Re: [NTLK] Pissed Off Emate

> ~~~ On 2008/07/05 01:40, G. Isten at gisela@tariffenet.it wrote ~~~
>
> > Gary, just to be on the safe side -- re cats peeing around: That may
also be
> > the indication of a bladder infection. The cat associates the pain with the
> > place where it pees, which is why the cat won't go to the litter box
any more
> > where it experienced the pain the first time. But the next time (different
> > place) it will of course feel that pain again, and therefore will
select yet
> > another place to pee next time. If your cat has gone back to being 'her old
> > self', then it doesn't sound like it's a matter of 'old-age dementia'
> > (chronic), but an 'acute' case. Another reason may be that she felt
annoyed by
> > something or somebody -- for instance visitors over the weekend that she
> > didn't like?
>
>
> Wow! Kudos to NewtonTalk! Not only is there great advice here on how to
> use our Newtons and eMates, but we also get helpful tips on the health of
> our cats. I wish I'd known about feline bladder infections a number of
> years ago when my cat of that time had an infection. It took a few weeks of
> pointless attempts to "explain" to Igor that he had to stop leaving random
> stains on the floors. And go back to using his box. And when I finally got
> him to the vet, sure enough he had an infection.
>
> As for cleaning or not cleaning, to me a concern would be that even though
> it's dried for now, if you use it in a humid environment the residue could
> rehydrate enough to [1] begin to stink again, and [2] conduct tiny amounts
> of electricity between components not "expecting" to be connected, with
> less than great results. (For the record, urine contains a number of
> compounds that ionize in water. I once saw a city-slicker let his dog
> urinate on an electrified fence. He stopped *very* suddenly. I'm afraid I
> laughed.)

Who could help laughing at that? Especially we menfolk, with our
fascination for marking territory in all sorts of places ... snow, pools,
jelly fish stings, even into the wind.

As for my cat, I spent most of July 4th night at a vet emergency room. She
was bleeding from somewhere "back there." Turns out she has diabetes. Her
high blood sugar caused sugar to end up in her urine, which creates a
favorable condition for a urinary tract infection. Some of the blood was in
her urine, and some was coming from a spot where she had been licking
herself too much. I got pills for the infection, a salve for the sore, and
a bottle of insulin and a pack of syringes. By Sunday morning she was much
improved. She still avoids her litter box, but is content to pee on a pet
pad (like a floor diaper) I put right in front of it. I hope her instinct
to use the box will kick in soon. In case you're wondering, she does not
mind the injections at all. To her it's just another back scratch
opportunity. She needs two shots a day, and I'm the only one in the
household willing to administer them. Nice to have my old, lazy cat back.

As for my eMate, I bought the required Torx bits from Radio Shack because I
was in a rush. Bad idea, because the driver is rubbish. I opened the
battery door and found no liquid or dampness. The batteries do not get warm
with the charger connected, although I do get a green indicator light next
to the eMate's handle. I had left my Fluke meter at the auto shop where I
work on my E9, so I picked it up yesterday and will look for volts tonight
while watching the Tour d'France. Is there a cap in the power supply that
would be prone to fail after getting wet?

Gary Dunn
Honolulu
Open Slate Project
    http://openslate.net/
73 BMW E9 (3.0 CS) 2213583 (rust repair research project)
    http://e9erust.blogspot.com/

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Received on Mon Jul 7 15:55:52 2008