Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
2025 iCatCare consensus guidelines on the diagnosis and management of lower urinary tract diseases in cats.
- Journal:
- Journal of feline medicine and surgery
- Year:
- 2025
- Authors:
- Taylor, Samantha et al.
- Affiliation:
- Panel Chair International Cat Care · United Kingdom
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
The 2025 iCatCare guidelines focus on diagnosing and managing lower urinary tract diseases in cats, which can show signs like painful urination, blood in the urine, frequent urination, and trouble urinating. These symptoms can come from various issues, making it important for veterinarians to investigate the underlying cause to choose the right treatment. Common causes include feline idiopathic cystitis (a condition causing bladder inflammation with no clear reason), urinary stones, infections, and blockages in the urinary tract. Diagnosing these problems can be tricky because the symptoms often look the same, and some conditions, like blockages, can be very serious. The guidelines aim to help vets better understand and treat these conditions to improve outcomes for affected cats.
Abstract
PRACTICAL RELEVANCE: Lower urinary tract signs (LUTS) such as dysuria, haematuria, periuria, pollakiuria and stranguria can occur as the result of a variety of underlying conditions and diagnostic investigation is required to uncover the underlying cause and select appropriate treatment. AIM: The '2025 iCatCare consensus guidelines on the diagnosis and management of lower urinary tract diseases in cats' provide an overview of the common presenting signs caused by underlying feline lower urinary tract (LUT) diseases in cats, which often are indistinguishable between different underlying causes. The Guidelines set out a diagnostic approach to affected cats before focusing on the most common causes of LUTS: feline idiopathic cystitis (FIC), urolithiasis, urinary tract infection and urethral obstruction. The aim is to provide practitioners with practical information on these problematic conditions. CLINICAL CHALLENGES: The fact that LUTS are similar despite different underlying causes creates a diagnostic challenge. The most common cause of LUTS, FIC, is challenging to manage due to a complex pathogenesis involving organs outside the LUT. Urethral obstruction is a life-threatening complication of various underlying LUT diseases and recurrent LUTS can lead to relinquishment or euthanasia of affected cats. EVIDENCE BASE: These Guidelines have been created by a panel of experts brought together by International Cat Care (iCatCare) Veterinary Society (formerly the International Society of Feline Medicine [ISFM]). Information is based on the available literature, expert opinion and the panel members' experience.
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Search related cases →Original publication: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39935081/