Waiting for the results is like doing a home-pregnany test!!
Here is how I collected urine in the past for a cat:

  Make a few indentations in the litter to "hold" puddles. Line the top of the litter box with saran-wrap plastic and secure to sides of litter box.  Press it down against the litter.  Then keep your eye on the one giving the sample. If they need to go bad enough, they will ignore the plastic and think they are urinating directly on the litter. Then get them out of the box before they start scratching. Use a plastic syringe to draw up the urine from the "puddle" on the plastic and deposit it into the specimen cup or jar. Be sure everything is spotlessly clean before you start. Good luck! Hope everything is normal/negative. Thanks for the links, too!

mgt818,
Thank you for this info about the Pet Check Up Kit. I had not heard about it. Is this something that is easy to find or do we need to order on-line? It sounds immensely helpful to everyone who is being pro-active. I suppose a simple article or book on lab evaluations for pets would be a good accompaniment. Then we can make the diet changes accordingly.

Hi, I wish you guys would come and brush my kitties teeth! Also, did you know some vets will attempt teeth cleaning without giving anesthesia? I had it done once with a gentle-mannered cat; it wasn't deep-cleaning, just what could be scraped off with her mouth held open. She tolerated it very well, and it doesn't hurt to ask your vet!

Do we get to see the pictures?        Here I was saying "have a ball" and it sounded like it was actually very emotionally packed.  Anyway, I hope we soon get the labeling we need. No changes in label= no changes in the ingredients/recipe! Too expensive to keep changing labels? Then don't change the recipe!! Get it right the first time. Very simple!

Yes, it is good to see we are being listened to and treated with respect. Just a funny note, I made some homemade garlic bread the other day and was eating it toasted. One of my cats (the junk-food junkie) started begging me for a piece. I remembered this thread, but decided to give her a bite, and she ate it appreciatively. Perhaps she just needed a dose, as the next day she turned her nose to it!

Thank you, Davis,
  I am not sure what you are describing is the same thing. My cat definitely always did it with purring. But it could possibly be similar, for example, the same physiologic problem but just in a different area of the airway. I don't think so though. Interestingly enough, my second and very competent vet had never seen or heard of this happening. But he did recognize the laryngospasm I described to him that killed her. I hope you do not needlessly worry about your cat. You could ask your vet. I have lived in 3 different areas of the country and have always found most all of the vets misdiagnosed all of my cats problems. For instance, when this same cat was 12 years old, one vet told me she had stomach cancer (after giving her an ultrasound!), needed surgery or would only live 3 more months. I said no to surgery, changed her diet, and she lived 6 more years! My calico definitely had all of her  9 lives!
I did read that the cats trachea is very small and fragile, and so this could easily be a problem area for many cats in my opinion. For instance, if they received an injury to the area from a collar or a fall. Lets both do some more on-line research for your concern!

Welcome back Forum Folks, It has been pretty quiet at this Forum. We all can't wait to hear how your Forum went, who you spoke to, what was accomplished, good news, gosssip and pointers. Hope it was a ball! Mary

  This subject is written in response to a personal request for an elaboration of laryngospasm, which I have mentioned previously.

  My last cat died of a laryngospasm, although I believe this was a complication of something else. It has nothing to do with the pet food recall.
  Here is what I noted. My female calico, who was at the time 17, began having episodes seemingly related to purring. She would purr, and then the purr became very deep and guttural. She would raise her head and shake it, choke and sputter, and breath with her mouth open. All the while she would continue to purr, as though she couldn't stop. This would go on for a few minutes, then she would swallow hard for a bit and it stopped. She would have difficulty eating and drinking shortly afterwards. Then all would be well again. Her lungs remained clear of fluid and she demonstrated no other respiratory problems. Other medical conditions were chronic renal failure, liver disease and borderline thyroid disease, all related to age. The vet said the problem was either weakness of the throat due to old age, ulcers of the lower oral cavity or a tumor. Of course she refused to demonstrate this episode to the vet, and I didn't have a video camera. An aside, her same age male sibling was diagnosed with asthma and so for him, kidney disease and oral ulcers were overlooked until he was end-stage renal disease. He only lived to be 16. I am still amazed at the lax attitude of that vet (2001) and sought a more knowledgeable one for my female cat after he died. Back to the purring problem, once in a while she could purr without this happening. Usually it started if I picked her up or pet her and was induced by the purring, although sometimes it started spontaneously with no stimulation. Needless to say, this was heartbreaking for me because I felt guilty after giving her affection. This continued until her death. She otherwise led a happy-go-lucky life and was affectionate and playful, and had always enjoyed being petted and held. 6 months after this purr problem started, at the age of 18, she died. I was with her and she was having a happy day. In the evening I absent-mindedly kissed her on the head and the purring/choking began. This time she couldn't stop, and turned blue. I realized I was losing her and tried to give artificial respiration, but her airway was completely blocked off. So I just held her next to my heart. The whole episode lasted only about 2 minutes from the beginning until she died. I was just grateful I had been home with her when it happened as I had been anticipating her death for many months. Later, when I described what had happened to her vet, he said it was a laryngospasm (a spasm of the larynx or breathing airway). The larynx is a structure of muscle and cartilage at the upper end of the trachea. The vet also said that this often happens when an older cat is anesthetized for surgery while an artificial airway is being placed in the cats airway. He didn't recommend surgery for older cats for this reason.

