Cystitis in cats: symptoms and treatment

Feelings of fear and anxiety can affect cats in the same way that these feelings affect us. Stress can occur in your cat for several reasons. Perhaps you've recently moved or have a new pet or family member in your home. Be that as it may, stress often causes health problems in your pet. One of the first symptoms of stress-induced urinary tract disease is the cat's refusal to use the litter box. At the same time, she may begin to urinate in a new, “wrong” place or on the walls, or she may experience difficulty, most often caused by pain, when urinating.

Unfortunately, urinary problems are one of the most common reasons why cats are abandoned in shelters or even euthanized or thrown into the streets. If a cat begins to urinate outside of its litter box, it is not doing so out of revenge or anger. There's probably something wrong with her. It could also be a behavioral problem, for example, she may not like her litter box for some reason, but health problems should be ruled out first. One of the most common causes of urinary dysfunction is feline lower urinary tract disease (FLUTD) or feline urological syndrome.

Why does cystitis occur in cats?

The reasons causing the development of this pathology include:

stress (during renovations, arrival of guests, due to the appearance of a new pet);
excess weight and, accordingly, an inactive lifestyle, leading to stagnation of urine in the bladder;
disruption of the natural act of urination due to damage to the spinal cord;
lack of fluid intake, especially if dry food predominates in your pet’s diet;
improperly composed diet and, as a result, metabolic disorders leading to the development of diseases (for example, urolithiasis);
systemic diseases, especially in older pets.

Symptoms of cystitis in cats

The following symptoms may indicate the development of this disease:

frequent urge to urinate, as well as urination in small portions;
urinating in inappropriate places, although the cat has never done this before;
restlessness and vocalization (grunting, meowing) when urinating;
the appearance of visible blood in the urine.

If you notice any of the above symptoms, you should seek help from your veterinarian.

A life-threatening condition for a pet is the absence of urination for more than a day. In this case, emergency assistance is necessary.

First aid and treatment

If the animal is suffering from severe pain, an antispasmodic may be used. The exact dosage depends on the weight and age of the pet, but it must be agreed with your veterinarian.

Temporary abstinence from food will help reduce the load on the kidneys, but you need to monitor your fluid intake. This helps reduce the concentration of urine and remove some bacteria from the body.

The pet should be placed in a place protected from drafts to prevent the progression of cystitis. It is not recommended to carry out palpation on your own; excess pressure on the organ can lead to rupture of soft tissues.

Examination at a veterinary clinic

At your doctor’s appointment, your pet will be examined and a number of standard tests will be recommended:

Ultrasound of the genitourinary system to detect structural changes, neoplasms and calculi (dense clots in the form of stones, etc.).
General urine analysis with sediment microscopy. This study is necessary to identify urinary tract infections, crystalluria and a number of systemic diseases.
A general blood test is necessary to assess the general condition of the body and identify systemic inflammatory processes.

Also, in some cases, a number of additional studies may be required:

Tank. urine culture to determine sensitivity to antibacterial drugs.
Older pets also need a general and biochemical blood test, since chronic systemic pathologies may be observed in their body, creating favorable conditions for the development of infection in the lower urinary tract. For example, diabetes or chronic kidney disease.

Procedures at the veterinary clinic

Veterinarians clean the bladder. The procedure is carried out using a catheter with an antibiotic and an antiseptic (boric acid, Furacilin, KotErwin). If there is a critical lack of fluid in the body, a dropper with Ringer's solution or glucose is placed.

In a critical situation, combined with a risk to life, surgical intervention may be performed. The veterinarian artificially empties the bladder if it is filled with urine and the natural passage is tightly blocked. In other cases, conservative treatment is carried out at home.

Treatment of cystitis in cats

After passing the examination, depending on the nature of the disease, a specific treatment method will be proposed. If an acute infection develops, a long course of antibacterial drugs is prescribed.

They absolutely cannot be canceled independently due to the possible transition of the infection to a chronic form and the development of resistant microorganisms.

In addition, the inflammatory process can rise even higher and affect the kidneys. In this case, helping the pet will be very difficult, and sometimes impossible. For the same reasons, you should never reduce the dosage of antibiotics prescribed by your doctor.

A veterinary specialist will also prescribe a set of symptomatic medications.

