Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Increase in male cats with blocked urethra during COVID-19 pandemic
By Jessica B Kerley et al.·Published in Journal of Veterinary Emergency and Critical Care·2023·View original on Semantic Scholar →
PetCaseFinder translated the abstract of this peer-reviewed paper into plain English so pet owners can read it. We do not publish original research — every detail traces back to the citation above. How we work →
Original publication title: Retrospective evaluation of the incidence of presumed feline urethral obstruction during a prepandemic year compared to a pandemic year.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A study found that the number of male cats with urethral obstruction (a blockage that can cause difficulty urinating) increased during the COVID-19 pandemic. Specifically, 829 cats were diagnosed with this issue during the pandemic, compared to 637 cats in the year before. This rise in cases may be linked to a general increase in emergency visits for cats. If your male cat is having trouble urinating, it's important to see a vet, as this condition can be serious and may require immediate treatment.
People also search for: cat urethral obstruction symptoms · why is my cat straining to urinate · male cat urinary blockage treatment
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To investigate the influence of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic on the incidence of urethral obstruction (UO) in male cats. DESIGN Retrospective study. SETTING One veterinary university teaching hospital and 6 private practice veterinary specialty and emergency centers. ANIMALS A total of 24,937 total feline cases presenting to the emergency room (ER) between March 2019 and March 2021. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS Out of 24,937 total cases, 1793 male cats met the inclusion criteria for diagnosis of UO. Of those, 327 cases were identified in which an additional diagnosis of either urolithiasis or neoplasia was made and were therefore excluded. The remaining 1466 UO cases were presumed to be idiopathic urethral obstruction (iUO) caused by feline interstitial cystitis (FIC) alone. Of those, 637 cats presented during the prepandemic year and 829 cats presented during the pandemic year. KEY FINDINGS Incidence of presumptive iUO increased by 30% during the COVID-19 pandemic. Total feline emergency caseload increased by 38%. iUO accounted for 6.08% and 5.73% of total feline emergency cases during the prepandemic and pandemic years, respectively. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE The reported increase in incidence of feline UO is likely due to the increase in overall emergency feline caseload.
Find similar cases for your pet
PetCaseFinder finds other peer-reviewed reports of pets with the same symptoms, plus a plain-English summary of what was tried across them.
Search related cases →Original publication on Semantic Scholar: https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/37561125