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199 results for “Cat cystitis”
Why does my cat urinate frequently but only a little each time?
This often signals urinary disease - idiopathic cystitis, urethral spasm, stones or obstruction - or stress and low water intake. See a vet to find the cause.
What to Do When Your Cat Won’t Drink
Cats naturally drink little, inherited from desert ancestors - but too little causes trouble. Early signs are concentrated, yellow urine; over time come cystitis, bladder stones and kidney stones. Need: about 40-60 ml per kg per day, or roughly 1 ml per calorie eaten. Remember food counts: dry kibble is ~10% water, cans ~80%, so a cat eating 300 g kibble and 100 g can already gets 110 ml from food and needs only ~90 ml more. Boost intake with multiple bowls changed daily, a fountain cats prefer, and weekly wet food - the most direct fix.
When Cat Peeing Around the House Means a Blockage
A cat suddenly urinating in odd places can signal a dangerous urinary blockage. Warning signs: pink or clear urine, frequent attempts, straining, blood, low meowing in the box, over-grooming the genitals, a sensitive belly, and only drops when the bladder is pressed. Blockage means urine output stops - under 1 mg/kg/hr is oliguria, none is a blockage. Causes: urethral or bladder stones (acid urine favors calcium oxalate, alkaline favors struvite), lower urinary tract syndrome (bacterial cystitis, urethral plugs that can kill in 1-2 days, or idiopathic cystitis that self-heals in 7-14 days if not blocked). A full blockage needs immediate vet catheterization - over 24 hours causes acute kidney failure. Prevent with more water, fewer mineral treats like dried fish, clean litter, and less stress.
Cats Evolved in Deserts But Still Need Water
Wild cats get 70-80% of their water from prey, so a dry-kibble home cat that also refuses water faces real danger. A cat needs about 40-60 ml per kg of body weight daily (a 4 kg cat: 160-240 ml). Low intake concentrates urine and triggers a chain of trouble: bladder and urinary disease, kidney disease, cystitis, even life-threatening urethral blockage. Check dehydration by skin elasticity (slow rebound) or gums (sticky when dry). Boost intake with wet food, raw meat if skilled, a fountain for moving water, or a syringe; never give tap water - use cooled boiled or purified to avoid parasites.
The Secret Story Your Cat’s Urine Tells
A litter box is a daily health report if you know how to read it. Volume, color, and smell reveal early warnings of kidney disease, diabetes, infections, or bleeding. Tracking frequency, amount, color, and odor helps catch problems before they grow, and gives your vet useful data when something looks wrong.
Why Does Your Cat Have Heavy Tear Stains?
Those dark streaks under a cat's eyes are more than cosmetic; they signal an underlying issue. Tear staining can come from structural problems like ingrown lashes and blocked ducts, from infections and parasites such as eye disease, ear mites, or eye worms, or simply from a salty diet. Understanding the cause is the first step to clearing the stains and keeping your cat comfortable.
Diagnosing and Treating Feline Idiopathic Cystitis (FIC)
Feline idiopathic cystitis, or FIC, is a common lower-urinary-tract disease in cats whose exact cause is still unknown, yet it is the single most frequent diagnosis in young cats, affecting roughly 50 to 60 percent of cases. It is linked to a defective bladder lining, nerve-driven inflammation, and stress. Because there is no single definitive test, veterinarians diagnose it by exclusion, using the history, urinalysis, blood chemistry, and ultrasound. Most episodes ease on their own within five to seven days, but treatment focuses on pain relief, protecting the bladder lining, litter-box management, more water, prescription food, and reducing stress.
Signs Your Cat Feels Neglected
Cats are sensitive souls, and when they feel short on affection they show it in quiet, telling ways. From carelessness and slipping health to blanket-sucking, constant clinginess, mischief, and separation anxiety, these six behaviors signal a cat craving more of your attention. If life has kept you busy, make time to give that love back.
Why Cats Love Running Water
A cat's fascination with running water is instinct, not mischief. In the wild, cats drink moving water because still water breeds unseen bacteria, and a dripping tap also triggers curiosity and a sense of hunting for sources. Cats also smell roughly 200,000 times better than we do, so they dislike the chlorine and stale scent of water left standing in a bowl. The fix is simple: a circulating fountain, water placed away from food, and a refresh two or three times a day. Good intake matters — low water leads to urinary stones and kidney disease.
What to Do When Your Cat Eliminates Outside the Litter Box
Cats don't pee or poop randomly without a reason, so fixing it means finding the cause. Common ones: never learned the box (left the mother too early), bullied by other cats, disliking the box (too far, too tall, smelly litter), illness (soft stool, UTI, stones, diabetes), or anxiety marking. Solutions are specific—teach the box, build the outcast's confidence, fix the box setup, treat disease, and address social frustration (neutering alone won't stop spraying).