Mancat Monday at the Dreaded Vet

Sorry for yet another weekend absence, friends! When that happens, it usually just means that I spent my days off of work trying to catch up on home or creative projects. And that was indeed the case this weekend. My attempts at finding a better work-life balance are a constant work-in-progress, but hopefully one day I'll get there.

That said, it's Mancat Monday. And you know what? Poor mancat Evan is spending the day at the vet.

Don't worry, Evan's actually doing pretty good. He's first and foremost getting his usual sanitary shave on his back end while at the vet. Then he's having his blood drawn and urine collected for recheck bloodwork and a urinalysis. The reason for that is his frequency and volume of urination. Right after his urethral obstruction in December, he was still having trouble with urethral spasms and wasn't urinating as much as he probably should have. Now, he's having the opposite issue. He is on urinary tract health food that prompts him to drink more water, which he does without question, but even with that being the case the amount of urine he puts out seems astronomical for any cat. Sometimes, in a 30 minute span of time, he'll urinate 5 to 7 times, and each time will look like the volume of a full bladder.

Evan is acting happy and great otherwise. Every day he gets gabapentin for any potential pain and prazosin to prevent urethral spasms. Ever since his urethral obstruction, staying on those two medications seems to make Evan and his bladder feel most comfortable. I'm hoping his wild volume of urine is just a strange new normal for him, but he's getting checked out for it just to be safe. I'm hoping we rule out things like kidney disease and diabetes, especially since all of those values were fine when he was hospitalized in December.

Have I rambled enough? I tend to do that when worried about one of my furbabies. We'll let you all know the vet's findings after Evan is examined and we have the results for his bloodwork and urinalysis.

Happy Monday, friends!

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Flashback Doodle of the Day

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Tip of the Day

We've given past tips on the dangers of paint products, but we're going to repeat this for National Pet Poison Awareness Month. Unsurprisingly, paint, varnish, and other similar products can be toxic to our furbabies. Lead paints can of course cause lead poisoning, which can cause a variety of severe symptoms, including those of the gastrointestinal and neurological systems. Lead can also be detrimental to red blood cells, brain function, and other important processes in the body. Oil-based paints can also be dangerous, potentially causing diarrhea as well as having serious effects on the lungs. They may also contain heavy metals and thereby cause symptoms similar to those of lead paint toxicity. Products such as varnish can also have similar negative side effects as paint.

Also keep in mind that paint and paint products can emit dangerous fumes. Especially without proper ventilation, inhalation of the fumes can cause irritation of the lungs or symptoms such as dizziness. To avoid emergencies related to the ingestion or inhalation of paint or other paint products, of course keep these items well out of reach of your furbabies. Try to keep your furbabies safely out of areas that are being painted. Should ingestion or inhalation of paint products occur, do not hesitate to seek veterinary assistance.