Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Urethral blockage in male cats peaks in spring in Northern US
By Sumner, Julia P & Rishniw, Mark·Published in Veterinary journal (London, England : 1997)·2017·Department of Clinical Sciences, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Urethral obstruction in male cats in some Northern United States shows regional seasonality.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A group of male cats in the Northern United States were brought in for urethral obstruction, which is a serious condition that can cause difficulty urinating. The study found that more cats experienced this issue in the spring months of April and May, particularly in the Northeastern region. This suggests that factors like climate and possibly diet or behavior may influence the occurrence of urethral obstruction in these cats. If your male cat shows signs of straining to urinate or frequent trips to the litter box without producing urine, it's important to see a veterinarian right away.
People also search for: male cat urethral obstruction symptoms · why is my cat straining to urinate · spring urinary problems in cats
Abstract
Feline lower urinary tract disease (FLUTD) is a term encompassing several different conditions affecting the feline lower urinary tract. Certain FLUTD aetiologies, such as idiopathic cystitis, urethral plugs or urolithiasis, commonly produce urethral obstruction (UO) in male cats. It is widely accepted that environmental, behavioural and dietary factors can play a role in the aetiopathogenesis of these conditions. We investigated the seasonal prevalence of UO by analysing admission dates of 2443 male cats with UO from eight practices in the Northern USA over a 4-year period. A significantly greater number of cats presented for UO in April and May (P < 0.025). When stratified by geographic location, a spring peak was found in cats from the North-Eastern United States, but no peak was demonstrable in cats from the North-West coast. This suggests that UO might depend, at least in part, on geographical climatic variations.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28190500/