Feline Lower urinary Tract Disease (previously referred to as Feline Urological Syndrome or FUS) 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.
There are many causes of urethral obstruction in cats, but the two most common are uroliths and urethral plugs. Urethral plugs consist of a soft, compressible material that contains variable quantities of minerals, cells and cellular debris, and mucus-like protein. Many factors interact to produce uroliths and urethral plugs; viruses, bacteria, diet, decreased water consumption, physical inactivity, urine retention, stress, and urine Ph may all contribute.Â
One of the easiest ways to achieve an acidic diet it to feed a highly digestible meat based diet, as an acidic urine will naturally be achieved.
Featured to the right are Feed N Toss pet bowls – great for travel or spending time at Grandma’s over the holidays.
Mineral Deposits also have a greater tendency to form in urine that is highly concentrated or that is retained in the bladder for long periods of time. To encourage adequate water consumption, and thus the formation of urine that is more dilute, fresh water should be available to cats at all times.