Feline urination problems on the increase?

[nethanvet5scotland]

This week we seem to have seen an unusually large number of feline patients with urinary tract problems! Some appear to have simple urinary tract infections, whilst others have a sterile or "idiopathic" cystitis. Either way, cystitis is a painful condition which is upsetting for both cat and owner (one of our clients even had to resort to buying incontinence sheets to protect her bed linen from cat pee!). Some urinary tract conditions in the cat are caused by environmental infections or exacerbated by other medical conditions (older cats, immune suppression, pain, renal failure etc.) but in almost every case stress will play its part- either in causing the problem in the first place or as a result of the problem- when cats are limited in which rooms they can go, or the owner suddenly does not want the cat to sit on their lap any more, and the cat does not understand why the rules have changed and their owner is cross??!!

There are however lots of things cat owners can do to help minimise the impact of stress on their cat's health. Broadly speaking these can be divided into 3 main categories:

1. Avoid the stressors

2. Enrich the environment

3. Think happy cat!

4. Toilet Etiquette

1. It may be a disturbance in the home: new household member, new pet, builders or decorators in the house, roadworks outside the house, new neighbours or worse- new neighbourhood cat(s), change in routine, change of litter tray (or litter type), new noise or smells close to litter tray! Lots of things can incite stress in a cat that is predisposed (genetically or temperament wise) to stress. Avoiding these stressors or minimising their impact; placing cat in safe place away from the stimulus or blocking visual access to the garden or view of the street outside the house.

2. There are dozens of ways of turning a normal house into a cat friendly house and your budget and imagination may be the only limiting factors (or husband in my case?). Some interesting websites to look at for ideas include:

http://icatcare.org/advice/making-your-home-cat-fr...

http://www.ski-epic.com/interesting_cat_trees/

http://www.houselogic.com/photos/home-improvement/...

http://www.bitiba.co.uk/shop/cats_accessories/cat_...

3. You know your cat best- so what makes them happy? Is it food, is it cuddling up beside the radiator, is it waking you up with a loud meow in the morning! If you think about the things that make your cat happy and make sure, as far as you are able to, that their life is full of positive experiences , and the scary ones are minimised, then they are less likely to be stressed. This does not mean feeding them on demand and filling them with cat treats, or they will end up with obesity problems which increase the risk of urinary tract disease and/ or constipation. We all need balance in our lives so reward them for behaving calmly and introduce regular play sessions or "fussing" sessions, if that's what your cat enjoys- and if not, then leave them be and accept that they will come to you if or when they are ready and want to.

4. Cats love a clean loo every time! Make sure your cat can access a clean indoor cat litter tray at all times, this usually means having one tray per cat plus an extra one, and not all in one location, aim to have them in several different areas of the house. Please avoid corridors and high traffic areas, they prefer somewhere quiet, away from noisy appliances (fridges, dishwashers etc.). Litter trays come in all sorts of shapes and sizes, with/ without covers and inside or on top of furniture- again use your imagination and offer your cat more than one choice- they will soon tell you which trays they like and are willing to use, and which ones they don't. The same goes for litter- ensure adequate litter depth (for all that digging before and after they eliminate) and make sure it doesn't smell too strong and that they like the consistency- if they don't, they just won't use it. Ensure trays are cleaned out regularly and that the cleaners themselves do not smell overly pungent or they may upset the cat. It will be trial and error until you get things just right!

[meriad]

A good post, thank you

Interesting that you've seen an increase in female cats with this issue; I wonder if it's also to do with more cats in smaller areas (ie I myself have six, next door has three, house behind me has 5, another house has about 10 but only 3 or 4 with outdoor access; and that's only the households I know of in my area. Male cats I assume tend to roam further so possibly less stress about sharing territory?

[MarySkater]

I wonder if the increasing popularity of dry food is a factor? A lot of cats don't drink much. Most wet foods appear to be about 80% water, so maybe they don't need to drink. If put on dry food, is the cat going to drink enough water to keep the innards working normally?