Cat Training

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Cat urinary problems can be frustrating to deal with.  If recurring FLUTD is a problem for your kitty, maybe stress has something to do with it, especially if your vet can’t find any reason for the repeated feline urinary problems.  If your kitty has been diagnosed with feline idiopathic cystitis, read on for answers.

What Is Feline Idiopathic Cystitis?

Your furry companion has all the signs of feline cystitis.  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 feline 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.  The worst thing is that this condition is becoming more common in cats as time goes on.

Is A Stressed Out Cat Related To Feline Idiopathic Cystitis?

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.

Although we think our cats have an easy life, 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.Hunting for food helps to keep them in shape because of all the exercise they get. 

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. 

Something that many cat owners don’t consider is that the moisture level in dry cat food is extremely low.  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 often leads to FLUTD.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. 

You may not be aware that your cat is under other types of stress.  Cats are very set in their ways, and any kind of change can be upsetting for them.Moving your household, remodeling your house, a new baby, a new kitten, or 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.

Helping Your Stressed Out Cat

It’s been shown that reducing stress in cats does reduce the frequency of FLUTD.  It’s also important to feed your cat a diet more naturally suited for felines to reduce stress on his body.

If your kitty is plagued with recurring feline urinary problems, natural remedies for cats may help.  Just click on any link in this article to learn more.