Purrs 4 Peace Week 46 Announcement: Healthy Urine/Healthy Cat

This week has been difficult. Mummy returned home on Monday evening. Our babysitter had noticed that I was a little stiff in the hind quarters. However, I have always been a bit stiff and she thought it was just that old leftover from kitty injury and nothing more serious. However, mummy knows me better and knew something was wrong. I was pacing and couldn’t seem to lie down comfortably. Then I started straining and nothing would come out. Mummy took me to the vet and discovered I had a urinary tract blockage.

Feline Lower Urinary Tract Disease (FLUTD) is common and affects from 0.5% to 1% of the feline population. FLUTD affects cats of both sexes, but tends to be more dangerous in males because they are more susceptible to blockages due to their longer, narrower urethrae. Blockage is very dangerous and can kidney damage, heart attack and even death if not treated. In fact, a few hours can mean the difference between a successful and unsuccessful outcome.

There are a lot of factors that can contribute to this disease including infections, trauma, crystals in the urine (THAT ONE IS ME), bladder stones, tumors and congenital abnormalities. Also, not drinking enough water, being overweight, a diet too high in magnesium or other minerals, stress, in addition to other factors.

I’m picking stress for me so that mummy will never leave me alone again and take a vacation! Ha!

I did not improve when under the care of the first vet who treated me so mummy moved me to a new place with fantastic vets in a facility accredited by the American Animal Hospital Association. I am doing okay and expect to get my catheter out on Monday. Then if I pee on my own I can go home. I don’t like the idea that I’ll be on a special diet for the rest of my LONG life...but it’s better than the alternative.

So this week I’m going to be selfish and ask for everyone to purr for me and all the other cats who are suffering with FLUTD.

And lets also purr for all the other cats and dogs and humans we love who need healing because of sickness, disease or injury.

We purrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr with a purrrrrrrrrrrrrrpose!

Week 46 of Purrs 4 Peace details are as follows:

• Week forty-six’s appointed time is Sunday, May 9, 2010.
• Participants should purr for three minutes commencing at 3 p.m. Eastern (U.S.) which is 8:00 p.m. (20:00 hrs.) in the U.K.
• The cat’s human staff should assist their cats with the project by stroking and nuzzling the cat at the appointed time.
• Please post your cat name and the country you purr in at www.confuciuscat.blogspot.com as a COMMENT if you are participating in this historic project. (posting a link to your own website-if you have one-is encouraged.) Or let me know by message on twitter or facebook.
• Posting purrs on facebook ( Acolytes of Confucius Cat or as friend to Alley Mason) and twitter (@ConfuciusCat) is encouraged, since it inspires purring in others, but not required. On twitter please use #purrs4peace in your tweets.

Peace * Paix * Frieden * Vrede * Pace * Paz * Shalom * Fred * Salaam * Om Shanti * Heddwch * Siochan