feline cystitis

Feline idiopathic cystitis is a distressing and painful condition for cats, and can be distressing for the owner as well since the treatment is not always that simple. This article will discuss the possible causes as well as how to treat and more importantly prevent this disease.

What is cystitis
The term cystitis literally means inflammation of the urinary bladder. When you add the term "idiopathic" it means that the cause is not known. Idiopathic cystitis is one of the most common forms of cystitis in cats, and it is often chronic, meaning that once your cat gets it, he might be having repeated episodes.

Feline cystitis is often referred to as "Feline Lower Urinary Tract Disease" (FLUTD) which includes the following three conditions:

1) Blocked bladder - caused by mineral stones that are big enough to block the lower urinary tract. This is a very serious condition that needs immediate veterinary attention. This disease seems to primarily affect male cats whose narrow urethras are more easily blocked.

2) Bacterial cystitis - very rare in cats, compared to humans and dogs.

3) Idiopathic cystitis - accounts for about 60-70% of FLUTD. It is not life threatening, but quite frustrating since the cause has not been confirmed and therefore this condition can be difficult to treat. Idiopathic cystitis can only be diagnosed by ruling out other recognised causes of the clinical signs. The following will concentrate on this type of cystitis, to help owners understand how they can prevent their cat from getting repeated episodes.

Symptoms
If your cat shows any of the following symptoms, he might be suffering from cystitis and should be examined by a vet as soon as possible.

- Frequent trips to the litter tray
- Urinating outside the litter tray, often on cold hard surfaces like bathtub
- Straining
- Painful meowing when urinating
- Blood in urine

Try to obtain a fresh urine sample to present when you take your cat to the vet. This may be of help choosing the right treatment for him.

Causes
As mentioned earlier, idiopathic means that the cause is unknown. However there seem to be a few factors that are likely to increase the occurrence of cystitis.

Stress appears to play a very major part in idiopathic cystitis. Stress may be a result of a change in environment e.g. moving house, a new addition to the home (new pet, new baby, new furniture), visitors, a change in diet or aggressive cats in the neighbourhood.

Idiopathic cystitis may also be caused by an abnormality in the bladder membrane. The bladder membrane is supposed to filter out unwanted substances and avoid bacteria and crystals from attaching to the membrane, but in the case of cystitis it may be allowing some waste products through, causing irritation and inflammation. The membrane contains a protective layer, a type of carbohydrate, called glucosaminoglycan (GAG). Recent research has found that cats with cystitis have reduced levels of GAGs.

Overweight cats and cats which do not exercise very much seem to be more prone to idiopathic cystitis.

Treatment and Prevention
Your vet will perform a routine clinical examination and examine the urine sample if you brought one with you. The treatment of choice will depend on your vets findings during the consult.
Complementary to your vets treatment, and to prevent further recurrence of idiopathic cystitis you should:

1.Reduce stress levels
If you can think of anything that might have caused increased stress in your cats' life, try to correct the problem if possible. Ensure the litter tray is clean and placed in a safe, stress free location. If living in a multicat household, make sure the litter trays are equal to the number of cats plus one.
Pheromonatherapy can also be helpful in reducing stress in cats. Pheromones are natural substances which play an important role in feline communication. When cats rub the side of their face against objects, they deposit pheromones, which have a calming effect and provide them with a feeling of security. Preparations containing the "F3" facial pheromone are available and these have been shown to reduce stress significantly. Feliway can be used within the home (as a plug-in diffuser) and during transport (as a spray), for example when travelling to the cattery or veterinary surgery.

2.Provide supplements to restore the bladder lining
Cystease is an oral supplement containing N-acetyl glucosamine which provides your cat with the building blocks that is needs to help support and maintain the bladder lining. The capsules can be opened and the contents mixed with your cats daily meal. Cystease can be used while your cat is recovering from cystitis, and also as a maintenance therapy to help prevent reoccurrence.

3.Prevent your cat from being overweight
It seems that overweight cats are more prone to idiopathic cystitis, and therefore keeping your cat at a healthy weight could prove a big help in preventing occurrence of cystitis. Choose a high quality diet and measure the amount you give each day. Many veterinary surgeries also provide free weight clinics that can help if you find it difficult to deal with on your own.
As well as controlling the food amount, you should play with your cat every day, and make sure he gets enough mental stimulation. You can also let your cat work for his food by giving him a food activity ball, or hiding bits of food around the house.

4.Increase your cats water intake
Increased water consumption will lower the urine concentration and can help prevent reoccurrence of cystitis. Dry food is not the cause of cystitis, but may exacerbate the condition, so providing wet food or soaked dry food can be beneficial. You should offer an indoor cat many sources of water around the house. Many cats prefer drinking from running water and will automatically increase their water intake when provided with a water fountain.