kathy@gitpyr.UUCP (Kathy Moore) (11/15/85)
I have 2 male kittens that I plan to have neutered when they are old
(and big) enough. This talk about Feline Urinary Syndrome has me worried.
How do you tell if a cat is suffering from FUS? Do they cry? Act lethargic?
Make repeated unsuccessful trips to the kitty box? Bob Silverman mentioned that
you can feel the distended bladder, but what is your clue to look for this?
Is FUS related to kidney stones in humans?
--
Kathy Moore
Georgia Insitute of Technology, Atlanta Georgia, 30332
...!{akgua,allegra,amd,hplabs,ihnp4,masscomp,ut-ngp}!gatech!gitpyr!kathybs@faron.UUCP (Robert D. Silverman) (11/16/85)
> I have 2 male kittens that I plan to have neutered when they are old > (and big) enough. This talk about Feline Urinary Syndrome has me worried. > > How do you tell if a cat is suffering from FUS? Do they cry? Act lethargic? > Make repeated unsuccessful trips to the kitty box? Bob Silverman mentioned that > you can feel the distended bladder, but what is your clue to look for this? > > Is FUS related to kidney stones in humans? > > -- > Kathy Moore > Georgia Insitute of Technology, Atlanta Georgia, 30332 > ...!{akgua,allegra,amd,hplabs,ihnp4,masscomp,ut-ngp}!gatech!gitpyr!kathy Yes, the syndrome is related to kidney stones in humans. Usually what happens is that urine crystals form and block the urethra. Whether this happens depends mostly on the metabolism of the cat, i.e. whether his urine is sufficiently acidic. If it gets too basic, crystals form. The first symptom to look for is repeat trips to the litter box or a prolonged stay at the litter box. If the cat is 'blocked' he'll become VERY uncomfortable quite quickly and start acting irritable. FUS can become life threatening but responds very well to treatment. The trick is to suspect the problem early enough so that the cat gets treated before uremia occurs. My cat did not have his first attack until 3 years after he was fixed so it came as a surprise when it happened. My vet suspects that changes in his metabolism occurred as he got older and eventually caused crystals to form. However, a 3 year lapse between castration and the first onset of the syndrome was unusual. The reason for waiting before castrating the cat is to make sure that he is big enough. Otherwise the surgery can have the side effect of constricting the urethra and making it more likely that a blockage will occur. Urine crystals can occur with female cats but it's much less of a problem because they generally have a much larger urethra and the crystals pass right thru. Bob Silverman (they call me Mr. 9)
murphy@phri.UUCP (Ellen Murphy) (11/18/85)
> How do you tell if a cat is suffering from FUS? Do they cry? Act lethargic? > Make repeated unsuccessful trips to the kitty box? All of the above, and in addition, when you think your cat has broken training and is urinating in corners, check to see how much urine is coming out before you scold him. If you suspect he is blocked, get him to a vet FAST-it is an emergency. Among my own and my friends' experiences with cats, I've never heard of FUS in a female--maybe having only female cats is the best prevention -). Ellen Murphy The Public Health Research Institute allegra!phri!murphy
suze@terak.UUCP (Suzanne Barnett) (11/18/85)
> How do you tell if a cat is suffering from FUS? Do they cry? Act lethargic? > Make repeated unsuccessful trips to the kitty box? Everything I have ever read said the unsuccessful attempts at the litter box was the way to notice there was a problem. My male cats have never had FUS problems, but one of my females had a bladder infection that caused her to visit the litter box VERY frequently. I had always worried about noticing something like unsuccessful attempts to urinate, since I don't make a habit of watching my cats use the litter box, and work full time so I am often not around, but it was surprising how easy it was to tell that Blackie had a problem. The key was that she was going to the box every 5 minutes, would stay there for quite a few minutes, go away, and come back about 5 minutes later. -- ************************************************************** Suzanne Barnett-Scott uucp: ...{decvax,ihnp4,noao,savax,seismo}!terak!suze phone: (602) 998-4800 us mail: CalComp/Sanders Display Products Division (Formerly Terak Corporation) 14151 N 76th street, Scottsdale, AZ 85260
silberma@agrigene.UUCP (11/21/85)
I once read that one preventative treatment for FUS was to surgically implant a small copper ring within the cat's bladder. I can't recall the reason or the success of this procedure. If any one is familiar with this technique, please post.
dave@quest.UUCP (dave) (11/23/85)
> I have 2 male kittens that I plan to have neutered when they are old > (and big) enough. This talk about Feline Urinary Syndrome has me worried. > > How do you tell if a cat is suffering from FUS? Do they cry? Act lethargic? > Make repeated unsuccessful trips to the kitty box? Bob Silverman mentioned that > you can feel the distended bladder, but what is your clue to look for this? We've had four cats come down with FUS. The symptoms I have observed are: unsuccessful trips to the litter box, squating down like they are trying to urinate on the floor, urine in strange places (for some reason, all our cats used the sink and the bathtub; they never did this when they were well), blood in the urine, extended bladder (you can feel it; it gets very hard.), not eating. These are roughly in the order of severity. When your cat stops eating, GET HIM TO THE VET. Our vet says that it is a matter of hours or days before the cat will die. I hope this helps. > > Is FUS related to kidney stones in humans? > > -- > Kathy Moore > Georgia Insitute of Technology, Atlanta Georgia, 30332 > ...!{akgua,allegra,amd,hplabs,ihnp4,masscomp,ut-ngp}!gatech!gitpyr!kathy I'm not sure if it is related. FUS is caused by a virus infection that causes crystals in the urine. I guess that female cats get it also, but their urinary passage is large enough to not get plugged by the crystals. -- David Messer UUCP: ...ihnp4!quest!dave ...ihnp4!encore!vaxine!spark!14!415!sysop FIDO: 14/415 (SYSOP)