Cat Urinary Blockage

A cat urinary blockage can also be classified as feline urinary syndrome. It occurs when there is a blockage in the urethra which prohibits urination. While urinary blockage can occur in both males and females, the rate of infection is significantly higher in male cats.

Urinary blockage is extremely painful and is easily detected. If any of the symptoms of urinary blockage are noticed, you should seek medical attention promptly, as the condition can progress and allow the spread of infection to other parts of the body.

Causes and Risk Factors

Urinary blockage is both common and unfounded. There is no known cause that can be attributed to the development of this condition. There are some risk factors that are thought to be associated in cats with this affliction, but they are merely educated guesses and consistencies with no medical or scientific proof to back them up.

While any cat is susceptible to urinary blockage, cats of advanced age seem to be more commonly affected. The theory behind this is that the aging process slows down the effectiveness of all body functions and structures. When this happens, the possibility of bacterial strains building up in the urinary tract is a real possibility.

The introduction of a new diet can pose the threat of urinary blockage as well. It is strange to think that something as simple as diet could have such a detrimental affect on your cat, yet it can and does. Your cat obviously requires a diet which is high in nutritional value. However, sometimes the food that you choose to feed your cat can have an overload of specific nutrients which your cat either does not require, or is not digesting properly. When this happens, these nutrients can back up in the urinary tract in the form of bacteria.

Symptoms

In order to stop the infection associated with urinary blockage from progressing to other parts of the body, it's imperative that you become familiar with the signs so that you can seek treatment for your cat. Here are some of the symptoms to watch for:

  • Attempting to urinate more frequently
  • Less urination being released at the time of urination
  • Urinating in other parts of the house besides the litter box
  • Persistent crying or appearance of pain while attempting to urinate
  • Bloody traces in the urine

Treating the Condition

The only way to treat the condition of a urinary blockage is to actually remove the blockage surgically. While it may be a painful realization that your cat will have to undergo surgery for this condition, you should also understand that there is no antibiotic medication that will break up the blockage on its own.

The surgical procedure consists of placing a tube in the urinary tract and physically removing the mass of the blockage. Because this can be a painful surgery and one that a cat would not tolerate under normal conditions, your cat will most likely be under general anesthesia for the duration of the procedure.

Once the procedure has been finished, your cat will be given a pain medication and an antibiotic to help prevent a relapse of the situation.

 

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