How to Diagnose and Treat Feline Interstitial Cystitis
Look for difficulty with urination., Assess whether your cat has been stressed., Look for behavioral changes., Take your cat to be seen by a veterinarian., Allow the veterinarian to do a physical exam., Approve diagnostic testing., Approve immediate...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Look for difficulty with urination.
The most obvious and clear symptoms of interstitial cystitis are connected to difficulty urinating.
With an inflamed bladder, the cat could have a variety of problems when trying to evacuate its bladder.
These include:
Frequent urination Difficulty passing urine Urinating outside of the litter box Painful urination or crying out while urinating Blood in the urine -
Step 2: Assess whether your cat has been stressed.
While the exact cause of interstitial cystitis is unknown, stress has been connected to bouts of the condition occurring.
If your cat has been under stress, for instance if you have recently moved or you have brought a new pet into your home, then your cat is more likely to get FIC.
In general, stress can make a cat more likely to get a variety of health problems, including urinary tract problems., There are a variety of behavioral changes that may occur in your cat when it has FIC.
For instance, it may begin over-grooming itself, particularly in the area around the urethra opening.
The cat does this due to the discomfort of not being able to urinate easily.Other behavioral changes could include aggression and general irritation. , While interstitial cystitis is a serious condition that needs to be monitored by a veterinarian, the symptoms connected with this condition can also be connected with other urinary tract problems that are much for serious, such as a total urinary blockage.
Because of this, you need to take your cat to a veterinarian right away if it is having trouble with urination.
Call your veterinary office, tell them about all of your cat's symptoms, and then ask to be seen right away. , Your veterinarian will likely do a thorough exam on your cat but most importantly they will feel around your cat's abdomen.
When the veterinarian feels the abdomen they are looking for signs of pelvic organ pain, bladder wall thickening, and a small bladder.Doing a physical examination of the abdomen may require you, or the veterinary staff, to restrain the cat.
This may be especially true for a cat that is frightened and in pain. , In order to definitively diagnose interstitial cystitis, your veterinarian will need to do some diagnostic testing.
Some tests that your veterinarian might suggest include:
Urine samples: bacterial culture and analysis X-rays of the bladder Ultrasound of the bladder , If your cat is in distress or pain, your veterinarian will give it immediate care for pain, discomfort, or life-threatening problems.
This could include an IV of fluids, pain relievers, or other types of medication for the infection that the veterinarian decides are needed.If your cat is unable to urinate, your veterinarian may need to put in a catheter to allow the cat to empty its bladder.
This will require sedation but is necessary for the cat's health. , The medications used for interstitial cystitis treat the symptoms of the disease, not the cause.
However, they are important for helping your cat with any discomfort or continued problems urinating.
Your veterinarian may prescribe one or more of these oral medications:
Amitriptyline hydrochloride:
This medication reduces frequency of urination but may have side effects, such as making your cat sleepy, have excess salivation, or constipation, among a variety of other side effects.Pentosan polysulfate sodium:
This medication reduces pain from this condition in particular.
Ketoprofen:
This is an anti-inflammatory medication.
It should reduce your cat's pain.
Tolfenamic acid:
This is also an anti-inflammatory medication that reduces pain and discomfort. , The best thing you can do to prevent further bouts of FIC is to reduce the cat's stress.
Above all, make sure the cat is in a stable and comfortable environment that includes proper nutrition, mental and physical stimulation, and love and comfort on a regular basis.Reducing your cat's stress means that you should not yell at it, pick it up in ways that it doesn't like, and avoid scaring it if at all possible.
Avoid yelling or screaming around the cat, even if you are not directing it at the cat in particular.
You should not bring new pets into your home or change your cat's way of life dramatically.
If you need to bring a new pet into the home you should make the change gradually and make sure that your existing cat is comfortable and not bullied by the new pet.Allow your cat space from new pets by giving it a space of its own and its own feeding area, so that it can get proper nutrition without having to interact with other animals. , Increasing the cat's water intake will dilute its urine, allowing the urine to flow more easily.
Be sure that you have water available for the cat at all times and try to encourage it to drink by putting fresh water out often.
You should also begin to feed your cat wet food if you don't already, as this can dramatically increase the cat's water intake.You may also want to consider getting a water fountain for your cat.
These are sold at pet stores and online retailers.
The movement of the water can really encourage cats to drink more water. , If your cat does not like its litter box this can prevent it from going to the bathroom when it needs to.
An unappealing litter box setup can also create a lot of stress in the cat.
Make sure to clean litter boxes daily and use a litter and litter box type that your cat seems to like.Whether you are a one cat household or you have more than one cat, you should have more litter boxes out than you have cats.
Giving your cat the option of several litter boxes will reduce its stress and increase the likelihood that it uses a litter box when it needs to. -
Step 3: Look for behavioral changes.
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Step 4: Take your cat to be seen by a veterinarian.