How to care for an animal

During treatment, the animal must be isolated from drafts and not allowed to lie on the tiles. Heating the bedding is also not recommended. There are a number of other useful recommendations:

no walks. On a warm and clear day, you can go out with your pet in your arms to saturate its body with oxygen;
It is forbidden to bathe a cat until complete recovery;
make sure there is enough fluid. For picky animals, you can install electric fountains, host mugs or buckets, and place them in different rooms;
do not expose your pet to stress;
Visit your veterinarian regularly to monitor changes in health.

Particular attention should be paid to weak, pregnant or lactating pets. Low immunity accelerates the development of inflammation, which affects the kidneys.

Diet for cystitis

If a sterile non-infectious process is detected, a long course of diet therapy will be prescribed. Minimum medicinal feeds are prescribed for a month.

For example, in the treatment of urolithiasis, food is used to acidify urine, preventing the formation of struvite-type stones and crystals. These foods include: Hill's S/D, Proplan Purina Urinary, Royal Canin Urinary S/O or their analogues.

When treating idiopathic stress cystitis, food is usually prescribed to increase the period of remission and reduce the likelihood of relapses. For example Hill's C/D.

This food contains the essential amino acid L-tryptophan, which reduces the risk of stress.

Only a doctor can select the correct type and duration of feeding after a complete examination of the patient.

Medicinal feed

A standard diet is not acceptable during therapy. Natural food should contain a minimum amount of fat and protein, but the norm is difficult to determine on your own. The task can be simplified by using a line of specialized high-class medicinal feeds. The composition contains the necessary list of components, vitamins, and a small amount of salt. There is a weak diuretic effect.

Using medicated food on a regular basis will help:

reduce the amount of salts in the urine;
increase the rate of primary urine formation per unit time;
protect the liver from excess stress;
normalize the flow of urine from the bladder.

The brand is selected by a veterinarian. Popular and trusted brands include Hill's, Royal Canin, Purina, Advance, etc. It is allowed to change feed when diagnosing urolithiasis. This will regulate the acidity of urine.

Switching your pet to a new food is extremely simple: you need to mix it into the old one, gradually increasing the amount. A sudden change can lead to an allergic reaction or gastrointestinal upset.

Prevention of cystitis in cats and care at home

Unfortunately, some types of disease, regardless of the quality of treatment, can be chronic and have periodic relapses. Therefore, it is very important to carry out prevention and systematic monitoring of the pet’s condition by veterinary specialists.

Prevention includes:

Castration of cats after puberty (from 7–8 months).
Increasing the amount of fluid consumed (on average at the rate of 50 ml per kg of pet’s weight per day). To stimulate thirst, you can purchase special fountains. A curious little one will find this not only interesting, but also useful.
Nutrition control (purchase of ready-made diets selected according to the age and weight of the pet). When choosing natural food, it is necessary to prepare a diet by a veterinary nutritionist. In the presence of recurrent diseases, it is almost impossible to independently select the correct ratio of components.

Increased physical activity. Please play with your pet more, it will benefit him.
Reducing stress (including the use of specific sedatives or diffusers with pheromones).
If urethral obstruction occurs more than once every few months, urethrostomy is indicated (removal of the penis and formation of a wider urethra).

Cystitis is a serious disease, so self-medication is strictly forbidden. If you have the above symptoms, please contact your veterinarian immediately. All that the owner can do on his own is to strictly follow the doctor’s instructions and prevent exacerbations. Health to your “tails”!

Prevention

Taking into account the fact that in cases of cystitis, in cats, chronicity of this disease is observed, close attention should be paid to the prevention of relapses of this pathology. Be sure to keep your cat warm, do not allow him to go outside (at least in the cold season) and protect him from drafts. It is recommended to take drugs and herbal medicines for maintenance therapy - canephron, trinephron, urolesan. Use the same drugs during the rehabilitation period, after a successful course of treatment.

Timely contacting a veterinarian if you suspect symptoms of cystitis and following the necessary recommendations will help keep your animal healthy.

Have you ever dealt with cystitis in an animal? Leave questions for the veterinarian in the comments.

Forms of cystitis and their features

Cystitis in cats can be acute or chronic (depending on the course of the disease). In the first case, all symptoms appear quickly and rapidly increase, while the animal’s condition sharply worsens. In the second case, the cat may look quite healthy, since the signs of the disease increase gradually.

