Advice & Information

Each month we intend to put a number of popular questions to our vets relating to general pet health and care. Whilst in no way intended to replace a professional diagnosis, we hope that the information and advice provided on these pages are useful. There is also a number of excellent fact sheets created by the Blue Cross pet charity, to the right of this page.

Cat Questions

Cystitis and urinary tract disorders

Cystitis is a general term referring to inflammation in the urinary bladder. The common signs are;
-Increased frequency and urgency of urination
-Difficulty in urinating ( spending a long time straining on the litter tray whilst only passing small quantities of urine)
-The presence of blood in the urine
-Occasionally complete obstruction to the passage of urine
With the latter sing it is vital to seek to veterinary attention immediately as complete blockage to the flow of urine can be life-threatening if left untreated.

Causes of cystitis
There are many potential causes of cystitis in cats and it is very important to differenciate between them;
-Idiopathic (inflammation for no known cause) or "stress" cystitis
-Urinary calculi (bladder stones)
-Bacterial infections
-Tumours
-Anatomical abnormalities
-Urethral plugs - blockage by a mixture of crystals and inflammatory debris

Diagnosis
Clinical signs displayed by the cat are often characteristic of cystitis but if the condition does not resolve following a course of antibiotics,or if there is a recurrence of the clinical signs, further investigation is needed. These may include;
-Analysis of a urine sample
-Bacterial culture of a urine sample
-Blood tests to check kidney function
-X rays of the bladder

Treatment
-Cases of idiopathic cystitis may respond to treatment with anti-inflammatory drugs, but it is crucial that you do NOT use human products as these are extremely dangerous in cats.
-Bacterial infections of the lower urinary tract will usually respond to antibiotics
-If your cat develops a blocked urethra(this almost exclusively occurs in male not female cats), emergency treatment is required which will necessitate a general anaesthetic and passing of a catheter. Your cat will need hospitalising for a number days post anaesthetic whilst treatment continues.
-If a blockage occurs or bladder calculi form your cat will need a special diet to dissolve those calculi present and prevent further calculi from forming. This diet is required for life.

Prevention
It is very difficult to completely prevent lower urinary tract disease in cats, especially if there are unknown stress factors involved. Certainly overweight and under-active cats are at most risk and those that have a lower water consumption.
Avoidance of obesity, encouraging exercise and feeding some wet food to maintain a higher water intake will all help.
If you need any advice or are concerned that your cat may be showing early signs of lower urinary tract disease please make an appointment with one of our vets or nurses. 

More Questions:

Aural Haematomas

What is Hyperthyroidism?

Why should I vaccinate my cat?

How often should I have it vaccinated?

What diseases does the vaccination guard against?

What are worms and how can I tell if my cat has them?

Should I use off the shelf worming products from supermarkets?

How can I protect my cat (and home) against fleas?

My cat’s claws are really sharp! Can I trim them?

My cat has fair skin – is it safe for her to be lying in the sun for long periods?

How can I cut down the amount of hairballs my cat suffers with?

At what age should my kitten be vaccinated and neutered/speyed?

My cat kills birds and mice, which I find upsetting – is there a way to stop them from doing this?