Amongst the more common cat health care problems are certain urinary problems. Many of the illnesses, diseases and unwanted behaviour we observe in our cats are the result of urinary problems. The more serious urinary problems in cats include Cystitis, or Feline Lower Urinary Tract Disease, spraying and renal failure.
Cystitis and FLUTD are umbrella terms used to describe the cat health care problem of inflammation in the urinary bladder. The symptoms include irritation and inflammation affecting urination, an increase in the frequency of urination and the urgency of it, general difficulty urinating and evidence of blood in the urine. The causes of this illness can be very varied but often food causes urinary crystals to form into bladder stones, triggering the illness. Also, cats which are overweight are often affected because they are susceptible to cat health care problems generally. However, there is no need for undue concern: this can be treated easily by a vet.
Spraying, on the other hand, is more often thought of as a problematic behaviour than a cat health care issue. At the age of eight or nine months, a male cat is likely to become more territorial and begin behaving in new ways. This includes marking his territory- your house- with very strong smelling urine. It can be very hard to get rid of the smell. With this behaviour will come other masculine, tom cat behaviour, including fighting with other cats, which can cause cat health care problems: this can be avoided by neutering the cat.
Kidney disease is a very common cat health care problem, particularly amongst middle aged and older cats. Cat urine is very concentrated and not frequently passed, meaning that the kidneys work exceptionally hard. It is therefore not uncommon for the kidneys of older cats to begin to fail. Symptoms of kidney disease include drinking and urinating more and if the disease progresses, sickness, disorientation and weight loss. Besides old age, this cat health care problem could be caused by cancer, infections or ingestion of a poisonous substance.
