WHAT CAT OWNERS SHOULD KNOW ABOUT URINARY BLOCKAGE, A LIFE-THREATENING CONDITION

By David Goldwasser, DVM 
 

Urinary blockage is a relatively common, life-threatening condition in male cats. It is important for cat owners to be able to recognize the symptoms of a potential urinary blockage. Early recognition and prompt treatment are critical features in improving the overall prognosis of this syndrome.

Urinary tract disease is frequently seen in both male and female cats, regardless of spaying or neutering. However, female cats rarely develop obstructive urinary tract disease, since the female urethra is broader and shorter than that of the male. All cats with lower urinary tract disease (i.e. involving the urinary bladder and/or the urethra) tend to urinate frequently. Often these cats will urinate outside the litter box, and their urine may appear blood tinged.

Whenever these symptoms appear in a male cat, it is important to notify your veterinarian as quickly as possible. Additional symptoms may include frequent trips to the litter box with visible straining, excessive vocalization (indicating discomfort) and abdominal pain when being lifted. The observant cat owner may even feel a large, firm urinary bladder within the abdominal cavity.

Urinary blockage quickly progresses to uremic poisoning, with accompanying depression, vomiting and loss of appetite. Death can occur within 72 hours if the condition is untreated. Occasionally the urinary bladder will rupture and urine will fill the abdomen, leading to peritonitis.

If your male cat is straining to urinate, but still passing small amounts of urine, your veterinarian may be able to treat him with something as simple as a dietary change. In order to determine the cause of the problem, and the eventual treatment, it will be necessary to obtain a urine sample. Abdominal X-rays and bloodwork may also be needed.

If there is already a complete blockage at the time your cat is examined, it is likely that your veterinarian will need to pass a urinary catheter under general anesthesia. Often, hospitalization for several days will be required. In rare instances that don’t respond to initial therapy, a surgical procedure called a perineal urethrostomy may become necessary.

However, in most cases persistence will be rewarded and your cat will make a complete recovery without resorting to surgical intervention. The vast majority of cats treated at our hospital are sent home alive and well, and most of these are placed on a restricted diet which, if followed, will prevent future obstruction from occurring.