You Need to Know That Urinary Blockage in Cats is a Veterinary Emergency

This is a scary thought.  If your male cat has had FLUTD, or Feline Lower Urinary Tract Disease, he's at risk for developing a cat urinary blockage.  This life-threatening complication needs immediate veterinary care, as your cat can die within 36 hours if he's not treated. 

What Are the Signs Of Urinary Blockage In Cats?

It can be hard for cat owners to tell if a cat urinary blockage is present.  The symptoms are pretty much the same as for a feline urinary tract infection:  straining, not able to pass much or any urine, crying in the litter box, urinating in places other than the litter box. 

Your vet will diagnose this by feeling your cat's belly for a distended bladder.  Normally a cat's bladder is small and soft when it's empty.  A cat with a urinary blockage will have a hard bladder about the size of a peach.  As you can imagine, this is very painful for your cat.

It's also dangerous.  When a cat can't empty his bladder, his kidneys stop filtering waste products out of the blood and making urine because it can't go anywhere.  When this happens, toxins start building up in your cat's body, which will kill him within a few days.

What Causes A Cat Urinary Blockage?

Bladder stones are the culprit.  These stones form from minerals present in your cat's urine.  When the mineral level gets too high, the minerals crystallize into stones which can range in size from sand-like to a small pebble.  Your cat may have only one stone, or he could have dozens. 

A male cat has a very long, narrow urethra (the tube that carries urine from the bladder outside the body).  If he has even a few tiny cat bladder stones, it's very easy for him to develop a urinary blockage.

How Is A Urinary Blockage In Cats Treated?

Your vet may be able to get the blockage out by putting pressure on your cat's bladder.  Sometimes this works, but usually the cat will need to be catheterized. 

A build-up of urinary toxins in your cat's system often leads to vomiting and loss of appetite, along with heart-rhythm disturbances.  Your cat will probably be dehydrated too.  He may need fluids, either by IV or under the skin. 

Your cat may need to stay at the animal hospital for several days, until the catheter can be removed. 

Home Treatment

When you bring your cat home, you'll need to feed him a special diet.  This diet is lower in magnesium, which helps to prevent the formation of mineral crystals.  He'll have to eat this diet for the rest of his life to prevent another blockage from occurring.

It's also important to make sure he has plenty of fresh clean water available.  The more water he drinks, the more dilute his urine will be.  This helps to prevent cat bladder stone formation.

Homeopathic and herbal remedies are now available for cat urinary problems.  Probably the best way to prevent this problem in the first place, or to keep it from happening again, is to put your cat on one of these remedies.

Take action now to prevent a urinary blockage in cats from happening to your feline friend.