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tuttibella,

It is probably some oportunistic bug that bit because of stress.

Lucy Belle has had a severe reaction to a food, coped with your illness, coped with the invasion of Sr. Jerko, had major abdominal surgery, and your stress over all of the above. It has been a long hall. Her immune system was probably a little down.

Encourage lots of fluids, maybe very-lightly salt some moist treats so she drinks even more to help flush the bug-uglies while the Vet is checking out what will kill them quickly.

As long as she is wearing the collar, help her with her toilet cleansing and try to relax.

The tub-toilet was her way of saying “Help me, Mom.” And you responded promptly.

Your girl is strong. She will be all right.

Sending Good Vibrations.

Thanks for the update, Tuttibella. You are a wonderful kitty mom! She is a very lucky girl to be receiving such care. She knows you are taking excellent care of her. I will keep you both in my prayers and send more healing TDK white light her way!

Well, I used to be a Med Tech and this is my take.

It is getting to a point that there are too many resistant bugs out there. It is better to hit them with a targeted antibiotic than to make them tougher with one that feeds them.

Her microscopic was probably not very pyritic (lots of white cells) indicating a milder infection so it is not as critical to start as it would be if she were retentive (risking a bladder rupture) and massively infected.

Thanks ailuromaniac, that makes me feel better. Just being a worrier…

Tuttibella, don’t know what to tell you about the tub; is it the infection or is it the head piece that makes her go in the tub? Hard to tell I suppose. Maybe ailuromaniac can better speak on this.

I hope you both are able to get a good nights rest, you both deserve it.

Ok. after research the pyridium or Cystex is out…. I cannot find a substitute but the salty diet to encourage drinking is a plan. Also something to acidify the urine. There are dietary foods sold for this. You also want to lower the Ash content of her food.

As long as she is going and not retaining urine she should improve. If she wants to use the tub at least you can judge the volume she is passing. I’d still try the thoroughly clean and disinfected empty pan with the disposable side box for the bowel movements to encourage her to maintain good toilet habits. It would be a royal pain but you could put the pan inside the tub for her as well.

Tuttibella, you are doing everything an excellent kittymom should be doing.. I certainly hope Lucy Belle gets better soon… do you really have to wait ’til Thursday for the results? That seems like a long time for a urinalysis, even if they have to culture the “bug”…. Prayers, healing white light, and tiny little kitty kisses for Lucy Belle, and {{{hugs}}} for you!!!

I’m also worried about poor little Lucy Belle having to wait for her antibiotic. I have *personally* endured a UTI myself. It hurts to pee! Let her go in the tub if it makes her feel better. I don’t understand why the vet didn’t give her an antibiotic right away to cut this off at the pass. From what I understand, it gets worse and not better on it’s own and to wait until Thursday seems to be a long time. I have no medical background so perhaps I am wrong, but my vet told me that if I had waited another day or two to bring Wolfie in and start antibiotics his urine would have started to have crystals and we would have had a much more serious situation.

Hugs and Kisses for Lucy Belle. Hope she’s better soon.

Lucy Belle..we are all praying for you…and your mommy

Thanks for the kind words AZDEBRA.

I seem to get a rep as a “know it all” but really all I am is nosy. Something catches my eye and I start rooting around for more information. Often it leads to something else and that leads to yet another thing.

Since I have never been able to settle on one thing (College majors in Classical Music, Medical Laboratory Technology, and Computer Science)I am often asked what I want to be when I grow up.

I have taken my mantra from a Robert Heinlein quote.

“A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a hog, conn a ship, design a building, write a sonnet, balance accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders, give orders, cooperate, act alone, solve equations, analyze a new problem, pitch manure, program a computer, cook a tasty meal, fight efficiently, die gallantly. Specialization is for insects.” And I am certain that that is the short list.