Nya has improved substantially. After 10 days of antibiotics, I got a urine sample by cleaning out her litter box and washing it. The vets gave me a sampling kit including a little bit of non-absorbent litter, a syringe, some instructions, and a collection bottle. So, I put the non-absorbent litter in the litter box and Nya peed in it eventually. I sucked up the urine and put it in the collection bottle, put a label on it (my idea), and put it in the fridge until I can take it to the vets. I'll soon find out the results of the urinalysis, but I trust that it will be normal because Nya seems normal. She finished her run of antibiotics today. Pushing a pill down her throat everyday was a two person job. My wife holding her, while I opened her mouth and pushed the pill to back of her throat. I timed the urine sample with the arrival of the new bag of pretty litter, so once I cleaned up the litter box after the urine sample, Nya got a fresh refill. I'm so glad she is all better. It's so nice to have a happy cat.

 What a time over the last couple of days: up all night at the emergency veterinarian and all day at the vets. Nya was going back and forth to her litter box every five minutes to pee and only doing a dribble each time. We noticed this at bed time. We figured she needed immediate attention so after a phone call, it was off to the emergency clinic for animals. They tried unsuccessfully to get a urine sample. Her bladder was empty. So, they told us to call the vets when they open. We were able to get an appointment at lunch time, so between appointments I had a fitful sleep. The veterinarian at the vets was able to get a urine sample and confirm that Nya had a bladder infection. She was prescribed some antibiotics and a pain killer. Nya doesn't like the cat carrier. The only time she meows is in the cat carrier. She is the quietest cat in the world. The doctor said that Nya was a good girl. She said some cats want to take her arm off. Nya was very gentle the whole time and sought comfort from us while we played the waiting game. So, after two days, Nya is feeling better. When she finishes her prescriptions I have to collect a urine sample and take it in. We were given a kit for this procedure; real easy to do. I'll let you know how that went next post.

 Cats that are strangers to each other are rarely friendly unless the female is ready to mate. If the cats are neutered then mating is out of the question. When one cat meats another strange cat a fight could break out after some caterwauling that will quickly get you off your sofa or wake you in the middle of the night. We do our best to keep an eye on our timid feline when we let her out for a short time. She doesn't appreciate an orange tom coming around. She has no use for him since she's fixed. She stays in close proximity to her home in contrast to the tom cat who wanders all over our neighborhood. My wife has spoken to the owners of the orange nemesis but they are determined to let their cat roam all day and night. One night he was at our back door in a cold windy rain storm. Our cat's caterwauling woke us up. There was nothing that we could do to help the poor thing because if we let him in, our own cat would be upset and we would not get any sleep. The only thing I hope is that the Orange Guy would have taken refuge under our shed. Therefore, the moral of the story: keep your feline friends close.