More time together and less suffering thanks to our highly effective diet food developed with veterinarians.
Diseases of the urinary organs in cats are summarized under the term FLUTD (Feline Lower urinary Tract Disease).
FLUTD - the disease of the lower urinary tract - includes, for example, bladder infections, urinary stones, blockages of the urinary tract and much more. Bladder infection (cystitis) in cats can have various causes. It can be triggered, for example, by urinary crystals, malformations of the urinary tract and/or pathogens as well as emotional stress. As a result, the mucous membrane of the bladder is irritated and a bladder infection develops with inflammatory products and bleeding. “Mental” related FLUTD occurs most frequently. It is also called idiopathic FLUTD. The exact cause is still unknown to this day. It is assumed that affected cats cannot process stress adequately. Affected cats have pain when urinating and pass urine frequently, but only in small amounts. Smaller accumulations of minerals in the bladder are called crystals or semolina. If these take on a larger shape, they are called urinary stones. Different types of urinary stones can be distinguished based on their chemical composition. The most common types in cats include struvite stone and calcium oxalate stone. Since cats, like their ancestors, usually only drink a little, they only pass small amounts of highly concentrated urine. This means that the urinary tract is less flushed and the minerals in the urine have a lot of time to accumulate into crystals or even stones. A sick animal often visits the litter box and often tries to pass urine (even bloody ones) with pain. It licks its genital area, is apathetic, aggressive and may become unclean. If this is not recognized early, the disease progresses. Then there is a danger to life because the urinary tract becomes blocked and the urine and its “toxins” can no longer be excreted. The urinary bladder can burst and urine enters the abdominal cavity. Male cats are more likely to suffer from such urinary tract blockages. This is due to the anatomical conditions. The urethra is longer and narrower in some places, so even relatively small stones can more easily lead to complete obstruction. The causes of this disease are very diverse: obesity, castration, mineral-rich composition of the feed, too alkaline pH in the urine, germs, etc. can trigger the disease. Overweight cats move less and are often too lethargic to go to the water bowl and litter box. As a result, less water is absorbed and the urinary tract is less flushed and the minerals in the urine form bonds with each other. Lifelong prevention is necessary to avoid relapses.
How urinary wet food supports your cat with urinary tract disease
vital urinary is a high premium diet wet food developed by veterinarians and nutritionists that acidifies your cat's urine and thus promotes the dissolution of struvite stones. Since calcium and magnesium are the main components of urinary stones, vital urinary has an undersaturated - but of course sufficient - content in order to avoid the formation of crystals. Your cat's water intake is stimulated, which means that the minerals in the diluted urine can no longer combine with each other as easily. In addition, the urinary system is regularly flushed and germs and possible “urinary stone building blocks” are eliminated. Glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate can strengthen the epithelial cells of the bladder mucosa, which are often damaged in cystitis and allow pathogenic germs to adhere. Omega-3 fatty acids (EPA and DHA) are able to relieve inflammatory processes in the urinary tract.
Veterinary note:
vital urinary is a high premium diet wet food developed by veterinarians and nutritionists that acidifies your cat's urine and thus promotes the dissolution of struvite stones. Since calcium and magnesium are the main components of urinary stones, vital urinary has an undersaturated - but of course sufficient - content in order to avoid the formation of crystals. Your cat's water intake is stimulated, which means that the minerals in the diluted urine can no longer combine with each other as easily. In addition, the urinary system is regularly flushed and germs and possible “urinary stone building blocks” are eliminated. Glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate can strengthen the epithelial cells of the bladder mucosa, which are often damaged in cystitis and allow pathogenic germs to adhere. Omega-3 fatty acids (EPA and DHA) are able to relieve inflammatory processes in the urinary tract.
General tips for cats with urinary tract diseases:
Offer your cat several and, above all, clean toilets.Take a closer look at the urine released. Is it bloody? How many times a day does your cat urinate? How many ml of water does she drink a day? This is all information that is important for your veterinarian.To improve your cat's drinking behavior, we recommend placing several water bowls throughout your home. Drinking water should never be placed directly next to food or the litter box. Cats probably avoid these places to drink water for hygienic reasons. For some cats, a cat fountain that encourages them to drink with fresh, bubbling water also helps. Even for hard cases who only drink from dripping taps, there are now special tap-shaped cat fountains available to buy (www.katzenbrunnen.info).If the water is extremely hard, offering filtered water has proven effective.Keep your cat slim - if she was overweight when the urinary tract problems developed, this may have been one of the reasons for the disease developing. After urinary tract therapy, discuss with your veterinarian whether your cat should eat a reduction diet such as vital weight control in order to be able to reach its ideal weight and thus reduce the chances of a new urinary tract problem.Have your veterinarian sound your bladder once a year.Keep your cat from stress. It is suspected that stressed animals can develop stress-related cystitis (idiopathic cystitis). Therefore, offer your cat the opportunity to withdraw. For families with children or dogs, a small gate to a quiet room is often enough (there are even options with a built-in cat flap) through which the cat can slip in and keep the children or dogs up. This means that the stress level does not rise to such an extreme and the bladder remains healthy.For cats with idiopathic cystitis, stress management is paramount. Make your cat's life more interesting by equipping the apartment appropriately for cats (shelves up to the ceiling, scratching and climbing options), free running, possibly a cat partner and more attention. Objects in a typical cat's life should be chosen so that the cat feels comfortable. For example, different types of cat litter are “suggested” and then the litter that is “selected” by the cat is consistently used.If necessary, seek advice from a competent cat psychologist who can help you identify the situations or places that are disturbing for the cat and eliminate the problem.Feeding L-tryptophans or casein (e.g. Zylkene) also helps the cat become more relaxed.Indications:
Struvite stonesUrinary tract diseases(idiopathic) cystitisContraindications:
KittensPregnant and lactating she-catsAdministration of urinary acidifying medicationshigh blood pressureChronic renal failureHeart failure