Cystitis in cats - the whole truth. Symptoms, causes, diagnosis and prevention of cystitis in cats

The symptom of frequent urination (pollakiuria) in cats almost always indicates health problems, some of which can be easily corrected and treated, but there are others that lead to the death of the animal. If you notice that your cat is peeing frequently , and the norm is to urinate up to three times a day, then you need to urgently pick up the phone and seek advice from a veterinarian. It is worth knowing what reasons are hidden behind the cat’s frequent trips to the toilet and providing timely help to the animal.

Symptoms of cystitis:

Problems with urination. Due to inflammation, the cat has a constant feeling of fullness in the bladder. She begins to often sit down on the tray (possibly in other places) and intensively lick the genitals. In this case, urine is released literally drop by drop, or even completely absent;
Thirst;
Painful urination. At the end of the act, the cat may even make plaintive sounds;
Change in the color of urine, the appearance of blood or pus in it;
The specific smell of urine is sharp ammonia or purulent;
Depressed state, lethargy, refusal to feed, increase and then decrease in temperature, vomiting - against the background of the development of intoxication (poisoning of the body).

First aid at home

If it is impossible to urgently visit the “animal doctor”, then it is advisable to at least consult with him by phone about what to treat for now, and you can alleviate the “patient’s” condition if:

ensure peace by placing the bed in a warm and draft-free place;
administer an injection with an analgesic and antispasmodic medicine (No-shpa or Baralgin): put the “patient” on the table so that he rests with his paws and does not scratch, grab the scruff of the neck tightly and inject directly into the “skin pocket”, it will not hurt him, but then give him a treat or drop some valerian to appease him;
feed with liquid, easily digestible food, water - without restrictions;
to disinfect the urinary tract, give a decoction of bearberry, parsley root or furadonin from a syringe without a needle (not on the tongue, but in the corner of the mouth, behind the cheek);
to remove inflammation - a decoction of juniper and horsetail. But even herbal decoctions without an accurate diagnosis are unsafe.

Causes of cystitis

Hypothermia of the animal, for example, the cat staying in a draft for a long time, under an open window, on a cold floor or windowsill
Inflammatory processes in organs close to the bladder
Complication of other diseases of the genitourinary system: pyelonephritis (inflammatory kidney disease of predominantly bacterial nature), urolithiasis or damage to the urinary organs by parasites
Mechanical damage to the urethra
Poor circulation due to injury
Improper feeding of a cat - unbalanced natural diet, dry food with low water consumption or overeating, leading to obesity and an increase in the concentration of salts in the urine. As a result, the kidneys cannot cope with the filtration and elimination of toxins, swelling of the urethra occurs and the outflow of urine is impaired - a sediment of salts and mucus is formed, the urethra is blocked, urolithiasis develops, and cystitis becomes chronic.
Low activity of the pet, physical inactivity, which slows down the metabolism.
Parasites (helminths (worms), fleas, ticks, lice eaters) that contribute to mechanical damage to the external genitalia. Since the anus is located next to the urethra, when the cat licks itself, the infection spreads to the bladder. In addition, parasites secrete toxins that disrupt metabolism and cause secondary cystitis.
Bacterial and viral infections (including those acquired through mother's milk or introduced during mating). Cystitis can be caused by diseases of viral etiology, which can be prevented with annual vaccination - calicivirus, rhinotracheitis and chlamydia. Each of them is chronic and has a carrier form. This form without clinical signs is one of the causes of cystitis. Treatment of cystitis in this case does not give results: as soon as it stops, cystitis returns.
A state of anxiety or stress in a cat.
Idiopathic cystitis (IC) - cystitis with no apparent cause - a situation where clinical signs (frequent, painful urination, blood in the urine, etc.), confirmed by tests, are present without identifying any clear reasons for the development of the disease (bacterial infection, urolithiasis, etc.). IC is more often observed in overweight cats that do not leave the house.

What to do at home

The pet owner must follow the veterinarian's instructions. Self-medication is dangerous to health! Uncontrolled use of drugs or replacement of conservative treatment with folk remedies can cause irreparable harm to the cat’s health.

A sick furry cat should be provided with good care and adequate nutrition. It would also be useful to take vitamins, which are also prescribed by a specialist.

Features of cystitis

Both male and female cats are susceptible to cystitis. But clinical manifestations in cats are much more common. This is due to anatomical features. In cats, the urethra is straight, short and wide, so salt crystals are excreted almost unhindered in the urine. In cats, the urethra is longer, has bends and narrowings, so mucus and salt plugs often appear in it, completely blocking the flow of urine (obstruction).

Neutered cats, whose genitourinary system functions differently than normal cats, are more prone to cystitis. In addition, stagnation of blood in the genitals leads to swelling, and this leads to spasms and urinary retention, stagnation in the bladder, salt loss, urolithiasis and chronic cystitis.

Sometimes, with cystitis, pets avoid using their litter box because they associate it with pain when urinating. And in some cases, the fear of the toilet remains even after complete recovery. Thus, cystitis can cause behavioral changes.

