Help me keep my mental sanity!

[sasvermont]

Jen, I wish you luck with this event. My visuals are all over the place, since I don't know how difficult these rascals are to contain! Have you considered having the vet come to the house? Or maybe you should back a van up to the front door and herd the group into the back of the truck.

I think your observation about diabetes may be right on target. Please let us know what the vet finds out by doing the sample/testing.

Gosh, pets can really be trouble, can't they!

How about a big glass of wine for Mom and Dad?

L,
SAS

[K & L]

Good luck to you. I sure hope there's nothing medically wrong. Although a behaviorial problem isn't fun either, but better than being ill! Keep us posted. What a wonderful vet you must have to do all this at such a reasonable rate!

[gini]

Originally posted by K & L
Good luck to you. I sure hope there's nothing medically wrong. Although a behaviorial problem isn't fun either, but better than being ill! Keep us posted. What a wonderful vet you must have to do all this at such a reasonable rate!

This really echoes my own thoughts about your situation, Jen.

Good luck and I sure am sorry that you need to go through this.

[Tubby & Peanut's Mom]

It's great you got such a good deal from the vet! Seems with 14 it's still going to cost a bundle, but not near as much as if she charged full rate for everything. And it seems she knows this is a problem that needs to be addressed, so I don't think you need to worry about there still being time availble when you call to make the appointment. Although can you imagine the poor girl that takes the call? "So and so vet clinic. Yes, you'd like to make an appointment on Monday, no problem." <sputter, gasp, big breath> "Excuse me!!!??! You want to make an appointment for how many cats????!!!?" <line goes silent, then you hear a sound like someone dropping to the floor as she faints>

Good luck with herding everyone into a crate and getting them all there and with finding out what the problem is. Sounds like the glass of wine that SAS suggests will be a good thing once you get them all back home again, too.

[jenluckenbach]

Although can you imagine the poor girl that takes the call? "So and so vet clinic. Yes, you'd like to make an appointment on Monday, no problem." <sputter, gasp, big breath> "Excuse me!!!??! You want to make an appointment for how many cats????!!!?" <line goes silent, then you hear a sound like someone dropping to the floor as she faints>

***LAUGHS HYSTERICALLY***

Actually, I only have 2 problem children when it comes to being in carriers. THOSE are the ones I will worry about. On Sunday Charlie and I will be trying to figure out how the carriers will best fit in the car(s).

Have you considered having the vet come to the house?

The vet actually said she would do a house call to give the innocculations, but I think in this case they need the lab nearby for immediate test results. I will know right away.

Keep in mind, they may find nothing. It could be ALL behavioral. And if Jim (and Sterling, who sprayed once) are not the only two cats spraying, I won't know until those two are in their 2 week confinements. And yes, I realize that even though I only saw Sterling do this one time, he needs to go through the retraining as well. This is an all or nothing project. I have use of 2 of those tall, multileveled cat cages through my rescue organization. And seeing them in their for 2 weeks will be hard, but that might be just what the Dr. orders.

Well, I can't call for the appointment until tomorrow, sooooooooooooo...............

[Kirsten]

Oh Jen, I don't envy you for that!

Bad enough one of your kitties might have FUS, but at least your vet would find out who it is and then it would be treatable.

If it's a behavior problem, you'll have a real problem (but would at least know your cats are healthy).

Good luck!

Kirsten

[jenluckenbach]

Well, I did as I was suppose to today.......but they did not do what THEY were suppose to! Yes, I am a bit mad. The Dr. specifically told me to ask for Marilyn at the desk, she would make my appointment. So I did. And she told me she could NOT make the appointment and the Dr. would neded to call ME back. Well, I knew this would be an all day wait and I worried that we were getting closer to Monday (you know, the day I wanted to get the appointment fopr), so I decided to call back again later. Luckily for me I got a different person on the phone. I simply made an appointment for Monday for Jim and Sterling. They are the 2 that NEED work. The urine tests were only to find out IF there was another problem. So, If the vet calls me back I will explain that I had problems with the front desk people and decided to make the appointment for 2 cats, and if she does not call back, I will explain this all on Monday when I see her and we will go from there.
Cat problems aren't enough, now I had to deal with people problems. ARGH!

[catmandu]

Jen , I hope that you know that we at the Lost cats Hotel are praying that you find the solution to the spraying . Mine do it when they sense the stray cats that are fedding outside so I have moved the outside dishes ! Dumb , with the sniffing abilities of the cats!Please keep us posted on any news , especially good!Your friend Gary and Cats!

[Randi]

Good Grief!! You don't need any more problems, it's bad enough as it is! I hope you can have them checked according to your plan - and I really hope they'll find the reason in the first few tests, so you can avoid confining any of them.

Good luck!

[Tubby & Peanut's Mom]

Ugh! Geeze, what else can go wrong with this? 'Course I don't want to ask that because I don't want anything else to go wrong for you. You woulda thought the vet could have relayed your conversation with her to Marilyn so Marilyn would have been prepared.

Well, at the very least you've got Jim and Sterling set, and will be able to talk to the vet more when you see her - unless she calls back, which hopefully she has done by now.

Hang in there, Jen. Jim and Sterling is a good start anyway.

[jenluckenbach]

Jim and Sterling had their urinalysis. Blood WAS found in both, a little in Jim's but quite a bit in Sterling's. So they are on antibiotics and will be going on the amitriptaline (I don't have these pills yet, so I do not know the correct spelling) which is the kitty prozac that should calm them and make them not care that there are many cats around for them to "show off" for. They are now in their cages for retraining because even with the finding of blood, both the vet and myself truely believe that they need this reconditioning. They will need to stay in the cages for 2 WEEKS and then another 2 weeks in a room before letting out into the whole house. This is going to be mentally and emotionally hard. They will need to come out for daily medication and that will be hard enough, but then they don't even get a reward, all they get is going back in the cage. I can see I will be crying for them a LOT in the upcoming weeks. I will post pictures of kitty jail at a later date when I can get them developed and scanned. I could use all the support pet talk can muster. It is hard to punish your loved ones.

[Tubby & Peanut's Mom]

Oh Jen!

I'm glad they found there to be a medical reason - I don't know, in my mind medical reasons are much easier to deal with than emotional ones. I mean, I'm not glad their sick, but at least the pills can cure that, and pills are easy on you. Whereas the locking them up and reconditioning sounds like it will be harder on you than on them - poor Jen. And poor Jim and Sterling too, but with so many kitties in one house, they need to know and follow the rules.

Hugs to all of you, and hopefully all the emotional and medical problems are cured real soon.

[krazyaboutkatz]

Jen, I'm glad that you now know the reasons why Jim and Sterling are spraying and that it can be treated. I'm so sorry that you have to lock them in their cages and recondition them though. This will be very hard. Let's hope that the next 4 weeks will go by fast and that this will cure them. {{{HUGS}}}

[Russian Blue]

Awww....that must be so hard on you (the caging and reconditioning). At least you know what to do now and who to medicate.

Hoping the next few weeks go easier on you and your household.