Blood in Your Cat’s Urine: Possible Causes and Treatment
Blood in cat’s urine is a serious matter and there can be numerous possible causes.
How the blood gets into the cat's urine
The blood in your cat's urine can come from several different organs. The urine is produced in the cat’s kidneys. From there it passes through the ureters into the bladder, before finally being excreted through the urethra.
The origin of the blood in your cat's urine can be found in all urinary organs.
However, apart from this, the blood may also come from the genitals. For example, in cats it may come from the uterus and in cats from the penis.
In most cases, small bleeding wounds (lesions) are responsible for the blood in the cat's urine. Occasionally, however, bleeding can also occur due to coagulation disorders.
Common causes of blood in the cat's urine
If your cat has blood in his urine, this can have various causes. Lower urinary tract disorders are particularly common. These include in particular idiopathic and bacterial cystitis and urinary stones.
Due to similar symptoms, these complaints are also referred to by veterinarians as FLUTD complex. FLUTD is the abbreviation for Feline Lower Urinary Tract Disease, which can be translated into German as disease of the lower urinary tract of cats.
Cystitis as a cause of blood in the cat's urine
Cystitis is quite common in cats. They can occur without a recognisable cause or can be caused by a bacterial infection or urinary stones.
For affected cats cystitis is associated with severe pain when urinating. Increased mishaps outside the litter tray and blood in the cat's urine can be signs of a cystitis.
Blood in the cat's urine due to urinary stones
Urinary stones are formed by deposits of mineral-containing crystals. They can get stuck in the kidneys or the bladder, for example, and in the worst case even block the urethra.
The typical symptoms of urinary stones in cats include blood in the urine and regular bladder infections.
Other possible causes of blood in the cat's urine
Diseases of the lower urinary tract are indeed the most common cause of blood in the urine of a cat. However, there are also other possible triggers.
These include kidney problems such as cysts, inflammation or a kidney infarction. In addition to blood in the urine, symptoms such as loss of appetite, weight loss and listlessness usually occur. In addition, cats with kidney disease often suffer from diarrhoea and vomiting.
Occasionally, problems with the animal's reproductive organs can also lead to bloody discharge. Furthermore, in some cases, blood clotting disorders may also be a possible cause of blood in a cat's urine. These can be caused by autoimmune diseases, infectious diseases such as FIP, tumours or even poisoning with rat poison.
A cat with blood in its urine is a case for the veterinarian
If you should notice blood in your cat's urine, a timely visit to the vet is essential. In principle, you can assume that a quick treatment of the cause will make a decisive contribution to the chances of recovery.
This is especially true if your four-legged friend suffers from other complaints and his general condition is very poor. In this case it is a medical emergency and your cat needs immediate veterinary care.
Diagnosis of the cause of the blood in the cat's urine
In order to determine the cause of the blood in the cat's urine, the veterinarian will first perform an ultrasound examination and possibly also take x-rays.
This will allow the veterinarian to detect the presence of urinary stones and possible changes in the urinary tract and genital organs of the animal.
However, if these examinations do not provide a result, further tests may be necessary. These include, for example, the taking of tissue samples (biopsy) or endoscopic examinations of the urinary tract.
Treating cats with blood in urine
How to treat a cat with blood in its urine depends primarily on the exact cause. After all, of course, a tumour or poisoning requires completely different measures than an inflammation of the bladder or the removal of bladder stones.
It is similar with the chances of recovery. If the blood in your cat's urine is caused by comparatively harmless diseases such as cystitis, successful treatment is usually not a problem.
In the case of a kidney infarction or poisoning with rat poison, however, the situation may be different and the prognosis for a cat with blood in its urine may be correspondingly worse.
Nutritional tips for a healthy urinary system in cats
As you can see, problems with the urinary system in cats are the most common cause of blood in the urine. To counteract this, it is important to pay sufficient attention to the nutrition of your four-legged friend.
We recommend the following products from I love my cat for this purpose:
- Kidney Power Powder
- Wet food with insects
I Love My Cat Kidney Power powder is a natural food supplement that supports the detoxification processes of the kidneys and can thus help to counteract problems with the urinary system.
I Love My Cat wet food with insects is a hypoallergenic cat food, which among other things is characterised by a low PH value and adapted mineral values and can therefore promote the breakdown of struvite stones.
The combination of Kidney Power Powder and insect-based wet cat food does not completely eliminate blood in the urine of cats. However, the risk can at least be significantly reduced.
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