Hi, all!

Since Bagheera’s bladder has lost its tone, we suspected that the bladder sphinctor was staying closed and that this was making the expression of his bladder more difficult. We have started Bagheera on a short-acting muscle relaxant twice per day to relax the bladder sphinctor.

About an hour after he is medicated, we express his bladder. The muscle relaxant is definitely working. We hope Bags won’t need to stay on it forever, but we’ll have to see how it goes. His urine is clear and his most recent urinalysis showed no bacterial growth, which is good.

Bagheera has not wanted to go outside lately because of the cold, blustery days and because the muscle relaxant, well, relaxes him. He sometimes ventures down the back hall, but he stops short of the door to the outside.

A few days ago the weather was nice and sunny, so Bags was raring to go. After smelling his favorite catnip bush, he went down the curb toward the grass, around the back, and down the driveway.

Bags and I sat in the sun for awhile, and I brought Toby outside to join us (see picture). Bagheera loves to sit in his basket and bask in the sun, and I found out that Toby does, too. I can’t wait until spring finally gets here and we can enjoy more time outside everyday.

One of Bagheera’s favorite things to do is lie with all four limbs up in the air, rubbing his back against the floor for a good scratch. I guess it is impossible for him to scratch his back using his hind legs, so he uses the back itself, wiggling all around and rubbing it all over. It is very comical to watch Bags wiggle back and forth on his back. He really knows how to enjoy himself. As you can see in the photo, he is upside down grooming himself after a satisfying back rub. You can see his pink tong sticking out.

Bags and I wish you well and will talk to you soon. Please stop by if you can to see this precious little boy.

Oh, and Happy St. Patty’s Day!