The Truth About Cat Stress and Idiopathic Cystitis in Cats

Are you frustrated with constant bouts of cystitis in cats in your feline companion?  Has your vet diagnosed him with idiopathic cystitis in cats?  Have you wondered if cat stress has something to do with the recurring episodes of FLUTD?  Read on for answers to your questions.

What Is Feline Idiopathic Cystitis?

Your cat shows all the symptoms 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.  The worst thing is that this condition is becoming more common in cats as time goes on.

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.

Sometimes we don't realize how much stress our cats face.  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 provides lots of exercise that keeps them in shape. 

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 leads to cystitis.  Concentrated urine also has high mineral levels, which can result in cat bladder stones, and urinary blockage in cats.

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

Your cat may be facing other types 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 also important to feed your cat a diet more naturally suited for felines 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.