Lower Urinary Tract Disease in Cats—New Problems, New Paradigms

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Abstract
Companion animal diets may be related to prevention, pathogenesis and/or treatment of diseases of the lower urinary tract. For example, urolithiasis can be either diet induced or nutrient sensitive. One of the most interesting developments in veterinary urolithiasis research has been the recent change in the composition of stones recovered from cats. In 1984, 88% of stones analyzed by quantitative methods were >70% struvite, whereas <1% were calcium oxalate. In 1992, the percentage of struvite had dropped to 62, whereas the percentage of calcium oxalate had increased to 24. Another recent development in lower urinary tract disease of cats is the recognition that urolithiasis appears to be a minor cause of the signs of frequency, urgency and hematuria for which patients are presented. This suggests that diet may no longer be involved, or be involved in previously unrecognized ways, in many current cases of this disease. Some of these feline patients may have a disease similar to interstitial cystitis, a disease of humans that appears to be of neuroepithelial origin. Our laboratory has been studying this possibility recently, and many similarities between the two diseases have been found.