Cats, as so many of us who keep them have learnt, have very sensitive bladders. One of the commonest reasons we vets see them is because they’re having trouble urinating. “Cystitis” (or more properly, Feline Lower Urinary Tract Disorder, FLUTD) in both male and female cats is usually recognised by 3 major signs:
1) Pain when urinating
2) Difficulty urinating (e.g. spotting, urinating in unusual places)
3) Blood in the urine.
Unlike humans, however, most cases of cystitis in cats aren’t actually caused by an infection (in older cats, it can be up to 25%, but in cats under 8 years old, less than 10% are associated with any bacterial growth).
By far the commonest cause is called FIC: Feline Idiopathic Cystitis, accounting for ? of all cases. In this strange condition, the primary cause is stress. This causes change in the nerve supply to the bladder, making it’s protective lining thinner, allowing urine to scald the sensitive membranes. This is painful, resulting in more stress, so escalates into an ever worsening spiral. The stress-event varies from cat to cat, but may be as major as moving house or a new baby; or as (apparently) minor as the litter tray being moved, or a change in diet.
To manage this, the key is to control stress - covered litter trays, a steady routine, and Feliway or Zylkene if needed all help. Its also very important to maximise water intake; if your cat will drink, that’s great (fountains are really good for many cats); if not, a diluting food like the Royal Canin Urinary Dry Food or, even better, Pouches can be really useful. However, sometimes its not enough, so there are a wide variety of supplements available to help reinforce the bladder lining. The old favorite was always Cystaid, but there are now a number of newer ones, including Cystease, Furinaid (which comes in a tasty liquid form for easy dosing) and the brand-new Cystophan, which also contains L-tryptophan, which is known to act as a de-stressing agent in its own right.
The second most common cause of cystitis is a build-up of stones (or calculi) which irritate the bladder lining. Eventually, they can pass into the urethra (the tube carrying urine out of the bladder) and block it, most commonly in toms (especially neutered ones). This can be an emergency - a “blocked cat” is all too common (usually at about 6pm on a Friday night!). If left untreated, it can be fatal, leading to bladder rupture and shock. Once the stones have formed, they will need veterinary attention. However, managing crystals in the urine to prevent stones is very important, and can be done by using special diets - the Hills Feline s/d is specially designed for dissolving Struvite crystals. The all-new Hills Feline c/d Multicare range is designed to help with all the major causes of cystitis: it dissolves struvite, and addresses FIC, oxalate crystals and urinary plugs.
This month, we’re running special offers on our whole Urinary Range! We’ve got specially reduced prices on all the urinary supplements, the Royal Canin Urinary range and Hills s/d. And to celebrate the launch of the new Hills c/d Multicare, we’re offering a FREE Hills Urinary Cat Pack (containing two types of food, cat litter and loads of information about FLUTD) with every order of marked Special Offer c/d food!
