Feline Urological Syndrome FUS

Also known as Feline Lower Urinary Tract Disease (FLUTD)

What is “Cystitis”? When something irritates the internal bladder wall, this causes inflammation of the bladder, which is cystitis. Some common causes of this irritation can be due to the feline retaining urine for an extended amount of time; the presence of stones or crystals which rub against the bladder wall, or infectious organisms that have built up inside the bladder. Since the anus of the feline (both male and female) is located directly above the urethral opening, this gives feces and bacteria an easy opportunity to collect and colonize in the urethra and bladder. This is normally not a problem with regular urination and healthy urinary tract cells, but can become a problem with decreased urine volume (which leads to increased concentration of urine), and crystals, bacteria, and sloughed off cells may cause a disruption of the urinary tract’s normal defenses, leading to a FUS attack. Stress in felines can definitely contribute to Feline FUS, as many felines hide during stressful periods, and usually do not come out for litter box trips and water bowl trips. Keep an eye on your feline during periods of stress, to keep the stress from helping create a positive environment for an FUS infection. And, helping to keep your feline fit and healthy is also important, as FELV and/or FIV positive felines are at higher risk for FUS because their normal immune system responses aren’t working properly. High sugar content in the urine of diabetic felines will also provide a great culture media for the bacteria that cause FUS infections. Lower Ash Feline Diets? It was thought that ash caused lower urinary tract disease. According to recent studies that is not necessarily true. Ash is the measure of the total mineral content of feline food, such as calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, maganese, sodium, and potassium, to name a few. These are essential nutrients for your feline’s health. Some feline foods that are marketed as a low ash formula could actually have mineral deficiency. Struvite crystals are mainly phosphorous and magnesium, which form in an alkaline urine pH. Studies have shown that the urine pH plays an important part in preventing the formation of struvite crystals. felines with these crystals have been found to have a high alkaline urine pH. (6.6 or higher) Another type, calcium oxalate crystallization, can occur in cases of an over acidic urine pH.(below 6.0) It is recommended to maintain a urine pH is between 6.0 – 6.5 to prevent crystal formation. It is important to realize that though struvite crystals are a potentially deadly symptom. Maintaining a proper urine pH will help to prevent the formation of crystals, but does little to help fight off infection and promote healing. Veterinarians in Australia have shown a correlation between periodontal disease and a host of diseases including Feline Lower Urinary Tract Syndrome. Their observations were that all felines that were treated for this disease had some form of oral disease and were fed processed food exclusively. Their recommendation was to supplement diets with raw meaty bones in the form of chicken, quail or rabbit to maintain effective physical cleaning of the oral cavity to prevent plaque build-up and resulting formation of anaerobic bacteria into the system.

Suggestions for Prevention

There are several things that can be done to help to decrease the chance of your feline getting a lower urinary tract disease.

• It is important to keep the litter box clean and easily accessible for your feline. Urination in unusual places can sometimes occur if the feline is uncomfortable with the condition of the litter, kind of litter used or where the litter box is located.
• Always have fresh, clean water available. A feline that does not have access to sufficient water is more prone to urinary tract problems due to a concentration of minerals in the urinary tract from lack of elimination .
• Avoid sudden changes in the feline’s usual environment, excessive noise or emotional upsets. Stress from such occurrences can cause urinary problems.
• Avoid foods that are preserved with Ethoxyquin, BHT or BHA. These chemical preservatives have been found to cause enhanced bladder carcinogens. According to Dr. Wendell Belfield, DVM, these chemicals are suspected to cause kidney and liver dysfunction. Both BHA and BHT are banned in Europe . The Animal Protection Institute claims that these three commonly used preservatives have a synergistic effect when used together that may lead to the development of certain types of cancer and that the accumulative effect in the liver and tissues has not been taken into consideration in evaluating dosages. The FDA has recently requested that Ethoxyquin levels be cut in half to 75 parts to a million.
• You should keep the feline’s litter pan clean and, if you have more that one feline, you should have 1.5 litter pans per feline.
• Feed your feline food that will help to prevent urinary tract disease by keeping the urine acidic. There are several new foods on the market that claim they are beneficial for feline urinary tract health keeping urine acidic. In most cases acidic urine discourages bacterial growth and helps to prevent the crystals from forming.

Feline Lower Urinary Tract Disease is potentially deadly. If you find your feline is suffering from any of the above symptoms, contact your veterinarian immediately! With more public education, diagnosis can be made sooner, saving the lives and reducing the suffering of our precious creatures. If you have a feline suffering with FUS or any urinary problems, I couldn’t stress enough to you that a good balanced raw diet will work for your feline too. Call or email me if you have more questions. Felice F Arata Feline Instincts LLC Homemade raw meat cat food premix