Just imagine if your feline friend developed a cat urinary blockage. This condition is a serious complication of feline lower urinary tract disease, also known as FLUTD. It's often caused by cat bladder stones blocking the urethra so your male cat can't pass any urine.
Why Does This Happen To Male Cats?
A cat blockage is rarely seen in female cats.This mystery is solved when you learn that females have a much shorter and wider urethra than do males. Although this puts females at greater risk for cat bladder infections, this does protect them somewhat from a feline urinary blockage.
Because male cats have a much smaller urinary opening than females do, it doesn't take a very big feline bladder stone to cause urinary blockage in cats.
How Your Vet Treats A Urinary Blockage In Cats
If your cat is unable to pass any urine, or can pass very little, this is an emergency. Your cat's kidneys stop functioning when the urine has no place to go, which allows toxins to build up in the body very quickly. This toxin build-up causes death within a few days if it's not treated.
Your vet will insert a catheter to allow the urine to drain out of the bladder.Your kitty will more than likely need to be hospitalized for a few days, since the catheter will probably be stitched in place. Treatment may include flushing the bladder with fluids to wash out any bladder stones that are present.
To prevent dehydration in your kitty, he'll need extra fluids, either bv IV or under the skin. He'll also be assessed for any problems related to the toxic build-up in his system.
Most cats can go home after a few days. But you'll need to feed your cat a special diet for the rest of his life to prevent bladder stones from forming again.
What If The Blockage Happens Again?
If your cat continues to have problems with a cat urinary blockage, surgery may be the next step. This operation, called a feline perineal urethrostomy, enlarges your cat's urinary opening to prevent blockages from recurring.
This operation only prevents cat blockage, not FLUTD. A cat who has had this operation is more likely to develop feline bladder infection and bladder stones. He should have urine cultures done three or four times a year to be sure he's not suffering from a feline lower urinary tract infection.
Prevent Cat Bladder Stones
If your cat never develops cat bladder stones, he can't get a blockage from them later on. Cats with very concentrated urine are more prone to developing stones.
If you feed your cat canned food instead of dry, you can avoid this problem. Cats are meant to get most of their water from the food they eat. A high quality canned food has a moisture content closer to what a cat in the wild would eat.Cat owners are often suprised to find out that cats fed only dry food are often chronically dehydrated.
Be sure your cat always has access to plenty of clean, fresh drinking water.
Herbal and homeopathic remedies for cats are now available. These remedies are especially formulated to treat and prevent cat urinary problems.You should buy them only from a reputable company that's known for manufacturing the best quality products for pets.
Now that you have this information, you can take steps to protect your kitty from ever experiencing a cat urinary blockage.
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