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Step 5: Allow the veterinarian to do a physical exam.
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Step 6: Approve diagnostic testing.
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Step 7: Approve immediate treatment.
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Step 8: Give your cat medication.
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Step 9: Minimize the cat's stress.
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Step 10: Increase the cat's water intake.
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Step 11: Make sure litter boxes are clean and appealing.
Detailed Guide
The most obvious and clear symptoms of interstitial cystitis are connected to difficulty urinating.
With an inflamed bladder, the cat could have a variety of problems when trying to evacuate its bladder.
These include:
Frequent urination Difficulty passing urine Urinating outside of the litter box Painful urination or crying out while urinating Blood in the urine
While the exact cause of interstitial cystitis is unknown, stress has been connected to bouts of the condition occurring.
If your cat has been under stress, for instance if you have recently moved or you have brought a new pet into your home, then your cat is more likely to get FIC.
In general, stress can make a cat more likely to get a variety of health problems, including urinary tract problems., There are a variety of behavioral changes that may occur in your cat when it has FIC.
For instance, it may begin over-grooming itself, particularly in the area around the urethra opening.
The cat does this due to the discomfort of not being able to urinate easily.Other behavioral changes could include aggression and general irritation. , While interstitial cystitis is a serious condition that needs to be monitored by a veterinarian, the symptoms connected with this condition can also be connected with other urinary tract problems that are much for serious, such as a total urinary blockage.
Because of this, you need to take your cat to a veterinarian right away if it is having trouble with urination.
Call your veterinary office, tell them about all of your cat's symptoms, and then ask to be seen right away. , Your veterinarian will likely do a thorough exam on your cat but most importantly they will feel around your cat's abdomen.
When the veterinarian feels the abdomen they are looking for signs of pelvic organ pain, bladder wall thickening, and a small bladder.Doing a physical examination of the abdomen may require you, or the veterinary staff, to restrain the cat.
This may be especially true for a cat that is frightened and in pain. , In order to definitively diagnose interstitial cystitis, your veterinarian will need to do some diagnostic testing.
Some tests that your veterinarian might suggest include:
Urine samples: bacterial culture and analysis X-rays of the bladder Ultrasound of the bladder , If your cat is in distress or pain, your veterinarian will give it immediate care for pain, discomfort, or life-threatening problems.
This could include an IV of fluids, pain relievers, or other types of medication for the infection that the veterinarian decides are needed.If your cat is unable to urinate, your veterinarian may need to put in a catheter to allow the cat to empty its bladder.
This will require sedation but is necessary for the cat's health. , The medications used for interstitial cystitis treat the symptoms of the disease, not the cause.
However, they are important for helping your cat with any discomfort or continued problems urinating.
Your veterinarian may prescribe one or more of these oral medications:
Amitriptyline hydrochloride:
This medication reduces frequency of urination but may have side effects, such as making your cat sleepy, have excess salivation, or constipation, among a variety of other side effects.Pentosan polysulfate sodium:
This medication reduces pain from this condition in particular.
Ketoprofen:
This is an anti-inflammatory medication.
It should reduce your cat's pain.
Tolfenamic acid:
This is also an anti-inflammatory medication that reduces pain and discomfort. , The best thing you can do to prevent further bouts of FIC is to reduce the cat's stress.
Above all, make sure the cat is in a stable and comfortable environment that includes proper nutrition, mental and physical stimulation, and love and comfort on a regular basis.Reducing your cat's stress means that you should not yell at it, pick it up in ways that it doesn't like, and avoid scaring it if at all possible.
Avoid yelling or screaming around the cat, even if you are not directing it at the cat in particular.
You should not bring new pets into your home or change your cat's way of life dramatically.
If you need to bring a new pet into the home you should make the change gradually and make sure that your existing cat is comfortable and not bullied by the new pet.Allow your cat space from new pets by giving it a space of its own and its own feeding area, so that it can get proper nutrition without having to interact with other animals. , Increasing the cat's water intake will dilute its urine, allowing the urine to flow more easily.
Be sure that you have water available for the cat at all times and try to encourage it to drink by putting fresh water out often.
You should also begin to feed your cat wet food if you don't already, as this can dramatically increase the cat's water intake.You may also want to consider getting a water fountain for your cat.
These are sold at pet stores and online retailers.
The movement of the water can really encourage cats to drink more water. , If your cat does not like its litter box this can prevent it from going to the bathroom when it needs to.
An unappealing litter box setup can also create a lot of stress in the cat.
Make sure to clean litter boxes daily and use a litter and litter box type that your cat seems to like.Whether you are a one cat household or you have more than one cat, you should have more litter boxes out than you have cats.
Giving your cat the option of several litter boxes will reduce its stress and increase the likelihood that it uses a litter box when it needs to.
About the Author
Jean Alvarez
Dedicated to helping readers learn new skills in crafts and beyond.
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