And now I have to retract all the terrible things I muttered under my breath about Paddy a few weeks ago.

He started behaving very oddly again yesterday morning, using his litter box every 5 minutes but not actually doing any kitty business and in obvious discomfort.

We raced him to the vet and by the time she saw us he was wailing each time he tried to pee and what little urine he was passing was almost entirely blood!

I was a complete mess cos I was so worried about my pawphin that the vet ended up giving me hugs and passing me tissues!

Anyway she managed to get enough of the miniscule amounts of pee he was passing to perform a urine test.  He has been diagnosed with Feline Urological Syndrome which is when small sharp crystals form in the urine of effected cats. The vet thinks this has been the problem all along and that his acting out was his way of trying to get my attention that he wasn't feeling well.

So now my beloved Pawpad is on anti-inflammatory meds & a radically altered diet to stop the crystals reforming. He does seem a much happier kitty today...which is good cos our bank balance after yesterday's visit couldn't really handle it if he wasn't!