I got a call from Regina on CAT CHAT® asking where to find the flourescein tablets I had mentioned in THE CAT BIBLE as a way to dye the pee of one cat in a multi-cat home to discover which one was urinating outside the box. Since I didn’t know the answer off the top of my head I asked her to write me for further information, and she did:
I spoke with you last night regarding locating fluorscein tablets for my cats. I called a number of vets, drug stores, pet stores and even swimming pool stores. I was told it is sometimes given to small children to see if they pee in the pool! Unfortunately I have had no luck. I appreciate any help you can offer. Thank you!
So I wrote her back, having had no luck myself in finding flourescein:
Dear Regina – I am so pleased you wrote in because it turns out it’s quite a bit more complicated than I realized (I might have to revise that part of the book!) I turned to “Dear Sally” (the wonderful behavior consultant of the show) jumped through a few hoops to find this out and here is her answer:
I called Cornell because I remember Dr. Haupt from Cornell mentioning flourescein MANY years ago. I talked with Don Personius, who was very helpful. He said between 2 and 4 flourescein STRIPS are rolled up and placed in a #4 capsule and given to the cat by mouth. The end result should be evident within a few hours and last 24 to 48 hours. Results depend on the pH of the urine, detected with a black light. He warned that it could stain fabric. So I went back and searched for the strips, which are indeed used for ocular stains. Here’s a link I found: http://www.dogcatetc.com/006ak1-0mg.html
I don’t know if you have to be a vet to order so Regina should probably go back to her vet and ask him to order the strips. She’ll need the strips, the #4 gel caps and a black light. Might be easier to set up a video cam!
So Regina- if you have the determination for all this I hope you’ll let us all know how it worked out! Maybe a phone call to me on he show next week might help figure out the issue a different way? Good luck – let us know your results!
Tracie
The Cat Bible
