Pops and the urine tests

Work kept me from updating this month. It’s such a crazy time especially this year and I have been saddled with more work and responsibility than I could handle. It’s always nice to come home to my furry babies who are my ‘spirit lifters’ with their cute faces.

Poppy’s still healthy and playful despite having to now go to the vet once every 2 weeks for urine test so that we can monitor his kidney development closely.

However, it takes a lot to get urine out of Poppy. For a mummy, it’s never easy to see someone press on your kitty’s bladder to force the urine out. Poppy would be screaming, kicking like a donkey, all in protest of being handled in such an undignified manner.

And all I could do is to cajole him softly while the vet tries his best to get the much needed urine out.

Last week, Poppy went to the vet and there was not enough urine to run a full test.

Imagine the frustration for me and also for the fang face.

My vet said this week “Why don’t I give you the jar and if you see Poppy going to the kitty litter, quickly push the jar underneath him to collect the pee…”

I looked at him. Huh?

Poppy’s not an easy cat.

He would never allow me to do so. This is one cat who doesn’t like people coming up towards or behind him, would run away before you can hold or cuddle him.

Poppy would only come to you on his own accord.

So, imagine me trying to sneak up behind him to swoop the jar underneath his furry body to get pee.

Hmmmm…has anyone every done that?

“Poppy squats very low onto the kitty sand” was my other explanation to my vet.

Sigh.

Personally, getting urine from a cat is so stressful.

Poppy hates it – he scolds the vet.

Small tyke likes to scold people.

I am sorry Poppy has to go through this but he’s such a tough cookie.

Whenever I stare at the little fang face, I am impressed by how tough he is.

He has so many stones in both his kidneys and a huge one to boot and by any standards, should be in kitty heaven but he’s still holding on.

And he looks so unaffected. So adorable and so loving still.

But everyday, I wake up with slight trepidation that things will suddenly change.

I have heard of cats going to bed healthy and the next day, almost at verge of death.

Poppy’s always in my mind at work.

The locked door holds so many what ifs.

I am happy when the door to our apartment creaks open to reveal Poppy’s naughty face looking at me when I come home.

Or whenever daddy meow is home earlier than me (which is usually the norm), I would ask how are the boys.

At this moment, Poppy’s last urine reading had been quite positive. No signs of further kidney deterioration. I am happy, for now.

He still chases MeowMeow around and pokes his busy body face into everything.

Here’s MeowMeow looking outside.

And here’s Poppy sticking his face into MeowMeow’s view.

So naughty.

I read that encouraging your kitty to drink more water can help.

Not help by magically making the kidney stones disappear, but help to prevent more stones from forming.

One of the way is to put more bowls of water at various corners at home.

I used to have only one at the kitchen area.

Now I have 4 in my apartment.

One in the kitchen, one nearby their kitty litter, one near where Poppy sleeps and one near the window which both cats like to sit to watch the world go by.

Cats are curious creatures as well as quite lazy and can go without water for a long time.

Put one bowl nearby them and they would be motivated to drink more versus a bowl far away. Especially MeowMeow, the fat lard who would just sit and sleep all day.

Poppy would check out each bowl and drink from each one.

I guess it worked – he’s been drinking more water lately.

And so has MeowMeow.

The only thing is that I have to wash and refill 4 bowls everyday.

I guess that’s about the most exercise I get these days anyway, so no complains.

Do so too if you wish, it's good for your cats to drink more.