Dateline Boston — After almost a year, we’ve discovered that our male cat, Bertram, is high maintenance. High strung. Easily startled. Very bonded to us. A nervous wreck when we’re not around.
Husband and I don’t often go away. The last time we did, we didn’t have cats. We didn’t think it would be a big deal; we’ve had friends come over on a regular basis since we got the cats, and we’ve been amazed at how social our babies are. They love to be around people. They don’t hide under the bed like other cats I’ve had.
A couple of weeks ago we decided to take a weekend trip away. We asked our friends to come over and feed the cats three times: a morning, an evening, and another morning. No big deal, right? Our dear friends took pictures at every feeding and sent them to us, saying the cats were doing fine. Well, there was one hairball, but other than that, fine.
When we got home, Elise treated us as she always does, typical cat style. She sauntered by, with her tail in the air: “Oh, hey, back already?” Bertram, her brother, on the other hand, looked a little panicked. He crouched in the corner of our bedroom. What was he doing? Was he…was he…was he peeing on the floor? Yes, yes he was. Closer inspection of the apartment revealed drops of dried pee on the floor and in the bathtub. Thank goodness for the Internet. I Googled “Drops of pee in cats” and was told to take Bertram to a vet immediately, because he could be blocked, which meant surgery.
Since it was Sunday and our vet’s office was closed, we took him to the ER at the local animal hospital, which is minutes away, thankfully. The vet technician who inspected him praised us for bringing him in. She felt his bladder, which was “tiny.”
Digging Deeper
Apparently, that was a good thing—he was not blocked! They took some x-rays and got a urine sample. The vet explained that sometimes the lining of the urinary tract could get inflamed due to stress—was there anything different in our routine recently? Um, yes. Mommy and Daddy selfishly went away for the weekend and left the cats in the company of dear friends who fed them and played with them, and took their pictures. Vet nodded knowingly. “Yep, that could do it.” She said it happens with male neutered cats who are overweight. I rattled on to her, nervous mother style, about how he was a Siberian, and Siberians are supposed to be big, he still has four years of growth, we didn’t mean to have fun in New York City, when you take him to get his urine sample, put him on your shoulder, he likes hugs, and could you also clip his nails while he’s back there? Nail trims are not a part of emergency services, we were told. He was put in a metal case and taken in the back to have the procedure.
Results showed that Bertram had a lot of crystals in his urine and would need to be put on prescription food for two weeks, maybe more. He was also given two kinds of medicine. We gave him his meds via syringe twice a day for a week. While he was recovering, he still had pee accidents, and we could tell he was uncomfortable. After a trip to the litter box, he would come over and sit in my lap, which he has never done before.
It’s been two weeks now since we went away. Bertram eats all of his prescription food and is back to his normal self. He still hugs us every morning and follows us from room to room, but I think he knows we’re not going to go on vacation ever again. Boston is a great place to visit, folks. Come over and see us, and save us a trip to the ER.
Ms. Vaillancourt may be contacted at snobbyblog@gmail.com
