A Profound Question, Sort Of

[Flying Saucerian]

Many years ago, I was watching TV and a commercial came on where a man looked straight into the camera and asked, "Is my cat's urinary tract really that important?".

Is it?

[Dragonlady]

Only when there's something wrong with it.

[Solfy]

It depends.
If the cat's not up to proper cooking weight yet and you need to get it to put more meat on, you're going to want it to have a healthy urinary tract at least in the near term.

[AuntiePam]

Originally Posted by Dragonlady

Only when there's something wrong with it.

What she said. Same goes for everything's urinary tract. That stuff gotta come out.

[Veb]

It is to the cat.

It's a kind of philosophical Schrodinger question, only with pee.

[Zombies!]

Originally Posted by Dragonlady

Only when there's something wrong with it.

A cat's urinary tract cost me nearly $1700 and lost me a loved pet.

Yeah, they can be very fucking important when something goes wrong with them.

[Dragonlady]

And Smartie, too. And Dragonette.

My cat has the early stages of kidney failure - it's surprisingly common.

[Kat]

Originally Posted by Dragonlady

My cat has the early stages of kidney failure - it's surprisingly common.

Mine, too.

[Dragonlady]

And I have the kitty water fountain that is supposed to encourage them to drink more...

But, this cat was a rescue from a crazy hoarder/breeder and was 12+ when I got her. Who KNOWS what she might have been up against?

[Jaglavak]

To the cat, yes. Compared to having a frozen rock the size of Mt Everest smash into Paris at 43,000 MPH, not so much.

[KidVermicious]

Originally Posted by Veb

It is to the cat.

It's a kind of philosophical Schrodinger question, only with pee.

Marry me.

[Mustard Stain]

Feline lower urinary tract disease (FLUTD). Is it important. You now how I know? Another name for it is "Plugged-Penis Syndrome".

[Wolf]

What commercial was this?

[Jaglavak]

"Cat-O-Rooter", exclusively at As Seen On TV. It comes bundled with leather gauntlets and a carton of bandaids for only $19.95.

[zhengjdc]

Well, it depends on which part of the world you live in, back in my childhood, it didn't (couldn't) matter, a cat with disease means a bucket full of water to end its misery... you get the picture. The nasty-job-handler --- my grandma, she had to kill any ill fowls, animals, dogs, cats, pigs with only a bucket of water. Never I understood how she made these sorts of nasty work so easy. You guys should be feeling lucky for having vets anywhere you live.

[Solfy]

But how do you get the cats to drink a whole bucket of water?

[Doyle]

If it's an outside cat, then it is not important.

[TatSavitr]

How do you kill a pig with a bucket of water? Beat it to death with it?

[Zeener Diode]

Don't underestimate the power of a bucket of water.

In some regions, warlords have ascended to positions of power by simply wielding a bucket of water over their enemies.

[Jaglavak]

Originally Posted by zhengjdc

...a cat with disease means a bucket full of water to end its misery...

I come from a farming family, so I know about keeping livestock. But even the poorest rednecks around these parts can spare a bullet to ease the passing of a beloved pet. Done properly, there is no fear or suffering.

[Solfy]

A bullet is no good if you have no way of making it move really fast.

[Flying Saucerian]

Originally Posted by Wolf

What commercial was this?

I honestly don't remember. It was something about pet health care, I think a reference book or somesuch.

[zhengjdc]

Originally Posted by Jaglavak

I come from a farming family, so I know about keeping livestock. But even the poorest rednecks around these parts can spare a bullet to ease the passing of a beloved pet. Done properly, there is no fear or suffering.

firearms were forbidden to this very day in China, not even BB guns were allowed. Chloroform can not be obtained unless you were a licensed chemist... It was back in a day where humans even lack of proper doctors& medications, let alone the pets. My grandma had a thing for cats, but she had such a courage to carry out this end-its-misery chore while not a single tear had she shedded for all those 15 years, not even a word afterwards.

Most of our pets were very short lived, and very few made to 4 year old, mostly due to infections after fights with feral/wild cats & sometimes weasels. Due to witness too many death, I've chosen a pet-free life for almost 10 years to this day, coz I generally can not handle death case very well. I once cried hysterically over two dead pet ducklings that my mom thought I was being super unreasonable. Occasionally, I took long term care of my friend's pets if they were on vacation, but generally I've tried to distant myself emotionally from most pets, in attempt to protect myself. My mom used to call me a bleed-heart, due to my over-sensitive, OCB nature.

But I bet I still bear a much stronger heart when it comes to slaughtering livestocks than your reddest-necked neighbors. Back in the old days, you prepare meat yourself from a whole live pig, from throat cutting to BBQ, the best taste part is da steamed pig head, yummy...The rest parts such as ribs were sold in a flea market. I had mastered this art of throat-cutting technique as young as 6 year old, especially when it comes to chickens at which I was pretty darn good..

I sometimes felt this so called civilization had totally distant the younger generation far away from the essence of life. My younger cousin thought pork grows on shelves in supermarket and she almost shxt her pants during a visit to the old village while peasants prepared her steamed hen for dinner. Also thank you to your PETA movement that had brainwashed younger Chinese generation to think of eating dogs were cruel and all the dog restaurants totally disappeared within the last decade (do I hear clapping hands?) while back in my parents' hayday, a dead dog= a delicacy due to scarce of meats, even sick pet dog were put down and steamed afterwards. It was amazed how quickly propaganda from PETA-like orgs can wipe out an darn-old tradition and turning a delicacy into a taboo. Well, nuff said.

I have no intention to provoke controversies, only presented you as a matter-o-facto of how daily life were on the other side of da planet. I remain neutral towards most of my materials and nor do I endorse or curse those actions. Peace.

[zhengjdc]

Originally Posted by TatSavitr

How do you kill a pig with a bucket of water? Beat it to death with it?

It was a large bucket, used to remove pig hairs after slaughtering (well, pigs are very hairy to remind you, unlike pork you buy from supermarket, coz it's been waxed...LOL)

[zhengjdc]

Originally Posted by Solfy

But how do you get the cats to drink a whole bucket of water?

You are the wise woman here.