Cystinuria is a very painful disease, which can cause the cat important discomfort: let’s find out what are the causes, symptoms and the most effective remedies.
The onset of cystinuria in cats is a rather rare event. But that doesn’t necessarily happen to our four-legged friend. The pathology can be extremely painful, forcing us, in case, to a timely intervention. Let’s find out what it is, and what are the causes, symptoms and remedies of the disease.
What is it and what are the causes
The Cystinuria is a genetic disease, which favours the formation of stones in the kidneys, the urethra and into the bladder of the cat, due to the excessive accumulation of cystine in them, the formation of which is due to insufficient body’s ability to absorb effectively amino acids.
Cystinuria is an extremely rare disease in cats; and this means that the medical literature on it is rather sparse.
On the basis of the rare case studies analyzed, we note a particular predisposition of some breeds, in particular the Siamese, which alone is involved in just over half of the cases. Furthermore, almost all of them concern female specimens; in fact the exact opposite of what is recorded for the dog.
Symptoms
The clinical signs of cystinuria in cats can be different.
The cat may experience pain in the act of urination; in severe cases, however, the formation of stones in the kidneys, bladder and urethra can lead to a real obstruction of the cat’s urinary tract.
High amounts of cysteine are present in the urine of the animal with cystinuria. It is no coincidence that the most used veterinary examination for the diagnosis of the disease is that of the urine; it being understood that a negative response does not exclude 100% the non-existence of the disease.
How is cystinuria treated in dogs?
If the feline feels pain when urinating, it is good to alert your trusted veterinarian promptly, in order to avoid more serious consequences, such as urethral blockage.
In this case it will be necessary to act promptly, as this condition can lead to renal failure and uremia, and then cause the death of the feline within a few hours.
Although it is a genetic disease, prevention plays a very important role, in particular as regards the early detection of cystinuria, in order to identify the most effective therapeutic treatment for the cat.
In particular, it will revert to the administration of a regime food specific, characterized by limited protein content, assisted by an appropriate time to pharmacological therapy to promote the solubility of the cystine.
