Feline Lower Urinary Tract Disease (Feline Urological Syndrome) Symptoms and Treatments

Cats can suffer from a number of urinary problems without their necessarily being apparent, and it is always important to keep an eye on your cat's habits so that you can identify anything out of the ordinary. For example, what might seem to be a slight problem passing urine may in fact be the sign of an infection or disease, and without treatment the urine may distend the bladder and backtrack up the ureters to the kidneys, compromise their function, and set up a systemic infection.

Cats are liable to contract a condition known as feline lower urinary tract disease and which used to be called feline urinary syndrome or feline urological syndrome. This is a group of conditions that affect the bladder and urethra. The syndrome is identified by signs of inflammation, obstruction and irritation within the bladder and urethra. The causes of these signs can be multiple, and can range from blockage caused by fragments of bladder stones to injury and infection, twisting or rupture of the internal structures, tumors, or any other abnormal condition that occurs anywhere in the lower urinary tract.

The symptoms include straining, blood tinged urine, and frequent attempts to pass urine but without the ability to actually empty the bladder. Upon very gentle palpation of the abdomen you will be able to feel a hard structure in the pelvis, which is the very distended bladder.

The syndrome is more common in male cats, since collection of protein and debris is likely to block the narrow internal sphincter in the urethra and prevent any urination at all. The female urethra is wider and complete obstruction is rare.

Cats will be in extreme discomfort and may call with pain, and once you see any of these symptoms your cat must be taken to the vet immediately so that the bladder can be relieved. Leaving the bladder distended may lead to a damaged or ruptured bladder, or a tracking of infection up the ureters to the kidneys, and perhaps uraemia (high levels of urea in the blood) in which case the cat will need intravenous fluids to flush the circulatory system and kidneys.

Once at the surgery, the vet will pass a small catheter into the bladder to relieve the obstruction, and if the stream is still compromised and the cat still cannot pass water the cat may need to have the catheter in place for a short while until the condition subsides, either because the bladder has temporarily lost tone or there is a blockage which needs to be removed from the urethra.

Dietary management is thought to act as a good preventive measure against stones by altering the pH level of the food, and some experts recommend giving distilled water to cats who are prone to the syndrome. However unless the cat has any permanent damage in the organs it is safe to assume that the syndrome is unlikely to reoccur. Those cats who may be prone to it can be watched carefully and their blood and urine monitored regularly.

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