Bladder Ruptures in Cats

Can be extremely dangerous when leakage of urine occurs into the abdomen

But perhaps the most dangerous situation that it can cause is the leaking of urine into the abdomen where it may quickly be absorbed before it has the chance to be excreted.

The lack of urination in itself is a potentially life threatening situation, but if the urine is absorbed, it could have also have severe toxic effects on your cat.

Bladder ruptures in cats will almost always show you slow and developing signs that something is wrong, unless it is the result of a very sudden traumatic event such as falling from a very high structure or being hit by a car.

There is no one breed that this condition favors, although it does seem to occur more frequently in males and older cats.

Symptoms :

Bladder ruptures in cats will almost always show you early signs that something is wrong with their urinary tract before the rupture actually occurs, unless it is a very sudden development.

The first symptom that you will see is some type of urinary problem such as your cat straining to urinate or the inability to urinate at all.

Bladder problems and a potential rupture is much different than an acute kidney failure where the flow of urination stops almost entirely, as with this condition your cat will not strain while trying to go simply because they have no urine.

The next symptom is usually bloody urine after straining. Small amounts of blood in your cats urine is not uncommon, but as this symptom surfaces you will notice the amount of blood increasing; which is anything but normal.

If the bladder is on the verge of bursting or has burst, there will then be no urine at all, but the difference is that it is still being produced. However, it is being reabsorbed rather than excreted.

The final set of symptoms are generally a very sudden and violet vomiting period that is not just one and done, but continual as well as an abdominal distension as your pets urine is backing up and absorbing.

With sudden bladder ruptures in cats, you will not see all of these symptoms, but you will most likely see the vomiting and the distension. It is a huge misconception that when a cat falls from high distances, they always land on their feet safely. They will almost always land upright, but it is quite often the cause of a bladder rupture.

Causes:

If your cat falls a short distance, they will easily right themselves and land on their feet as they have exceptional coordination and balance as well as a very flexible musculoskeletal system. Their reputation for righting themselves comes from this ability.

However, if the fall is higher than two to three floors, although they may land upright, several injuries can still occur.

Here is what happens when your cat falls from any height. When they are falling they determine very quickly which way is up and rotate their head right side up, than they bring their front legs as close as they can to their face to protect the head from the impact.

They then twist their spine so the front part of the body is in line with the head and by instinct bend their hind legs and move the back of the body. They are now ready for the impact.

But there is one thing your cat does not factor in, terminal velocity. Terminal velocity will depend on the actual distance that they have fallen, but just like skydivers, it stops at a certain point because of wind resistance.

Most of the serious injuries occur when cats fall is from between three to seven stories, which is the most common. Their natural instincts are to tighten their muscles in preparation, and if your pets bladder is full when this occurs, the result will be bladder ruptures in cats.

If the fall is higher than seven stories, this is where the misconception now becomes the actual reality of cats and falling and the mystic. The higher the fall the more relaxed your cat becomes, and as a result, your cat is actually injured much less with, even if their bladder is full.

Urinary obstructions are the next common cause of bladder ruptures in cats simply because when your cat strains, especially if it is very hard, it increases the pressure of the bladder to the point that it becomes like an overblown balloon and ruptures.

Obstructions, such as tumors, may also eventually weaken the walls of the bladder and even a milder strain can cause the rupture.

Cystitis, which is inflammation of the bladder in your cat, causes the weakening of the bladders walls and is the result of bacterial, viral, fungi, or parasite infections that can easily spread from other organs. Acute cystitis, usually from a bacterial infection, causes swelling, bleeding as well as small ulcers, all of which place pressure of the bladder walls and weakens them.

Male are at a higher risk of bladder ruptures in cats simply because their urethra is longer and narrower than females, and as a result, they are more likely to develop an obstruction that may cause the bladder walls to become pressured and burst.

Once bladder ruptures in cats starts, a process called uro-abdomen develops, which is where urine leaks into the abdomen. There are two substances that may leak back into your cats body and as a result become dangerous; potassium and urea. Urea is a water soluble compound that is the major nitrogenous end product of your cats protein metabolism.

It is also the main nitrogenous component in urine and it is meant to be discarded, not reabsorbed.

It is these two substances that make your cat become extremely ill when they are reabsorbed rather than eliminated. High blood levels of either can cause vomiting, anorexia, and heart rhythm problems, but when they become combined, they are especially dangerous.

Summary :

Bladder ruptures in cats can sometimes heal themselves, but this is extremely rare, and most cases will require surgery. Surgery is very effective in most cases, but if the rupture was caused by a fall, it may not heal properly and your cat may have to have a second operation to successfully fix the rupture.

Natural Treatments for Bladder Ruptures in Cats

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