Feline Lower Urinary Tract Disease

Diseases of the lower urinary tract occur frequently in cats, affecting the bladder and/or the urethra (the tube that carries urine from the bladder to the outside of the body). Most cats with lower urinary tract disease show remarkably similar signs, but to varying degrees. Cats will strain and make frequent and prolonged attempts to urinate, but usually the amount of urine passed during each attempt is quite small.

Affected cats tend to lick their genital area excessively, and sometimes they will urinate outside the litter box, often preferring cool, smooth surfaces like a tile floor or a bathtub. Occasionally, there will be blood present in the urine.

Idiopathic Lower Urinary Tract Disease

Although cats with lower urinary tract disease behave in similar ways, the potential causes are multiple. Urinary tract infections (bacterial, fungal, parasitic, and perhaps viral), urinary stones, urethral plugs, cancer, and other disorders can affect the lower urinary tract of the cat. Unfortunately, in spite of extensive diagnostic tests, the cause of over half of the cases of feline lower urinary tract disease remains elusive; such disorders are called idiopathic feline lower urinary tract disease (IFLUTD).

Cats suffering from IFLUTD make frequent attempts to urinate, probably as a result of bladder discomfort, and often are found to have blood in their urine. Dietary management has reduced the likelihood that cats with IFLUTD will develop a urethral obstruction, but there is no evidence that these "special" diets have reduced the incidence of idiopathic feline lower urinary tract disease itself.

Veterinarians have recently noted many similarities between this common form of feline lower urinary tract disease and a bladder disorder affecting humans called interstitial cystitis (IC). A psychologically stressful event often precedes the onset of lower urinary tract discomfort due to interstitial cystitis in humans. Interestingly, in one study, a recent weather change or a move to a new environment – both potentially stressful events to a cat – were factors related to the onset of signs related to IFLUTD.

Treatment

A number of therapeutic methods have been attempted, but none are uniformly successful in the treatment of either IC in humans or IFLUTD in cats. Studies are ongoing to determine whether the human and the feline disorder are truly the same, and whether therapies helpful for humans will be of benefit to cats as well. Thankfully, most cases of IFLUTD resolve within a short period of time, even without treatment.