You are just trying to make more money out of me by charging me a consultation fee as well …
” You are only trying to string it all out “said the voice on the phone, ” all I want to do is to come down and pick up some antibiotics, that’s all my cat needs, you are just trying to make more money out of me by charging me a consultation fee as well ” Any vet who has been in practice for any length of time will recognise this type of client. Sometimes I do just hand out antibiotics over the counter if I know the client well and have seen the animal recently for the same condition, but not in this case, this was a male cat who was straining to pass urine and we had not seen him for some years. The problem is that some cats who are straining often have a condition called Feline Urological Syndrome [ FUS ] and if it is not treated properly deaths can occur and antibiotics alone may not be enough. This is a common enough condition to warrant it being the subject for this weeks article. I see on average about one cat per month with this condition at my clinic here in Essex.
What is FUS?
It is not really one disease but is really a number of related conditions which can appear individually or in combination. Four of the most common symptoms you might see would include cystitis, lower urinary tract infection, blockage of the urethra of male cats, and uraemia which is an accumulation of poisonous wastes in the cat’s bloodstream. It is much more a problem in male cats because of the anatomy of the tube which leads from the bladder to the outside, in male cats this is very narrow and can easily block and cause problems.
What signs will I see?
You may see your cat straining to urinate, it may be trying to urinate much more frequently than normal, typically it will be spending prolonged amounts of time in the litter tray so much so that some owners suspect that the cat is constipated. With some cats you may see blood in the urine, and often your cat may show increased grooming of the genital area. Most cats with FUS will be uncomfortable and quite unhappy, they may not be eating well or going outside as normal and may seek attention.
How is it treated?
The first thing to say is that you should seek veterinary advice at once if you suspect this disease, cats with a blocked urethra can die, so call your vet even if it is the weekend, bank holiday or Christmas Day. At its simplest level antibiotics or anti inflammatory drugs or a combination of both may be enough but if there is any hint of a urethral blockage then a catheter should be passed, this will involve a general anaesthetic and a few days stay at the clinic. Often an x-ray is useful to see if there is sediment or stones in the bladder and samples may need to be sent for analysis.
How is it prevented?
Diet probably plays some part in the cause of this disease and there are a number of diets on the market designed to prevent recurrence, or indeed to dissolve bladder stones or sediment. Probably the best thing is just to keep your cat on one of these special diets for the rest of its life if it has one of the forms of FUS which responds to dietary control diagnosed in the past.
And the cat belonging to the client that just wanted to pick up antibiotics? It in fact had a blocked bladder, it had a catheter inserted under general anaesthetic to clear the obstruction and had X-rays and samples send for outside analysis. It stayed with us for three days and is now at home making an uneventful recovery. I will however suggest that the animal stays on one of the Hills range of prescription diets for the rest of its life.
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