What You Should Know About Urinary Blockage In Cats And Emergency Treatments

feline lower urinary tract disease

This is a scary thought.  If your male cat has had FLUTD, or Feline Lower Urinary Tract Disease, he's at risk for developing a cat urinary blockage.Your cat can die within 36 hours if he doesn't receive immediate veterinary treatment for this life-threatening problem. 

What Are the Signs Of Urinary Blockage In Cats?

It can be hard for cat owners to tell if a cat urinary blockage is present.  The symptoms are pretty much the same as for a feline urinary tract infection:  straining, not able to pass much or any urine, crying in the litter box, urinating in places other than the litter box. 

Your vet will diagnose this by feeling your cat's belly for a distended bladder.If your cat's bladder is normal, it will be soft and small when it's empty.  A cat with a urinary blockage will have a hard bladder about the size of a peach.This situation is very painful for your feline friend.

It's also dangerous.  When a cat can't empty his bladder, his kidneys stop filtering waste products out of the blood and making urine because it can't go anywhere.  When this happens, toxins start building up in your cat's body, which will kill him within a few days.

What Causes A Cat Urinary Blockage?

Bladder stones are the culprit.  These stones form from minerals present in your cat's urine.Stones ranging in size from grains of sand to pea gravel are formed when minerals in the urine crystallize.  Your cat may have only one stone, or he could have dozens. 

A male cat has a very long, narrow urethra (the tube that carries urine from the bladder outside the body).  If he has even a few tiny cat bladder stones, it's very easy for him to develop a urinary blockage.

How Is A Urinary Blockage In Cats Treated?

Your vet may be able to get the blockage out by putting pressure on your cat's bladder.If this is not successful, you kitty will need to be catheterized. 

A build-up of urinary toxins in your cat's system often leads to vomiting and loss of appetite, along with heart-rhythm disturbances.  Your cat will probably be dehydrated too.Fluids may be given by IV or under his skin. 

Your cat may need to stay at the animal hospital for several days, until the catheter can be removed. 

Home Treatment

When you bring your cat home, you'll need to feed him a special diet.The formation of mineral crystals can be avoided by feeding a diet lower in magnesium.In order to prevent another blockage, it'll be necessary for him to continue to eat this diet for the rest of his life.

It's also important to make sure he has plenty of fresh clean water available.  The more water he drinks, the more dilute his urine will be.  This helps to prevent cat bladder stone formation.

Homeopathic and herbal remedies are now available for cat urinary problems.  Probably the best way to prevent this problem in the first place, or to keep it from happening again, is to put your cat on one of these remedies.

Take action now to prevent a urinary blockage in cats from happening to your feline friend.

Darlene Norris has combined her long-time interest in natural healing with her experience working at a vet clinic to bring you her new website, Natural Pet Urinary Health.  Here you can discover how herbal and homeopathic remedies can help prevent and treat feline bladder infection that can lead to urinary blockage in cats.  Find the best place to buy these remedies at http://naturalpeturinaryhealth.com