Urinary problems are amongst the most frequent cat health care problems our feline pets experience. Many of the illnesses, diseases and unwanted behaviour we observe in our cats are the result of urinary problems. The main three problems are 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 caused by the irritation and inflammation related to urination include the cat urinating more and needing to do so more urgently, experiencing difficulty urinating and the presence of any blood in the urine. These illnesses are caused by various triggers, although very often food causes urinary crystals to form into bladder stones. Also, cats which are overweight are often affected because they are susceptible to cat health care problems generally. Fortunately, cystitis can be treated by a vet.

Spraying, on the other hand, is more often thought of as a problematic behaviour than a cat health care issue. Between the age of eight and nine months male cats will hit puberty and develop new, territorial behaviours. This will include spraying  very strong smelling urine around their territory- your house. The smell is very difficult to remove. At the same time as this behaviour emerges, the cat is likely to start fighting with other cats, so to avoid any potential cat health care problems it is advisable to have your cat neutered.

Kidney disease is a very common cat health care problem, particularly amongst middle aged and older cats. This is partly because of the way cats’ kidneys work so hard because of the concentration of their urine and the infrequency with which they pass urine. That an older cat’s kidneys should begin to fail is therefore not surprising or uncommon. Symptoms of kidney disease include drinking and urinating more and if the disease progresses, sickness, disorientation and weight loss. The causes of this particular cat health care problem can also be varied, including cancer, infections, ingestion of toxins or, sadly, old age.