Two cats, one problem

The problem with having two pets is it's sometimes difficult to know which one is sick.

About a month ago, we started noticing that one of our cats was leaving us presents in inappropriate places. (Read peeing in places other than the litter box.) We assumed it was Chloe because we had a problem with Ollie doing that a few years back and, after many tests, it was determined to be behavioural and he was put on medication (Prozzac) to make him stop. It worked.

So we packed Chloe off to the vet and after a 24-hour stay, a bunch of tests and $300, it was determined that there was nothing medically wrong with her. So we took her home and debated whether we should put her on Prozzac as well.

But then the problem stopped for a bit so we decided to hold off, which is a good thing, because Prozzac for cats isn't cheap (about $1.10 a day). But hey, if it keeps my cat from peeing on my carpet, I'll take it!

A few days ago, the problem started again, this time much worse than before -- trust me you don't need all the details. So, on Saturday morning, I called the vet. I explained that I didn't know which cat was the problem -- the 'present' was in places that Chloe usually hangs out in, but the extent of the problem (now, not last month) was something normally associated with male cats.

So we brought them both in. Two exams, two unine tests, a 24-hour stay for Ollie (because he wouldn't give the vet a urine sample during the exam) and $350 later, and it was determined that Ollie has crystals in his bladder.

But, what I gather from the vet report, is that he's in pretty bad shape -- probably because it's been going on for over a month, which makes me feel just a little bit guilty. Not only did we torture the wrong cat with tests, but we left the other cat to suffer for the last month.

So now, Ollie's daily dinner routine consists of a drug concoction...Prozzac, a pain killer and something else, all mixed together in a tablespoon of wet food. And, we have to keep him separated from Chloe for the next 7-10 days because we have to make sure he's peeing. Which means, he has to have his own litter box. Apparently the vet said he's in bad enough shape that she would've recommended that he stay for a few days, but he was too freaked out and stressed in the cage that she felt he'd recover better while isolated at home.

So that's the story. Hopefully things will get better now and once Ollie's let out of the family room (which we blocked off with a big foam board) we won't find 'presents' all over the house. And hopefully next time one of them gets sick, it'll be more obvious which one it is and then we'll know which one to take to the vet.