Dr. Carol McConnell, Chief Medical Officer at VPI, says urinary tract infections can be serious, so you need to know the warning signs.
“If they are frequently urinating, straining inside the box or outside the box, frequent licking of the genital area down there where they urinate, vocalizing or crying, you need to take that very seriously with a cat,” Dr. McConnell said.
Sometimes the problem can be caused by bacteria, sometimes by crystals or stones. But in 60 to 70 percent of the cases, she tells me, there is no obvious reason why the lining of the bladder is inflamed. And there's a name for this: Idiopathic Cystitis.
"Idiopathic means we don't know what actually causes it and cystitis means inflammation of the bladder lining,” she explained.
A cat with idiopathic cystitis is usually given a special diet and pain relievers. Pet parents are also told how to keep their cat's stress level low.
