What Are the Treatments for Cat Urinary Problems?

Urinary problems affect cats and can be life threatening in some conditions. The symptoms of a urinary problem in cats include signs of pain during urination, urinating outside of the litter box, blood in the urine and frequent urination. Urinary tract infections, cancer, urinary stones or a urethral blockage may cause urinary problems in a cat.

  1. Diet

    • Veterinarians treat urinary stones with a special stone dissolving diet. Diets are only appropriate on feline struvite stones and do not dissolve calcium oxalate urinary stones. Cat foods on the market today formulated by the manufacturer for urinary health can help to prevent the occurrence of struvite stones, and this has made the diagnosis of this type of urinary stone rare, according to Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine.

      The treatment to prevent a reoccurrence of stones includes a diet change and medications.

    Medications

    • Antibiotic medications treat urinary tract infections in cats. The medication phenylpropanolamine treats urinary incontinence in cats by strengthening the urethral muscles. Hormone treatment also treats incontinence in cats caused by low estrogen levels. Muscle relaxers also treat urethral spasms that cause urinary incontinence in cats.

    Surgery

    • Veterinarians perform surgery on cats to treat anatomical abnormalities that may be responsible for urinary problems. Eliminating blockage of the urethra may require surgery as well. Urethral blockage is a serious condition in cats that may lead to electrolyte imbalance and death when it is not treated swiftly. In the event of a severe blockage, surgery may be needed within 24 hours to remove the blockage.

    Catheterization

    • Catheterization can treat urethral blockages in cats. The pet must be sedated during the procedure. A urinary catheter may be used to treat a weakened bladder that cannot empty on its own. A permanent solution for a bladder that does not empty properly is a cystostomy tube, which allows cat owners to manually drain the bladder.