Complete Care for Your Aging Cat - Amy Shojai [27]
Other disorders of the urinary system include urinary tract infections, and urinary stones that affect the bladder, the kidneys, or both. The bladder becomes less elastic and may not empty totally each time the cat urinates. In time, this may lead to increased susceptibility to infections and large bladder or kidney stones in some cats.
Urinary tract inflammation and crystals or stones may affect cats of any age, though. Commonly referred to as lower urinary tract disorders (LUTD), the formation of crystals and/or mucoid plugs can cause pain, distress, and sometimes life-threatening blockages. Cats suffering from cystitis (inflammation of the bladder) may have blood present in the urine as well. But older cats develop a more dangerous type of stone.
“The type of stones that tend to form changes from being predominantly struvite in the younger cat to being predominantly calcium oxalate in the older cat,” says Dr. LaFlamme. However, recent surveys indicate the incidence of both types of stones is nearly equal. Struvite crystals mixed with mucus typically plug the urethra on their way out of the body during urination. Struvite can be dissolved and prevented by feeding the cat a diet that acidifies the urine. Calcium oxalate composition stones more typically block the ureters—the conduits leading from the kidneys to the bladder—and require surgery to remove, says Dr. Larry Cowgill, DVM, an internist at the University of California-Davis.
Aging cats almost never develop urinary incontinence, a relatively common physical problem of aging female dogs. Litter box “misses” are more often linked to cognitive dysfunction where the cat “forgets” how to find the bathroom, says Dr. Little.
In sum, each system of the body provides support for the whole. A misstep by one can prompt interconnected problems all across the body. Whether sudden, or slow and insidious, the various changes in the different body systems collectively contribute to how your cat ages.
That also means that paying attention to one age-related issue can influence the entire body to get better. You can often slow down the entire aging process simply by paying attention and addressing problems promptly as they occur. Aging is inevitable, but you can help your cat do so with grace.
Feeding For Health
A percentage of cats are prone to developing urinary crystals or stones. Therapeutic diets are designed to prevent or sometimes dissolve existing crystals. Dietary treatment choices are based on identifying the kind of crystal, and generally are available only through veterinarians. Some commercial products that may be helpful include:
Hill’s Prescription Diet Feline c/d-s (struvite)
Hill’s Prescription Diet Feline c/d-oxl (oxalate)
Hill’s Prescription Diet Feline s/d (LUTD)
Iams Veterinary Diets, Nutritional Urinary Formula, Low pH/S/Feline
Iams Veterinary Diets, Nutritional Urinary Formula, Moderate pH/O/Feline
IVD (ROYAL CANIN) Select Care Feline Mature Formula
IVD (ROYAL CANIN) Select Care Feline Control Formula
IVD (ROYAL CANIN) Select Care Feline HiFactor Formula
IVD (ROYAL CANIN) Select Care Feline Weight Formula
Purina Veterinary Diet, UR Urinary Formula
Waltham Feline Lower Urinary Tract Support Diet
CHAPTER 3--L.O.V.E. for HEALTH
Older cats that become ill typically try to hide how they feel. They also tend to become more seriously ill more quickly, and take longer to recover. “The earlier we see these animals, the more we can do something for them,” says Sheila McCullough, DVM, an internist at the University of Illinois. It is vital to pay attention to your cat as she ages, to catch problems before they turn serious.
A good way to keep in mind the special needs of your aging cat is simply to use the acronym