinion - or anecdotal info - is fine.  But
sometimes - & this is one of them - factual information is truly needed.

Cathy

--
"Staccato signals of constant information..."
("The Boy in the Bubble")  Paul Simon