Urinary tract disease in cats

Urinary tract disease s in cats: What is it, and how can I recognize it?

Unfortunately, urinary tract disease is common in cats. But what is it exactly? Urinary tract disease causes the formation of bladder stones, small, sharp, crystals that form in your cat’s urine. As you can imagine, these small stones irritate the bladder wall and the lower urinary tract and can, in some cases, even block it. However, in many cases, it is treatable.

Recognizing urinary tract disease in your cat: the symptoms

You likely already suspect that your cat is suffering from urinary tract disease. This ailment is easy to recognize. The symptoms of urinary tract disease are fairly universal. Here is a list of common symptoms:

• Sudden urination indoors
• Painful urination
• Straining to urinate
• Frequent urination in small amounts
• Blood in the urine
• Lying down in the litter box
• Male cats are more likely to become restless and to frequently lick their penises.

Are (some of) these symptoms recognizable? Most veterinary practices allow you to bring in a sample of your cat’s urine to check for urinary tract disease.

The right diet can alleviate this problem in cats.

It is unclear why some cats develop urinary tract disease and others don’t. However, certain factors are known to increase the risk of bladder problems. Genes play a role, but overweight and diet also contribute to urinary tract disease. 70% of cats that have urinary tract disease will suffer from this syndrome all their lives. This ailment is unpleasant, but in many cases it is treatable with the right diet. This involves food that makes your cat’s urine more acidic and that also contains less calcium and magnesium. This food will also makes your cat drink more, which reduces the concentration of the urine, making urination easier.

SANIMED Anti-Struvite for urinary tract disease

Your cat’s bladder stones may consist of struvite – a mineral with a specific chemical composition (magnesium ammonium phosphate). A special pet food has been developed to dissolve and help prevent these bladder stones: SANIMED Anti-Struvite. This complete dietary pet food contains the correct balance of ingredients to acidify the urine, reducing and maintaining a low urine pH. In addition, this dietary pet food also reduces the struvite-forming chemicals in your cat’s urine. On average, using this dietary food for 4 weeks will alleviate your cat’s urinary tract problems.

Additional urinary tract health advice for your cat

If you suspect that your cat has urinary tract disease, always contact your veterinarian. A veterinarian can confirm your suspicions or determine whether something else is wrong. Although urinary tract disease is often treatable, prompt action is critical. Particularly in neutered males, bladder stones can cause a blockage, preventing your cat from urinating at all. This can be life-threatening. In consultation with your veterinarian, you can feed your cat SANIMED Anti-Struvite. This food is available in both dry and wet formulations which are fully interchangeable. To verify that this diet is actually alleviating urinary tract disease in your cat, it is a good idea to regularly bring a sample of your cat’s urine to your veterinarian for testing.