What causes urinary blockage in male cats? Is dry food a factor?

The two main things to prevent the formation of a blockage in a male cat are prescription urinary diet, a supplement called Cystophan and generally reduce any stress factors that might affect your cat.

Hi, thanks fir using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Poor Jose! The most common causes for urinary obstruction are: crystals in the urine (struvite or Calcium oxalate), bladder stones, stress causing inflammation or a urinary tract infection (not common). The goals of therapy are to relieve the obstruction, test the urine for crystals and infection, do blood work to make sure he isn't sick (high potassium, increased kidney values) take an X-ray to look fro bladder stones. We treat with antibiotics for 2-3 weeks, a urethral relaxant (Prazocin) for a week, and pain medications for a few days. If he has bladder stones surgery is require to remove them. Long-term management is a life long diet change to a prescription urinary diet (royal canin s/o, Hill's c/d, Purina UR) and increase water intake. You can buy a water fountain and change him to an all canned food diet (more water in canned food) from one of the above company's. Jose will also be at risk to reblock and should always be monitored and on a prescription diet. Other wise there are no life long medications. I hope this helps and I wish Jose a speedy recovery!

Hello! I would recommend keeping his litter completely clean so you can monitor his urine output. A blocked cat will continue to return to the litter box, strain unproductively or only pass small amounts of urine that may be bloody, and often be vocalizing. If you notice any of these signs, he needs to be taken to a vet immediately to be assessed for possible blockage. Feeding wet food, fountains, and dripping sinks and good ways to encourage cats to drink more water. Urinary tract infections in cats are fairly uncommon. Usually the urinary disease is a result of a production of crystals or stones or a sterile inflammatory bladder disease. Keeping Jack on a urinary diet forever may be necessary for him to maintain good urinary health. I hope this is helpful! Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!

Not necessarily. Good hydration plays a role in kidney stone formation along with genetics. You can do dry food only. As long as she drinks well, you can monitor for further signs. If she does develop an infection that may lead to stones you can always use a urinary health formula food

HI, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Poor Do-Do! When cats are blocked for a long time they can have elevated kidney and potassium values that with IV fluids and relieving the obstruction the elevations usually return to normal MOST of the time. Was blood work done when he was hospitalized? I would have him rechecked and blood work ran since it has been 2 days with out eating. Cats shouldn't go longer than that as they can get a secondary liver problem from not eating. If you changed his diet to a prescription urinary diet consider going back to his old food until he is eating and urinating well then trying the prescription food again. There are also other brands to try. I wish you the best!

A urinary blockag, or urtheral obstruction, is a problem almost exclusively reserved for male cats. Compared to female cats, males have a much thinner and narrower urethra - the tube that drains urine from the bladder through the penis (in male cats). This predisposes the urethra to blockages when plugs of inflammatory material (such as white blood cells and mucus), as well as crystals or small bladder stones, become lodged in the urethra preventing the passage of urine. When the urethra is blocked and the cat has filled its bladder to capacity, the kidneys will stop producing more urine because there is no where for it to go. With "kidney shut down" the body is no longer able to remove toxins from the blood or maintain proper fluid balances and electrolytes. The leads to kidney failure and eventually death of the cat. Urinary blockages must be treated aggressively in order for the cat to survive. Typically, a catheter is passed into the bladder, through the urethra, in order to flush out the urinary blockage or force the plug back into the bladder. Then the cat's bladder is drained and flushed through the catheter. Cats with urinary blockages are hospitatlized for up to 72+ hours to receive intravenous fluids, pain medications, and medications to reduce inflammation and address infection. Prognosis is very good for cats that are treated appropriately and in a timely manner, but treatment can be expensive, especially for cats that have already gone into kidney failure. If you cannot afford the cost of emergency care or the cat is already moribund, then euthanasia may be the kindest option.

Moving forward, you will need to feed Frodo a prescription diet for cats who have urinary problems. I recommend Royal Canin S/O. These diets are formulated to promote increased drinking and urination. They also affect the urine pH to prevent the formation of crystals and one type of bladder stone. You will want to have his urine checked at least twice a year for infections and crystals until you know things are stable. I've got my fingers crossed for you and Frodo!