Why is cystitis dangerous?

thickening of the walls of the bladder with chronic cystitis.
Cystitis can be acute or chronic . Without measures, acute cystitis becomes chronic, which is difficult to treat. Chronic cystitis is more common in older animals, and its main symptom is the presence of blood in the bladder. With chronic cystitis, changes occur in the walls of the bladder, hypertrophy of the muscle layer develops, that is, the bladder does not empty completely. As a result, an infection accumulates, which manifests itself as another attack of cystitis.

In advanced cases, cystitis is complicated by the development of purulent processes. Inflammation from the bladder rises to the kidneys, causing their disease (pyelitis), provokes the formation of salt stones, and the development of paresis or paralysis of the bladder. In severe cases, the inflammatory process spreads into the abdominal cavity, causing peritonitis.

With obstruction (blockage) of the urethra, internal pressure in the bladder, ureter and renal pelvis increases, this leads to kidney blockage - a complete cessation of urine output. The animal's condition quickly deteriorates due to the development of intoxication (lethargy, apathy, vomiting and a specific smell of exhaled air). Part of the function of the kidneys in removing toxic products can be taken over by the skin, lungs, and digestive organs - in this way the body tries to reduce the concentration of toxins and save life. Without emergency veterinary care, urethral obstruction in cats can be fatal within 24-48 hours.

Diagnosis of cystitis

When the first signs of the disease appear, you should contact a veterinary clinic. To confirm the diagnosis you will need:

urine test result. Depending on the severity of the inflammatory process, protein, mucus, leukocytes, red blood cells, epithelium, pus, blood, and salt crystals may be present in the urine. The laboratory must also conduct a bacteriological study (bacterial culture) to isolate pathogenic microflora (cocci, streptococci, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, etc.) and determine the reaction to sensitivity to antibiotics
cystoscopy - examination of the bladder using a special device
ultrasonography
clinical and biochemical blood tests, which may indicate kidney problems and other abnormalities
Possible smear test for genital tract infections

We get tested

It is better to take any tests in the morning on an empty stomach. The only exceptions are emergency cases, if the pet suddenly becomes ill and needs emergency hospitalization.

Donating blood is easy: the veterinary nurse will find a vein and take a portion of blood without any problems.

Many owners are concerned about the question of how to collect urine from a cat for analysis. To do this, prepare a tray: remove the filling, wash it, and pour boiling water over it. There is no need to use aggressive detergents such as bleach. Even if the pet doesn’t like the empty tray, sooner or later he will go into it. Drain the liquid into a jar and take it to the clinic.

If your pet does not have time to reach the tray, put a diaper on it. Later, squeeze the diaper into a jar for analysis. But this option is not very good, since the composition of the diaper can change the composition of the urine.

Another option: go to the clinic. To take the test, the doctor will insert a catheter. Catheterization is not very comfortable for the furry patient, but is completely painless. The most accurate and pure material is considered to be obtained by a-puncture of the bladder. The needle is inserted through the abdomen into the bladder, then the required amount of liquid is sucked out. The procedure is easily tolerated by animals; anesthesia or freezing is not required.

Treatment of cystitis

When the first signs of cystitis appear, you should provide the animal with peace and warmth; you can warm the stomach with a heating pad. It is necessary (!) to remove food from the cat, which will help stop the increase in urine concentration and reduce the load on the kidneys to eliminate metabolic products. It is also important to increase the amount you drink, as the liquid “flushes” the bladder. For cystitis, diuretics are also very useful - decoctions of lingonberry leaves, half-palm, etc. (only if there is no blockage of the urinary canal!)

Treatment is prescribed by a veterinarian depending on the complexity of the disease. For acute bacterial cystitis, long-term antibiotics are prescribed. In severe cases, it is possible to wash the bladder with a solution of potassium permanganate, furatsilin, etc. Usually, for cystitis, diuretics, homeopathy (Kantaren), Cat Erwin, vitamins and immunocorrectors are prescribed. If urination is painful, painkillers may be prescribed, and if infectious complications occur, sulfa drugs used to treat urinary tract infections.

If cystitis in a cat is a consequence of another disease of the genitourinary system, then this disease should be treated first.

In any case, you should not self-medicate cystitis; this can harm the animal.

After treatment, a repeat urine test is necessary to ensure there is no infection.

CoViD-19 has mutated, doctors gave the pet a fatal diagnosis.

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The whole world is raising money for treatment for a sick cat named Bagheera from Rostov-on-Don. Local volunteers even created a separate account on Instagram. Of the required 120 thousand rubles, they managed to collect almost half of the amount - 50 thousand, writes Komsomolskaya Pravda.

The tailed animal ended up in a shelter for stray animals by accident. There she was given a fatal diagnosis - infectious peritonitis. Bagheera was sick with coronavirus, and it mutated. If your cat is left untreated, it will die slowly and painfully.