Suffering Kitty Cats
FLUTD (Feline Lower Urinary Tract Disorder) or Feline Cystitis, is the inflammation of the bladder and usually includes formation of crystals in the urine. The symptoms, if observed by owners, include frequent trying to urinate with the passing of small amounts of urine. Blood may or may not be apparent in the urine. When my cat became ill, we never noticed any difference in behavior, and he has always been very private about using the litter box. He seemed perfectly fine one day and was in extreme pain the next. When the veterinarian examined the cat,
Even though the exact cause of cystitis may not be known, studies show some predisposing factors that fit most cases of the problem: neutered cats; obesity; indoor, sedentary cats; cats with lower water consumption and fed only dry foods; and cats subject to stress situations. Also certain types of dry foods seems harder on cats' urinary tracts than others, as we discovered with one of our cats since we had him on a food high in magnesium. Another problem can be a dirty litter box.
One possible way to avoid recurrence of cystitis is to be sure cats have ample of clean water. If a cat doesn't or won't drink water (which I've personally never observed in any of my cats), then owners can add additional water to food, provide different liquid sources such as milk, flavored water, and meat juices. Clean water should be available all the time.
When my cat developed FLUTD, he meet two of the predisposing factors: eating dry cat food and being neutered. After a stay in the veterinary hospital and two week of forcing liquid medicine down him, he discovered that canned cat food was added to his diet and a dry food with a formula that helps avoid cystitis.
A discussion with a veterinarian will help owners find solutions for other factors such as obesity and stress. Stress even harms pets, and sometimes if a change of circumstances doesn't help or isn't possible, medications can. Obesity can be helped by reducing food available for the cat and by finding ways to increase its activity. Keeping the "kitten" alive in a cat helps it remain more active.
Funny Face, my cat, was fortunate. Even though his bladder had increased to the size of a tennis ball, he survived with care and hasn't had another episode.
Related Tags: illness, cystitis, feline, flutd
A retired English and composition teacher, Vivian Gilbert Zabel now concentrates on writing, with books Hidden Lies , Walking the Earth, and The Base Stealers Club found on Amazon.com and a portfolio on http://www.Writing.com. This article has been submitted in affiliation with http://www.PetLovers.Com which is a site for Pet Forums.
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