Are you worried that feline incontinence is a problem for your cat? You need to realize that incontinence in cats and inappropriate urination are two different things. An incontinent cat is not able to control her urine. She dribbles urine, or leaves wet spots where she’s been sleeping.
Often an incontinent pet is unaware that she has a problem. Inappropriate urination, on the other hand, is when a cat is purposely urinating in places other than her litter box. This may be a behavior issue, but it can also be cause by feline lower urinary tract disease.
It’s important to know the difference between the two because incontinence in cats can be a sign of serious health issues for your feline friend.
Ten Reasons For Feline Incontinence
1. Usually the simplest reason is feline lower urinary tract disease. One of the symptoms of a feline bladder infection is needing to urinate often. If your cat can’t make it to the litter box in time, she’ll have an accident.
2. Your cat’s bladder may be scarred, due to recurring feline urinary problems. She needs to urinate frequently because her bladder can’t expand to hold urine.
3. Cat bladder stones can cause a partial blockage of your cat’s urethra, making it impossible for her to empty her bladder completely. As her bladder fills with urine, the pressure can force some urine around the blockage. If you suspect a blocked cat, get her to the vet as soon as possible, as this can be fatal within a day or two.
4. As a consequence of a weak urinary sphincter, she may become an incontinent cat. This is more common in older spayed female dogs, but it does occasionally happen in spayed cats, too, especially if they’re heavy. This type of incontinence, called hormone-responsive incontinence, can develop years after she’s been spayed.
5. Feline diabetes can cause an incontinent cat. A diabetic cat is drinking lots more water than normal because the disease makes her very thirsty in an effort to flush the excess sugar out of her body. Of course, she’ll need to urinate more, too. She may have trouble making it to her litter box before she has an accident.
6. Cats with feline leukemia sometimes become incontinent, too. This can happen in both males and females.
7. As a cat ages, the urinary sphincter can weaken. Your cat may develop other problems as she gets older, such as diabetes, which cause her body to produce more urine than normal. Combine a very full bladder with a weak urinary sphincter, and it’s easy to see why urinary incontinence in cats is the result.
8. She may have a neurological problem with the nerves in her bladder that cause her to be unable to hold her urine.
9. Bladder tumors can be another factor.
10. Your older cat may be getting forgetful, or entering the early stages of senility, which can lead to litter box problems.
Natural Feline Urinary Support
If your furball is having cat urinary problems, it’s important to take her to the vet for a check-up to rule out anything serious. Most cases of inappropriate urination are due to feline lower urinary tract disease, which can be a frustrating condition to deal with.
The most important thing you can do is to feed your cat a high-quality canned food. Cats are meant to get most of their water from their food, so feeding a cat dry food all the time is an invitation to disaster in the form of cat urinary problems.
You may want to consider giving your kitty one of the many natural remedies for cats that are available for feline urinary support. Herbs and homeopathic remedies have a long history of success in humans, and they’re very effective for pets, too.
Don’t let feline lower urinary tract disease continue to be a problem for your pet. Just click on any link on this article to find out how to help both your kitty and yourself.
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This post was written by admin on June 29, 2010