Both acute and chronic cystitis are dangerous to your pet’s health. It leads to depletion of the immune system and worsens the general condition of the animal, provokes sleep and appetite disorders, and reduces the cat’s life expectancy.

According to the characteristics of the course, other forms of cystitis are distinguished:

Hemorrhagic . It develops when the mucous tissues of the urinary tract are damaged. In this case, blood impurities in the urine become a characteristic sign of cystitis. The hemorrhagic form of the disease can also be chronic or acute.
Idiopathic . In this case, the cause of cystitis is unknown. It cannot be detected even with a complete examination (diagnosis) of the pet’s body. Symptoms may be visible or not appear at all, so treatment of idiopathic cystitis is difficult.
Bacterial . It is very rare. The main feature of bacterial cystitis is always an acute form of the disease. Treatment in this case will be based on taking antibiotic drugs.

Determining the form of cystitis is necessary to draw up a treatment plan. Not only the medications prescribed, but also the additional measures taken by the veterinarian (for example, rinsing the bladder) will depend on this.

Allergies and food intolerances

Allergy

- this is the response of our immune system to the entry into the internal environment of the body of a foreign substance, usually a protein, which in this case is called an antigen. The danger of allergic reactions is that in extreme cases they lead to the development of anaphylactic shock and death. Human blood contains antibodies - these are protein molecules that play a key role in the development of the immune response. They bind foreign proteins that enter the bloodstream and thus protect us from potential danger. The body synthesizes different types of antibodies. They are represented by immunoglobulin molecules: IgG, IgM, IgE, IgA. Immune globulins E are designed to enhance a strong immune response, so an allergic reaction associated with IgE is a serious risk, but it is worth noting that it is quite rare.

Food intolerance also usually leads to certain symptoms, but they are quite mild and do not require urgent help. Sometimes it is quite difficult to find out what exactly caused the development of certain symptoms. Potentially these could be the following factors:

1.
Low efficiency of digestive juices and/or enzymes.
As a result, food proteins do not undergo the necessary processing and are not digested
.
2.
Lack of necessary enzymes.
For example, the absence of the lactase enzyme in the body leads to the inability to digest lactose, which is accompanied by characteristic symptoms.

3.
Leaky gut syndrome.
Normally, the intestinal walls allow only small digested molecules to pass into the blood. However, with this disorder, large protein molecules enter the bloodstream, which trigger an immune response.

Allergic reactions can occur with celiac disease, when in response to gluten entering the body, the immune system produces IgE, which destroys the intestinal lining. Class E immunoglobulins are also produced during seasonal allergies, but unlike classic food allergies, they are not as dangerous.

Application of Stop Cystitis

Stop cystitis for cats

Among other herbal preparations intended for the treatment of cystitis in cats, the most popular among owners and veterinarians are Stop Cystitis and its modification Stop Cystitis Bio.

It is not for nothing that the medicine is considered the best: it effectively eliminates the inflammatory process, has a diuretic and antimicrobial effect, relieves spasms and eliminates pain in many pathologies of the feline urinary system, as well as cystitis. The first option is presented in tablet form and in the form of a suspension, the second - only a suspension. The average cost of drugs is 200 rubles, while Bio costs 20-30 rubles more.

Stop cystitis. Contains components of plant origin and is used as a medicinal product. It has a complex effect on the organs of the animal’s urinary system. Typically, a single dosage of the drug is 2-3 ml of suspension or 1-2 tablets. When treating a disease, it is taken twice a day, and for preventive purposes - once. Course duration is 5-7 days. Can be given to newborn kittens and cats awaiting replenishment.
Stop Cystitis Bio. More relevant to additives with preventive and therapeutic effects, as an addition to basic medications. Allows you to improve the functioning of the kidneys and bladder, alleviates their condition during the recovery period, prevents the formation of sand and stones, and relieves inflammation at the initial stage. Despite the fact that this is a biological additive, it can only be used as directed by a veterinarian. The dose, frequency of administration and duration are the same as the previous option, unless otherwise specified by a specialist.

Although Stop Cystitis is of natural origin, according to the instructions there are contraindications for use: heart and vascular diseases, kidney failure. Stop Cystitis Bio can be given to all cats without exception. Both drugs practically do not cause adverse reactions, but sometimes individual intolerance to some ingredients is possible in animals.