Cat Urinary Health Problem
Cat urinary health problems are many such as FLUTD, urinary disease of feline non-obstructive, cat urologic syndrome etc. let us discuss about FLUTD, called feline lower urinary tract disease here.
Feline lower urinary tract disease
This disease is one of the important cat urinary health problems. This was earlier called as feline urologic syndrome. This disease affects the urinary bladder of the cat mostly and at times the urethral part of the cat is also affected.
Symptoms
Feline lower urinary tract disease affects the cat urinary health dearly. This condition is very serious in nature and if the cats are not treated early, then they may succumb to this disease. There are various symptoms by which the cat may be suspected for feline lower urinary tract disease. The cat will be seen struggling to pass urine. Even after much struggle the cat will only pass little urine or no urine. The cat may howl at the time of urination due to the pain. At times blood can be seen in the urine passed by the cat. Few cats may be licking the genital area frequently. The cat will appear dull. Vomiting can also be noticed in some cats.
Causes of feline lower urinary tract disease
There are really so many causes for this cat urinary health problem to develop in the cat. Bacterial and viral micro organisms can be a cause. Bladders stones, urine containing crystal, and tumors in the urinary tract can also cause this disease. This disease can also be due to congenital abnormalities. There are certain factors that trigger this disease. They are insufficient water intake, excess alkalinity or acidity of the urine, too much stress and mineral rich [especially magnesium] diet.
Treatment
In case the cause of the disease is crystal formation in the urine, then cat food that is good for urinary tract health must be provided to the cat to prevent the crystal formation. The same diet must be continued throughout the lifetime of the cat, otherwise the disease may relapse. In case the cat is not consuming the changed diet, then acidifiers can be thought off.
The cats must be forced to drink more water. In some cases the fluids can be administered through vein or subcutaneous route. The fluids thus administered will protect the car from dehydration and will help for flushing the bladder.
In case the cause of the disease is bacterial infection, then antibiotics are the only solution. In case the cause is tumor, then surgical removal of the same is the best option. If the cat has blocked bladder or urethra, which is the cause for cat urinary health problem like feline lower urinary tract disease, then urinary catheter must be passed through urethra and into the bladder, thus removing the block. The catheter must be kept in the same place for a period of 24 hours [at least] to ensure that the block is removed once for all.
Glossary
Urinary tract - the tract that helps in eliminating the urine from the body.
Urine - this nothing but the fluid that contains chemicals that are waste to the body.