Cat Urinary Tract Diseases: Cystitis, Urethral Obstruction, Urinary Tract Infection Lisa A. Pierson, DVM Important points: Any cat that is having trouble urinating may have an obstructed urethra which is a medical emergency. “Water” is the most important word when considering urinary tract health. Feeding a water-rich diet of canned or homemade food is critical for urinary tract health. Feeding dry (water-depleted) food contributes significantly to urinary tract diseases. Cats consume double the amount of water when fed a water-rich diet versus dry food. This fact considers both sources of water: food and water bowl. Urinary tract infections are significantly over-diagnosed leading to antibiotic abuse. Blood in the urine is not necessarily indicative of an infection. Cases of sterile (non-infectious) cystitis (inflamed bladder wall) are far more common than infections. It is important to define the “I” in “UTI.” Is it Infection or Inflammation? Crystals are very commonly erroneously diagnosed and over-treated with so-called “prescription” diets. I do not use any prescription diets other than the occasional use of canned s/d, temporarily. Many cats suffer each day because of the water-depleted diets (read: any dry kibble) that humans insist on feeding to them. Out of all of the subjects discussed on my website, urinary tract health – especially urethral obstructions – is the subject that I am most passionate about. If the reader had to witness the tremendous suffering that a cat must endure when his (or, rarely, her) urethra becomes obstructed they would understand why this subject is so important. (See Opie’s pictures .) To be quite frank, if humans – including many of my veterinary colleagues – had a cork inserted into their urethra until they experienced the excruciating pain secondary to bladder distension and rupture, I have no doubt that they would start to take this issue much more seriously and STOP condoning the feeding of dry food to cats. And while urethral obstructions cause tremendous pain and suffering and can result in death if the bladder ruptures, cystitis (bladder inflammation) is also extremely
Cat Urinary Tract Diseases: Cystitis, Urethral Obstruction, Urinary Tract Infection Lisa A. Pierson, DVM Important points: Any cat that is having trouble urinating may have an obstructed urethra which is a medical emergency. “Water” is the most important word when considering urinary tract health. Feeding a water-rich diet of canned or homemade food is critical for urinary tract health. Feeding dry (water-depleted) food contributes significantly to urinary tract diseases. Cats consume double the amount of water when fed a water-rich diet versus dry food. This fact considers both sources of water: food and water bowl. Urinary tract infections are significantly over-diagnosed leading to antibiotic abuse. Blood in the urine is not necessarily indicative of an infection. Cases of sterile (non-infectious) cystitis (inflamed bladder wall) are far more common than infections. It is important to define the “I” in “UTI.” Is it Infection or Inflammation? Crystals are very commonly erroneously diagnosed and over-treated with so-called “prescription” diets. I do not use any prescription diets other than the occasional use of canned s/d, temporarily. Many cats suffer each day because of the water-depleted diets (read: any dry kibble) that humans insist on feeding to them. Out of all of the subjects discussed on my website, urinary tract health – especially urethral obstructions – is the subject that I am most passionate about. If the reader had to witness the tremendous suffering that a cat must endure when his (or, rarely, her) urethra becomes obstructed they would understand why this subject is so important. (See Opie’s pictures .) To be quite frank, if humans – including many of my veterinary colleagues – had a cork inserted into their urethra until they experienced the excruciating pain secondary to bladder distension and rupture, I have no doubt that they would start to take this issue much more seriously and STOP condoning the feeding of dry food to cats. And while urethral obstructions cause tremendous pain and suffering and can result in death if the bladder ruptures, cystitis (bladder inflammation) is also extremely
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