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Objectives: Alpha-adrenergic antagonists are commonly used to prevent recurrent urethral obstruction in cats with mixed reports of efficacy. No published data on tamsulosin use in cats are available. The objective of this study was to measure changes in urodynamic parameters and blood pressure in five healthy male cats before and after administration of tamsulosin orally for 4 and 10 days., Methods: Five young healthy adult male cats from a research colony were administered tamsulosin at 0.1 mg/cat PO q24h for 10 days. Urethral pressure profile and blood pressure measurements were performed before treatment and approximately 6 h after treatment on days 4 and 10. Maximum urethral closure pressure (MUCP) for the prostatic and penile urethra, functional urethral length (FPL), functional area (FA) and systolic blood pressures were recorded and compared between the time points., Results: Significant changes in blood pressure on day 4 (121.1 mmHg ± 20.2 mmHg) and on day 10 (112.6 mmHg ± 14.9 mmHg) compared with day 0 (141.1 mmHg± 33.4 mmHg) were not detected ( P  = 0.18) in anesthetized cats. No significant difference in MUCP, FA or FPL measurements were detected among baseline, day 4 and day 10 of treatment. Hematuria and transient pollakiuria were induced in two cats with 3.5 Fr urethral catheters., Conclusions and Relevance: Tamsulosin at 0.1 mg/cat PO q24h did not induce hypotension in healthy cats. Urodynamic testing performed 6 h after the tamsulosin pill was administered did not detect consistent decreases in urodynamic functions induced by tamsulosin. Repeated catheterization of tom cats with 3.5 Fr catheters may induce significant urethral trauma., Competing Interests: Conflict of interestThe authors declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to determine if male cats treated with 7 days of prazosin following relief of urethral obstruction (UO) experienced decreased rates of recurrent urethral obstruction (rUO) within 30 days vs those treated with 7 days of placebo., Methods: All castrated male cats presenting for the first time with UO from May 2014 to August 2017 were eligible for enrollment. Exclusion criteria included the administration of medications or passage of a urinary catheter prior to referral, the presence of heart disease or hypertension requiring medication, prior treatment with glucocorticoids, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medications, prazosin or phenoxybenzamine, or radiographic identification of cystoliths. Cats were treated with standardized anesthetic and analgesic protocols, standardized indwelling urinary catheter management, and were hospitalized for care. A random numbers table was generated prior to study initiation and cats were randomized to receive either prazosin (0.5 mg PO q12h for 7 days) or placebo in a blinded fashion. A 30-day follow-up with owners via telephone was performed to identify the rate of rUO. Cats that did not receive the full course of study medication were removed from the analysis. The study was unblinded at the end of data collection., Results: Eighty cats were enrolled and 65 cats completed the study; 12 were excluded because they did not receive the study medication. Sixteen of 65 cats experienced rUO (25%). Of the 16 cats experiencing rUO, five received placebo (n = 5/28 [18%]) and 11 received prazosin (n = 11/37 [30%]). Ten of the cats that experienced rUO reblocked while still hospitalized. There was no significant difference in frequency of rUO in cats treated with prazosin vs placebo ( P  = 0.27)., Conclusions and Relevance: Prazosin administered at 0.5 mg PO q12h did not decrease the rate of rUO in this population of obstructed male cats vs placebo. These results further support evidence suggesting that prazosin may not be beneficial in prevention of feline rUO.