  Well, that is the evidence as I know it; I couldn't find anything more about it on the internet at that time. I would be interested in seeing if anyone else has observed this problem. I hope the information helps someone!

 

mel_t,

  I will try those tricks at that website you listed to get her off of the dry food, now. It was just too much in the beginning getting the other 2 cats to eat the home cooked, which they now do. I can use it as another project for me while procrastinating on the raw...  I am pretty sure all 3 will go for the raw; their vegetarian Mommy is the one with the problem!!   

Not much we can do about it unless we go live in a commune and grow our own food.

by mel_t

Now there is a concept I like! The hippies had it right (well, some of it!) way back in the 60's and 70's! This idea is currently pretty much dismissed as anarchism. But I see the day when such a lifestyle may truly be a healthy alternative for survival. I personally got to know a group of folks who had developed a middle-class living center in the Midwest US during that same era, complete with farming. Most all of them lived to be very active 80-90 years old. It was truly amazing. Pretty hard to do it on your own, but not so hard with like-minded people helping one another out.

Alek0,
 
  I just read something similar on Itchmo blog today under Lick Your Chops Recall heading that Timberwolf Organics most likely used that plant for dry food, as that info had been posted in Itchmo and other blogs previously. I don't have proof, though.

I have one cat that has been eating Felidae dry for almost 6 weeks, now. She refuses home-cooked so I chose this one, preferring not to widen my chances by switching around (and risking just one single exposure). So far I have had no problems; I continue to offer her home-cooked and she continues to demand this dry.

Thanks, mel_t,

  Very well stated! I actually think I am learning more here about people and interactions than about petfoods! And it is good! I marvel at how many people here respond graciously to negative comments. I strive to be like that! It is definitely a learning experience if one pays attention to subtleties!

Geff, That is hauntingly beautiful. Thanks for posting it. We will just keep following up on the "new trends" and holding them accountable to their words. As always, many companies won't want to do their homework and try the easy way out. But we are here watching them! As a poster on Itchmo stated, (when) "Pet Food lies, we don't buy".

PS: How are your eyes doing? Hope all is well!

[know]

Hi, Mel_t,
  This whole blogging thing is new to me. It is hard enough to write an e-mail to someone (even a good friend!) and always have them interpret it the way I am meaning it! Guess I'm old school: face-to-face sharing. I do forget sometimes that there will be thousands of people who don't even know me reading what I write. Many may just communicate differently than I do. And if someone doesn't read all the posts in a thread, they will get the wrong idea. Also if a certain post just happens to be at the top of the page (yikes-I hate that !) some newcomers will just start reading from there and miss why that post was written from preceding pages. (This happens frequently with newcomers.) Lastly, if people don't read all the threads (and who has time now days?) they just won't get the "feel" of other's personalities and will often jump to conclusions.
   You seem like a nice person and I have no hard feelings! In fact, it seems we have much in common so far! And I agree about experts. I had a certification in my nursing specialty and often knew more about it than the MDs. I also am sure I know more about what is best for my body than my doctor does because I listen to it and am with it every day!
  Also, I am the one here who is learning not to be offended on the Forum. It is not easy for me to check the messages each day knowing someone may have attacked me. It is a risk you take when blogging. But I avoid confrontations in other areas of my life so I am not used to it! The key for everyone is to re-read your posts before submitting, and dwell on their impact a bit! Gee, get me talking about philosophy and I can't stop....