Feline urinary tract disease or FLUTD refers to several conditions affecting the bladder and the urethra of cats.
This condition could be caused by many factors.
However, cats which contract this disease often show similar symptoms.
Cats suffering from FLUTD usually show the following signs: frequent urination, increased thirst, constant howling especially while urinating, peeing outside the litter box, cloudy urine, bloody urine, excessive licking of the genital area, pain while urinating, foul-smelling urine, and incontinence.
Affected cats may also urinate in inappropriate places, usually in smooth surfaces such as the tiled floor or the bathroom.
At times, the cat may also strain to urinate but could only produce droplets of urine or worst, no urine at all.
Feline urinary tract disorder is most commonly seen in middle-aged and obese cats.
Studies have also shown that most cats affected with this kind of disease are those which eat a dry diet.
Other factors which are thought to contribute to the development of FLUTD are changes in the environment, constant changes in daily routine, and moving in to another place.
Diagnosis of FLUTD can be difficult because symptoms are identical in all possible contributory factors.
In some instances, the cause could not be determined despite many physical and laboratory tests done.
Most often than not, the first thing a veterinarian would do is to perform a thorough physical examination on the cat.
He may feel the cat's lower abdomen for possible presence of stone.
He may also perform a urinalysis by getting samples of the cat's urine.
If urinalysis is not enough, other tests may be required such as radiographs, urine culture, and blood tests.
Treatment depends on the outcome of the diagnosis.
The following are the most common causes of feline urinary tract disease.
• Urethral obstruction.
This is most common in male cats because they have a narrow urethra.
A cat with blocked urethra may not be able to urinate at all.
The blockage could be caused by several factors including, but not limited to uroliths, mucus-like protein, and cells which form into plugs and block the urethra.
This is a very serious situation in cats as it could be fatal and could mean the death of the cat when not treated within a span of 72 hours.
• Bladder Stones.
Bladder stones or urinary stones could cause FLUTD.
The two most common types of urinary stones in cats are calcium oxalate and struvite stones.
Cats with these stones in their urethra have to undergo x-rays and ultrasound.
They may also undergo medical surgery in order to have the stones removed.
• Feline Idiopathic Cystitis (FIC).
This is the medical term used when the cause of the cat's urinary problems could not be determined by either physical or laboratory exams.
Usually, cats with FIC make several attempts to urinate and produce bloody urine.
However, cats with FIC usually recover from the disorder within a span of time even without medical intervention.
Therefore, treatment for this kind of feline urinary tract disease is often targeted to the prevention of recurrence of symptoms.
Cats which have undergone treatment of feline urinary tract disorder often face a danger of recurrence of the disease.
It is important that as a cat owner, one must be able to tell the symptoms of the disease and take immediate action when such symptoms appear.
This condition could be caused by many factors.
However, cats which contract this disease often show similar symptoms.
Cats suffering from FLUTD usually show the following signs: frequent urination, increased thirst, constant howling especially while urinating, peeing outside the litter box, cloudy urine, bloody urine, excessive licking of the genital area, pain while urinating, foul-smelling urine, and incontinence.
Affected cats may also urinate in inappropriate places, usually in smooth surfaces such as the tiled floor or the bathroom.
At times, the cat may also strain to urinate but could only produce droplets of urine or worst, no urine at all.
Feline urinary tract disorder is most commonly seen in middle-aged and obese cats.
Studies have also shown that most cats affected with this kind of disease are those which eat a dry diet.
Other factors which are thought to contribute to the development of FLUTD are changes in the environment, constant changes in daily routine, and moving in to another place.
Diagnosis of FLUTD can be difficult because symptoms are identical in all possible contributory factors.
In some instances, the cause could not be determined despite many physical and laboratory tests done.
Most often than not, the first thing a veterinarian would do is to perform a thorough physical examination on the cat.
He may feel the cat's lower abdomen for possible presence of stone.
He may also perform a urinalysis by getting samples of the cat's urine.
If urinalysis is not enough, other tests may be required such as radiographs, urine culture, and blood tests.
Treatment depends on the outcome of the diagnosis.
The following are the most common causes of feline urinary tract disease.
• Urethral obstruction.
This is most common in male cats because they have a narrow urethra.
A cat with blocked urethra may not be able to urinate at all.
The blockage could be caused by several factors including, but not limited to uroliths, mucus-like protein, and cells which form into plugs and block the urethra.
This is a very serious situation in cats as it could be fatal and could mean the death of the cat when not treated within a span of 72 hours.
• Bladder Stones.
Bladder stones or urinary stones could cause FLUTD.
The two most common types of urinary stones in cats are calcium oxalate and struvite stones.
Cats with these stones in their urethra have to undergo x-rays and ultrasound.
They may also undergo medical surgery in order to have the stones removed.
• Feline Idiopathic Cystitis (FIC).
This is the medical term used when the cause of the cat's urinary problems could not be determined by either physical or laboratory exams.
Usually, cats with FIC make several attempts to urinate and produce bloody urine.
However, cats with FIC usually recover from the disorder within a span of time even without medical intervention.
Therefore, treatment for this kind of feline urinary tract disease is often targeted to the prevention of recurrence of symptoms.
Cats which have undergone treatment of feline urinary tract disorder often face a danger of recurrence of the disease.
It is important that as a cat owner, one must be able to tell the symptoms of the disease and take immediate action when such symptoms appear.
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