What Is Feline Idiopathic Cystitis?

“Idiopathic” is a fancy word that means “we don’t know what’s causing it.” This is extremely frustrating when it comes to feline lower urinary tract disease.  Cystitis in cats is a very common condition, unfortunately.  And an even more unfortunate fact is that in nearly half of the cats diagnosed with FLUTD, there doesn’t seem to be a cause. 

Some vets refer to this condition as “feline interstitial cystitis” because it’s very similar to interstitial cystitis in humans. 

How Feline Idiopathic Cystitis Resembles Interstitial Cystitis In People

Comparing these conditions in both cats and humans show some interesting results.

• People with interstitial cystitis have more sensory nerves in their bladders.  Many cats who have FLUTD do, too.
• Often a person with interstitial cystitis doesn’t have the mucus lining in their bladders that protects the bladder from becoming irritated by urine.  This is true of cats with idiopathic cystitis in cats, also.
• Both humans and cats are plagued by recurring bladder infections.
• Stress seems to be a precipitating factor for cystitis both in cats and in humans.

Research is being done to determine whether both people and cats are victims of this condition.  If so, human treatments may be helpful for kitties, as well.

Drug Treatments For Idiopathic Cystitis In Cats

If your cat is having a lot of severe episodes, your vet may prescribe amitriptyline.  It relieves the pain and inflammation associated with cystitis in cats.  Side effects can include sleepiness, weight gain, bladder stones, and urine retention.Your cat may groom himself less, too. 

Your kitty may be given steroids to reduce the inflammation in his bladder.  Glucosamine has been found to repair the mucus lining of the bladder, so your vet may want to try that. 

What Can You Do At Home To Help A Cat With FLUTD?

Diet is very important for these cats.  There has always been an emphasis on reducing the acidity of the urine, along with decreasing the amount of magnesium and calcium in the urine.  But the latest research shows that the rate of water turnover is the most important. 

What this means is that you need to find a way to increase your feline’s water intake.  This will keep his urine dilute to keep the acidity lower, and prevent high mineral levels. 

If you feed your cat dry food, it’s very important to switch him over to canned food.  Dry food has moisture levels below ten percent.  Why is this a problem?  Because cats are made to get most of their water from their food.  In a natural setting, cats eat mice and other animals, which are 98% water.  They don’t need to drink much water. 

Canned food is has a 75% moisture level, which is certainly better than the moisture level in dry food.  It can be difficult to switch a cat who has always eaten dry food over to canned food, but patience and persistence over several months often pays off in better health for your kitty.

Reducing your cat’s stress levels is important, too.  Many cats will have episodes of feline lower urinary tract disease after a stressful event like moving.  Some cats are even affected by weather changes.

Natural Remedies For Pets Can Help

Many cat owners have been successfully treating their cats with a natural remedy produced especially for pets.  This cat uti remedy contains uva ursi and barberry, two herbs with a long history of use in treating human bladder problems.  It also contains the homeopathic remedies Cantharis and Staphysagria.This remedy is safe for long-term use in cats, along with being very effective for preventing cat urinary problems.

Put this to the test right away, and see how well this remedy works on your cat with feline idiopathic cystitis.

Visit Natural Pet Urinary Health, and learn how to prevent feline idiopathic cystitis, and find the best place to buy herbal pet remedies.

Related posts:

1. The Truth About Cat Stress and Idiopathic Cystitis In Cats
2. How To Use Natural Remedies For Cats To Prevent Feline Cystitis
3. Feline Urinary Problems — What Your Cat Wishes You Knew

What Is Feline Idiopathic Cystitis?

Your feline shows all the signs of cystitis in cats.  He strains to urinate, but doesn’t pass much urine.  His urine may be bloody.  He’s obviously in pain when he’s using the litter box.  And he may be urinating in places other than his litter box.  

But when your vet examines him and runs a urinalysis and a urine culture, there’s no sign of a bladder infection.  There’s no bacteria in his urine, and bladder stones, tumors, and even an anatomical defect have all been ruled out.  

Feline idiopathic cystitis is the diagnosis when there doesn’t seem to be any reason for feline urinary problems.  It’s very difficult to watch your cat suffer with FLUTD symptoms when there doesn’t appear to be any reason for these cat urinary problems.This condition is, unfortunately, becoming more common in cats.

Is Cat Stress Related To Idiopathic Cystitis In Cats?

Research is showing that this condition in cats is very similar to interstitial cystitis in people.  In both cats and people, some sort of stressful event often happens just before the cat or person suffers another bout of cystitis.

We like to think our cats have easy lives, but they face stresses we aren’t always aware of.  It may be hard to believe, but being an indoor cat is stressful for felines.  We keep them inside for their own safety, but this is an unnatural environment for felines.  They do like to prowl around, especially at night.They get plenty of exercise while hunting for food every day.  

We also feed them the wrong type of diet, which is another stressor.  Most dry cat foods are made mostly from corn, which is very high in carbohydrates.  Too much of the wrong type of food leads to obesity, feline diabetes, and other health issues.  

Many cat owners aren’t aware of how important the low moisture levels in dry food are to their cats’ health.  Cats are meant to get most of their water from their diet, which should be mostly meat-based.  A cat who is always fed dry food is more than likely chronically dehydrated.  Even if a cat who is fed dry food does drink water, it’s hard for him to drink enough.

The problem with a dehydrated cat is that water doesn’t pass through his body often enough to flush out toxins.  His urine is also concentrated.  Urine is caustic, and if it’s too concentrated, it can irritate the bladder, which leads to cystitis.If his urine is too concentrated, the result is high mineral levels, which can cause cat bladder stones and urinary blockage in cats.

This type of stress is low-level, but it can lead to problems over time.  

Your feline may be under other kinds of stress.  Cats are very set in their ways, and any kind of change can be upsetting for them.  Moving to a new home, remodeling, adding another person or pet to the household, even a change in the weather, can all be stressful for your cat.  Your cat may be having problems with another cat in the home, too, especially if the other pet is more aggressive and seems to bother him a lot.

Reducing Cat Stress

It’s been shown that reducing stress in cats does reduce the frequency of cystitis in cats.It’s essential to feed your cat a diet more natually suited to felines, which will help to reduce stress on his body.

You may also want to consider trying a natural remedy for cat bladder infection.  The incidence of feline urinary problems can often reduced by giving your kitty a cat uti remedy that contains herbs and homeopathic remedies known to cure bladder problems.

By taking these steps to help your furball, you can solve the problem of idiopathic cystitis in cats.

Visit Natural Pet Urinary Health to learn how to preventidiopathic cystitis in cats, and find the best place to buy herbal pet remedies.

Related posts:

1. What You Should Know About Feline Idiopathic Cystitis
2. How To Use Natural Remedies For Cats To Prevent Feline Cystitis
3. A New Theory — Are Your Cat Urinary Problems Linked To A Stressed Out Cat?