It's often the cause of acute renal failure. Cats are plagued by lower urinary tract disorders, all grouped under the heading Feline Urologic Syndrome (FUS). The anatomy of male cats makes them particularly vulnerable.
Dry foods (kibble) have often been blamed for this disorder.
In the 1970s, some low quality, high-magnesium foods were responsible for creating alkaline urine, which contributed to the formation of crystals and the accumulation of struvites (magnesium ammonium phosphate calculi). These irritating grains caused cystitis in both genders, obstructing the long, narrow, curved urethra of male cats.
Today, veterinarians have a broader view of this syndrome, now referred to as Feline Lower Urinary Tract Disease (FLUTD). This term includes disorders characterized by a variety of clinical signs, including frequent or painful urination or the presence of blood in the urine (hematuria). Urination outside of the litter box can also be a warning sign.
Urinary bacterial infections (rare), tumors, anatomical malformations, urolithiasis (presence of urinary calculi), and idiopathic cystitis may all cause FLUTD.
The urine of a healthy cat contains varying amounts of crystals (struvites, calcium oxalates, etc.). Urinary sediments are not produced by diet, but diet may make a cat more prone to precipitation of these sediments. Cat foods are now formulated to reduce the risk of precipitation of minerals at each stage of an animal's life.
Though dry foods are perfectly adapted to the requirements of a healthy cat, wet food or rehydrated dry food should be fed to cats that have previously been diagnosed with a urinary tract stone in order to increase their water intake.
In more than 60% of all cases, a cat suffers from idiopathic cystitis. This involves periods of remission followed by reappearance of symptoms and is the cause of most toilet accidents in cats. Stress plays a major role in the onset of idiopathic cystitis. Stress may be caused by difficulties in the relationship with the owner, a change in food, environmental problems relating to confinement, overcrowding, the litter box, or any number of reasons known only to the cat.
Sometimes an obstruction in male (neutered or intact) cats may not pass due to the size of the obstruction and the accumulation of protein matter. The cat passes only a little urine, or none at all. As a result, the urine accumulates in the bladder. The cat is prostrate and curled up and exhibits signs of intense pain caused by the distention of the bladder. If the bladder is struck, unskillfully palpated, or intervention comes too late, it may rupture. The waste products contained in the urine are resorbed by the body, leading to uremic toxicity. The only option in these cases is surgery.
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