->  LF> I may be openly displaying some ignorance here, this is my word,
->  LF> not the vet's.  I have been trying to look it up and I am having no
->  LF> luck. (Blush) A red flag should have gone off when my spell checker
->  LF> did not know it. (I just told it to ignore it) I may be displaying
->  LF> my age here, but this is what I remember my Mother calling a
->  LF> bladder infection when I was a child.
I did find the word in question -- I spelled it 'cistitis' -- and could
not find it anywhere.  I then consulted my unfailing source of
information, my very best friend, Marie, who is almost as old as I.  She
did remember the word, her mother also used it, though she remembered it
as a mild bladder infection, not the thing Poc-Poc has.  We both tried
every possible spelling and finally eureka! found that it is spelled
'cystitis'.  At least I could breathe a sigh of relief in knowing that
my brain has not completely atrophied.
-> It sounds like Feline Urinary Syndrome, which affects male cats more 
-> than female.  Crystals build up in the urine and block the urinary 
-> tract.  It is quite serious, as when left untreated, the bladder 
-> swells and destroys kidneys. 
Ah, yes, this is the correct term.  I remember now from another
kitty that had the same thing.  I caught him just in time as he was not
completely blocked when I first took him in.  The vet gave him a shot
and a liquid antibiotic for home.  I brought him home but he got worse
and worse, so I took him back.  They kept him for a week, catherized him
several times, kept him on an IV among other things.  When I brought him
home his urine was still pretty red.  He has gradually improved and
seems to be urinating o.k.  I keep a watch on his bladder to make sure
it is emptying.
-> It is a very painful condition.  :-(  I hope Poc-Poc is doing okay now.
Thanks for your good wishes.  The only problem now is food.  
Lora
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