Feline urinary tract problems may be easily remedied, but can continually reoccur if changes are not made to the cat’s diet. One major problem is that cats are reluctant to drink water. Because they aren’t receiving enough liquid, their bladders are not flushed out frequently enough to remove bacteria and minerals that can gather in the bladder. These bacteria and minerals then cause various disorders in the cat’s urinary tract.
As the owner, you play an important role in diagnosing urinary disorders in your cat. You should have a general idea about your cat’s normal litter box routine and behavior. Then, if your cat changes their routine (goes to the litter box more frequently or less frequently), you can inform the veterinarian of the differences. Knowing your cat’s routine is particularly important because in many cases their behavioral changes are used to help the veterinarian narrow down what type of disorder your feline may have.
Felines diagnosed with any one of the disorders listed below usually have similar symptoms. The causes of the various urinary disorders listed below are mostly undetermined. Ash, an inorganic mineral residue found in cat foods, was once thought to be the main cause of urinary disorders in cats but now some veterinarians believe it is the high amounts of magnesium that are causing the urinary problems. However, research is still being done to determine what elements are causing urinary tract problems in felines.
Feline Lower Urinary Tract Disorder (FLUTD): also known as Feline Cystitis; the inflammation of the bladder and formation of crystals in the urine; often the cause is unknown or indeterminable; signs include frequent licking of genitals (males), frequent urination, urinating outside the litter box, blood in urine, and difficulty urinating.
Urolith (bladder stones): caused by the crystallization of minerals (ammonia, magnesium, phosphorus, and calcium); symptoms include straining to urinate, blood in urine, and frequently urinating in small amounts; two types of stones are struvite (the cause of almost half the cases of bladder stones) or calcium oxalate; treatment by veterinarian involves dissolving the stones.
Urethral Obstruction: cat’s with obstruction should be taken to the veterinarian immediately; usually cat will display problems when the day before they were fine; more likely in males because of their long, narrow urethra.
