Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Neutering does not cause early urethral blockage in male cats
By Sampaio, Keytyanne de Oliveira et al.·Published in Journal of feline medicine and surgery·2022·Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Brazil·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Neutering is not associated with early-onset urethral obstruction in cats.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A group of male cats with urethral obstruction (UO) showed that intact cats experienced symptoms earlier than neutered cats. Symptoms included difficulty urinating, blood in the urine, and frequent urination. The study found that intact cats had their first obstruction at around 3.6 years old, while neutered cats had their first obstruction at about 5.5 to 5.7 years old. All cats had some damage to their urethra, but neutering did not seem to increase the risk of early obstruction. This suggests that neutering may help reduce the number of stray cats and related health issues without increasing the risk of urethral problems.
People also search for: cat urethral obstruction symptoms · why is my cat having trouble urinating · neutering effects on male cats · cat blood in urine treatment
Abstract
OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the correlation between clinical aspects and urethral lesions with reproductive status and age at neutering in obstructed male cats. METHODS: All cats with compatible signs of urethral obstruction (UO) treated at the Veterinary Hospital of the Federal Rural University of Pernambuco from 2019 to 2021 were divided into three groups according to their reproductive status: intact; prepubertal neutered; and post-pubertal neutered. Cats with compatible signs of UO were selected for further analysis. Age, clinical signs, age at neutering and age of the first obstructive event were documented. Cats with recurrent obstructive urinary signs or urethral trauma that made catheterization impossible were referred for perineal urethrostomy. The morphology of the excised penises was assessed by histopathological analysis. RESULTS: Of 84 cats with signs of UO included in this study, 28.6% were classified as intact, 28.6% as prepubertal neutered and 42.8% as post-pubertal neutered. Intact cats had a significantly earlier onset of UO compared with prepubertal and post-pubertal neutered cats, as seen by the age at obstruction (3.6 vs 5.7 and 5.5 years, respectively). Similar clinical signs and histopathological lesions were observed in all groups. The main clinical signs observed were stranguria, hematuria and pollakiuria. All cats had some degree of injury in the penile urethra. The most common lesions were hemorrhage, fibrosis and congestion. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: It appears that intact cats had an earlier onset of UO than neutered cats, regardless of age at neutering. Urethral histopathological lesions and clinical signs were similar in both groups. Pediatric neutering represents a useful tool in the control of abandoned and stray animals and the consequent dissemination of zoonoses, thus having a positive impact on public health.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36453601/