How does feline urethritis get infected?

Feline litter box contamination can lead to bacterial infections, urethral stones, urethral tumors, urethral obstructions, trauma, and other causes of urethritis. Cats may exhibit symptoms such as loss of appetite, pain, frequent urination, dribbling urine, urinary retention, hematuria, and severe cases can cause bladder swelling, bladder rupture, peritonitis, and uremia. Prompt treatment is necessary after the disease occurs to prevent secondary infections.

How to diagnose urethritis

Feline urethritis can generally be examined through blood routine tests, sample smear microscopy, and other methods. It can also be judged based on the cat's symptomatology. Generally, cats with urethritis show symptoms such as frequent urination, difficulty urinating, inability to urinate, hematuria, and so on. Owners should promptly take cats to the pet hospital for examination and treatment when they notice these symptoms.

Treatment for urethritis

The main treatment is symptomatic based on clinical symptoms, with the general principles being antibacterial and anti-inflammatory, and symptomatic treatment. First, consider whether the urethritis causes urethral obstruction. If urinary obstruction occurs, drainage is necessary, and microscopic examination of the urine is performed to determine the nature of the obstruction. The treatment for urethritis usually lasts for about a week. During daily home care, it is essential to increase the cat's water intake, reduce stress, and lose weight.

Severity of urethritis

If urethritis is treated promptly, it is not life-threatening. However, if urethritis is not treated in a timely manner, it can cause cats to have difficulty urinating or experiencing urinary retention. Long-term undiagnosed and untreated cases can lead to severe consequences, such as toxin accumulation in the body causing kidney stress, and inability to excrete potassium ions causing severe hyperkalemia. These consequences are fatal.