Pet Health And Care >>  Cat Health >>  Cystitis in cats  
 
Cystitis in cats

Cat Cystitis

Cat cystitis is a condition that is characterized by an inflammation of the bladder, usually the result of the development of stones, bacterial infections or tumors.



The condition is also known as feline lower urinary tract disease and can affect any cat breeds although male cats are more prone to the more serious effects of the condition. Because of the fact that cats, much like most other animals and pets, will tend to suffer in silence and only start to make obvious signs that something is wrong once the condition has accelerated to a very serious level.



As a result, it is important to be able to identify the most subtle of symptoms of a medical condition in order to diagnose it as early as possible and, thereby, treat the condition as effectively as possible. The primary symptom to look out for when the cat is affected by the condition is the tendency to urinate more frequently than usual, even though not much urine is actually passed.



In most cases, each stop is punctuated by nothing more than a few blood stained urine drops. Within the cats body, cat cystitis will cause a blockage within the urinary tract as a result of a bladder stone or simply the build up of crystals. The blockage will then cause the urine to stagnate and create the perfect atmosphere for bacteria to build up. If this buildup is allowed to develop over a long period of time, without any medical attention, the condition could easily spiral into kidney failure. Some of the other common symptoms when it comes to detecting cat cystitis include a foul odor emanated from the urine, constant licking of the genitals and the cat appearing to cry during to urination as a result of the substantial pain they experience.

As always the diet plays a very significant role in helping control the condition when it comes to cat cystitis. Because of the high alkaline content of the stagnated urine, your veterinarian may suggest that you feed your pet a cat cystitis diet of mainly dried meal. However, you should make it a point to make sure that your pet gets plenty of water. One of the easiest ways to accomplish this is to make sure that the cat has a flowing water source such as a running tap or a fountain because they tend to be more fascinated with constantly moving water than they are by a stagnant bowl of water.

 
  Submitted on May 12, 2010  
 
 
 

Explore Pet Categories