FELINE UROLOGICAL SYNDROME (FUS) & URINARY TRACT INFECTIONS (UTIs)
Feline Urological Syndrome (FUS) is very common in all breeds of cats including domestic shorthairs. Cats have a tendency to not drink enough water which leads to dehydration and in turn can lead to Urinary issues and UTIs. The signs of FUS are
1) Your cat going to the litter box multiple times in a row, way more than normal, seemingly every time you walk in the room.
2) Your cat squatting to urinate in the litter box but nothing only small amounts come out.
3) When you scoop the litter box you find very little urine, often times you will find many tiny pea sized clumps of urine rather than the regular golf ball size or larger.
4) Your cat suddenly peeing outside of the litter box.
5) Your cat crying while urinating.
6) Your cat excessively licking the genital area.
7) Blood in your cats urine.
If your cat is showing any of these symptoms it is extremely important to get your cat in for a vet visit as soon as possible.
The above symptoms can lead to a full urinary blockage. Symptoms of a full blockage are:
1) Straining with no urine coming out.
2) Loss of appetite
3) Vomiting
4) Lethargy
4) Crying, restlessness, hiding because of discomfort
This is an absolute MEDICAL EMERGENCY! If your cat is unable to urinate it is of utmost importance to seek immediate emergency vet care as this is life threatening.
If your cats suddenly starts urinating outside of the litter box with no other symptoms, it is extremely important to take them to the vet. Many people may think their cat is misbehaving when in reality it may be an underlying reason causing this such as inflammation of the bladder, stones, crystals or infection. Therefore it is very important to take your cat tot he vet if your cat urinates outside of the litter box.
There are things you can do to help prevent this from happening to your cat
1) Get a water fountain for your cat, this encourages drinking
2) Feed wet food to your cat
3) Give your cat a Urinary Acidifier prophylactically. I am not a veterinarian and I am not allowed to give medical advice but I will tell you what I give to my cats once a month: I give my cats Carpon tablets, www.omslovemypet.com. as a prevention. If I ever notice anyone going to the litter box more than normal I immediately give them Carpon twice a day for 5 days in a row, then once a day for another 2 weeks, then back to the once a month supplement. Even if one doesn't want to give it prophylactically, I cannot express how important it is to have a bottle on hand in case you ever have this situation come up.
1) Your cat going to the litter box multiple times in a row, way more than normal, seemingly every time you walk in the room.
2) Your cat squatting to urinate in the litter box but nothing only small amounts come out.
3) When you scoop the litter box you find very little urine, often times you will find many tiny pea sized clumps of urine rather than the regular golf ball size or larger.
4) Your cat suddenly peeing outside of the litter box.
5) Your cat crying while urinating.
6) Your cat excessively licking the genital area.
7) Blood in your cats urine.
If your cat is showing any of these symptoms it is extremely important to get your cat in for a vet visit as soon as possible.
The above symptoms can lead to a full urinary blockage. Symptoms of a full blockage are:
1) Straining with no urine coming out.
2) Loss of appetite
3) Vomiting
4) Lethargy
4) Crying, restlessness, hiding because of discomfort
This is an absolute MEDICAL EMERGENCY! If your cat is unable to urinate it is of utmost importance to seek immediate emergency vet care as this is life threatening.
If your cats suddenly starts urinating outside of the litter box with no other symptoms, it is extremely important to take them to the vet. Many people may think their cat is misbehaving when in reality it may be an underlying reason causing this such as inflammation of the bladder, stones, crystals or infection. Therefore it is very important to take your cat tot he vet if your cat urinates outside of the litter box.
There are things you can do to help prevent this from happening to your cat
1) Get a water fountain for your cat, this encourages drinking
2) Feed wet food to your cat
3) Give your cat a Urinary Acidifier prophylactically. I am not a veterinarian and I am not allowed to give medical advice but I will tell you what I give to my cats once a month: I give my cats Carpon tablets, www.omslovemypet.com. as a prevention. If I ever notice anyone going to the litter box more than normal I immediately give them Carpon twice a day for 5 days in a row, then once a day for another 2 weeks, then back to the once a month supplement. Even if one doesn't want to give it prophylactically, I cannot express how important it is to have a bottle on hand in case you ever have this situation come up.