The term feline lower urinary tract disease (LUTD)
has been used to describe clinical signs related to
irritative voiding, but does not identify the underlying
etiology.
1,2
The possible causes can include bacterial
urinary tract infection, trauma, urolithiasis, urethral
plugs, neoplasia, anatomic malformation, behavioral
disorders, and neurologic problems.
1,3
If no specific
reason is found, the disease is called idiopathic.
4
Regardless of etiology, the resultant clinical signs are
similar and include dysuria, stranguria, hematuria,
pollakiuria, and periuria.
2,5
The disorder can be
obstructive, and urethral obstruction was reported to
occur more commonly in young cats and almost exclusively in male cats because of their relatively long and
narrow urethra.
1
Recurrence of obstruction is common. In 1 study, it
was reported that 8 of 22 cats (36%) with idiopathic
urethral obstruction reobstructed after a median of
17 days.
6
In a more recent study, 11 of 55 cats (22%)
with idiopathic obstructive LUTD experienced at least
1 recurrence in the 6 months after a previous episode.
7
Currently, no treatment is known to decrease these
high recurrence rates