Diseases of the urinary tract are extremely common health problems in cats of all ages. They range drastically in their severity, location and specific symptoms.
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Feline Urinary-Tract Disease
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Also called cystitis, FUS (feline urologic syndrome), or FLUTD (feline lower-urinary-tract disease), this common condition is caused by an infection in the urethra and/or bladder of a cat. In male cats, it can cause a life-threatening blockage.
Kidney Failure
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Kidney, or renal, failure is a common and life-threatening condition that primarily affects older cats. Acute and chronic renal failure both can be treated to prolong the cat's life and ease discomfort, but they are ultimately terminal conditions.
Polycystic Kidney Disease
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An inherited condition affecting primarily cats of Persian ancestry, PKD is a slowly progressive, inherited disease that usually shows no symptoms in kittens and young cats. PKD usually results in terminal kidney failure around the cat's seventh year of life.
Bladder Stones
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Like humans, cats can develop mineral deposits, or "stones," in their urinary tracts. These most often affect the kidneys or urethra, and they can cause fatal blockages.
Symptoms
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Cats with urinary diseases may urinate frequently or outside the litter box, and they may have visible blood in the urine. Urinary diseases also cause bloating, thirst, lethargy, and discomfort.
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