That morning, Shaffer made trip after trip to the litterbox. He strained each time but couldn’t produce more than a few drops of urine. Small puddles tinged pink with blood, appeared on the tile floors.
Shaffer had cystitis, again.
A trip to his veterinarian for an examination confirmed the recurrence. He was restarted on his medications, along with a low dose of Valium to ease his discomfort, and sent home.
By afternoon, Shaffer was listless. By early evening, he staggered if he tried to walk. I called Shaffer’s veterinarian, Diana Egnor of the Dunbar Animal Hospital in Dunbar, W.V., who explained the dangers of a urinary blockage. I wrapped him in a blanket, hurried him to the car and laid him on the seat beside me. His eyes were open, but he never moved. In just hours, Shaffer’s cystitis progressed from discomfort to a life-threatening urinary blockage.
**For the full article, pick up the March 2007 issue of CAT FANCY.**
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