Cat cystitis affects the feline bladder, and can be caused either by inflammation or infection. The treatment for each cause is different, as the treatments must address very different problems. In order to treat inflammatory cat cystitis, vets recommend looking into anti-inflammatory drugs.
Feline Cystitis
Cystitis is usually diagnosed as one of many potential urinary tract infections that infect cats, due to the symptoms of frequent urination but little production and blood in the urine, as well as accidents around the house. Your feline bladder function is impaired by the inflammation of the bladder walls.
There is no known cause for this cat urinary problem, but diagnosing early can prevent further damage to your cat's organs and remove any unnecessary pain from your pet.
How Anti-Inflammatory Drugs Work
In cystitis caused by inflammation, the tissue in your cat's bladder swells. Because cystitis also caused crystals to form in the urine, which can lead to the accumulation and formation of stones in the cat bladder, this can cause a serious obstruction problem. You'll notice your cat straining to produce only small amounts of urine.
Anti-inflammatory drugs treat the primary problem: inflammation. These drugs block the enzymes that cause pain and inflammation in your animal, which reduces the inflammation, allowing your cat's bladder function to return to normal.
You should try to restrict use of anti-inflammatory drugs in your cat, as these medications can damage your cat's stomach, increase bleeding, and agitate the system. There is only one anti-inflammatory drug for usage in cats in America, called Meloxicam, but other countries have developed nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs for cats.
Secondary infections and the build up of stones may require additional treatment after the primary problem has been caused. Additionally, there are special diets that you can put your cat on to prevent a second case of cystitis, as the disease is known to reoccur regularly in cats who have not received adequate prophylactic care.
Male Cats More Prone to Inflammation
Male cats are far more prone to inflammation than female cats are. Because cystitis frequently presents with urethritis, the small opening at the end of the penis for urine makes this problem more difficult for male cats.
There's actually less than a one percent chance that your male cat's cystitis is caused by infection. If your vet prescribes antibiotics, it is possible that he has misdiagnosed your cat. With such a low success rate, as antibiotics cure infections, not inflammations, antibiotics are an unnecessary treatment, which you should avoid.
Cystitis can cause renal failure and death in male cats, as a result of crystallized stones obstructing the small size of the urethra, which removes the potential for passage. At this stage, without drastic treatment, a cat can die within two days from uremia, as a consequence of unfiltered toxins entering the bloodstream, and kidney failure.