Feline Idiopathic Cystitis: It’s NOT a Urinary Tract
Infection!
Your cat has started having signs that might look
like a urinary tract infection: squatting to urinate in unusual places outside
of the litterbox, making frequent trips in and out of the litterbox, straining
to urinate, vocalizing, licking the urinary opening, and/or producing small
amounts of blood-tinged urine (if there is no production of urine the kitty is
male, he could have an obstruction which is a medical emergency!). All of these signs are related to pain and
discomfort in the lining of the urinary tract.
The fact is that in young-middle aged healthy cats (especially male), it
is actually rare to get a true urinary tract infection. Only 1-5% of cats with these signs will have
a true urinary tract infection.
Other things that can cause similar signs might be
bladder stones (20% of affected cats), trauma to the urinary tract (1-5%) or
urinary cancer (1-5%). A urinalysis is
recommended to rule-out underlying problems, and bloodwork or x-rays may be
indicated. Most cats will not have any
underlying problem found, despite extensive testing. These cats have Idiopathic Cystitis. This is one of the most common problems that
we see in our feline patients.
What causes Idiopathic Cystitis? Well, just like many things in life, it is
multifactorial! This is more likely to
be a systemic disorder induced by stress than a primary bladder problem. You may think your kitty has it pretty easy,
but there are actually a lot of things that can stress out a cat! It may or may not be easy to identify stress
in your kitty’s environment, and some cats are more sensitive to stress than
others. Changing schedules, having
company over, a new baby or pet in the house, moving furniture, moving to a new
house, lack of access to elevated perches or a “safe place,” a stray cat
walking outside the window… the list goes on!
An excellent resource is Ohio State University College of Veterinary
Medicine’s website, Indoor Pet Initiative, for more information on stress
management and environmental enrichment:
www.indoorpet.osu.edu/cats
Another important factor appears to be diet. This doesn’t seem to be a condition caused by
diet, but it is sensitive to diet. Cats
have evolved to eat a high-protein, high-moisture, low-carbohydrate diet, i.e.
most canned foods! If the majority of
the diet consists of dry food, this may unmask or exacerbate signs in sensitive
cats. We recommend feeding your cat a
high-quality canned food, or wetting the dry food, and increasing water intake. Keeping the urine more dilute makes for a
healthier feline urinary tract and a happier you!
Medications may be prescribed to help manage acute
signs, and these may include pain relievers, anti-spasmodics, sedatives,
anti-anxiety medications, or glucosamine/chondroitin supplements. However, diet modification and environmental
enrichment are things that you can do at home!
Often there is no quick fix for the problem, and a solution is found
through various trials. Patience and
diligence are key. Your kitty will thank
you!
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