Objectives The aim of the study was to investigate the effect of the non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug meloxicam on the clinical course of obstructive idiopathic cystitis in cats in a placebo-controlled clinical study. Methods Thirty-seven cats with obstructive idiopathic cystitis were enrolled. Cats received supportive treatment and an indwelling transurethral catheter for 48 h. On days 0 and 1, all cats received buprenorphine 0.01 mg/kg subcutaneously every 8 h. On day 1, cats were randomly assigned to the meloxicam (n = 18) or placebo group (n = 19) and received meloxicam (0.1 mg/kg on day 1, 0.05 mg/kg on days 2-5) or placebo orally for five consecutive days. Cats were monitored by repeated physical examinations and urinalysis, and with a 5 day questionnaire filled in by the owners after discharge and a telephone interview 3 months after presentation. Parameters for evaluation of treatment success were the occurrence of recurrent urethral obstruction, results of physical examinations and questionnaires. Results Recurrent urethral obstruction occurred in 4/18 cats (22%) in the meloxicam group and 5/19 cats (26%) in the placebo group ( P = 1.000). General demeanour and pain on abdominal palpation during hospitalisation improved significantly in both groups ( P <0.001). After discharge, with regard to general demeanour, food intake and voiding behaviour, there were no significant differences within or between groups at different time points. Conclusions and relevance Orally administered meloxicam for 5 days did not influence the incidence of recurrent urethral obstruction and the recovery from clinical signs in cats with obstructive feline idiopathic cystitis. The persistence of clinical signs in most of the cats 1 week after initial presentation indicates that symptomatic treatment for a longer period of time is warranted.

Objectives: Obstructive feline idiopathic cystitis is a common emergency in small animal practice. There is evidence for a defective glycosaminoglycan layer in the urinary bladder of affected cats. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of intravesical pentosan polysulfate sodium (PPS) in cats with obstructive feline idiopathic cystitis in a randomised, placebo-controlled, blinded clinical study., Methods: Thirty-five cats with obstructive feline idiopathic cystitis were enrolled into the study. On day 0, cats were randomised to receive either 30 mg PPS in saline (18 cats) or saline alone as placebo (17 cats) at the time of indwelling urinary catheter placement and then after 24 and 48 h. The catheter was clamped for 30 mins after administration before connecting it to a sterile urine collection system. The procedure was repeated after 24 and 48 h, and then the indwelling catheter was removed. Treatment success was assessed via the incidence of recurrent urethral obstruction, results of a scoring system for physical examination and daily urinalysis from day 0 to 5., Results: Recurrent urethral obstruction occurred in 3/18 cats of the verum group and 3/17 of the placebo group (P = 1.000). The verum group showed a significantly lower degree of microscopic haematuria between day 5 and day 0 (P ⩽0.05). The placebo group showed a significantly lower degree of dipstick haematuria between day 5 and day 0 (P ⩽0.05). There was no difference in the clinical score between the groups in the investigated time period., Conclusions and Relevance: Intravesical instillation of PPS three times within 48 h in the chosen dose had no influence on the incidence of recurrent urethral obstruction and clinical signs in cats with obstructive feline idiopathic cystitis., (© ISFM and AAFP 2015.)

Objectives: This study aimed to determine the standards of care for urethral catheters (UCs) placed in male cats for treatment of urethral obstruction (UO). It also assessed whether these standards were influenced by year of graduation of the veterinary surgeon (VS)., Methods: One hundred veterinary practices were randomly selected, and a telephone survey was conducted with a VS in the practice. Regarding the last urethral catheterisation performed for a male cat with UO, the VS was asked about the use of antibiotics while the catheter was in situ, whether a closed urinary collection system was used, whether aseptic skin preparation of the patient was performed and whether aseptic hand preparation was performed. A χ(2) test was used to determine whether there were significant differences in these percentages when considering year of graduation., Results: Twenty-seven percent of VSs did not use antibiotics while the urethral catheter was in place, 44% used closed urinary collection systems, 41% performed aseptic skin preparation of the patient and 60% aseptically prepared their hands and wore sterile gloves. There was a statistically significant (P <0.01) difference in antibiotic usage, closed collection system usage and aseptic hand preparation across graduation year groups., Conclusions and Relevance: Non-sterile urethral catheter placement with open urinary drainage and antibiotic prophylaxis is still a widespread practice among VSs; however, more recent graduates are more likely to perform the procedure aseptically with a closed urinary collection system and withholding of antibiotics. There is a need for further education for postgraduate veterinarians in the prevention of catheter-associated urinary tract infections in cats and further research to provide evidence-based guidelines for feline urethral catheter care., (© ISFM and AAFP 2015.)

Feline idiopathic cystitis is a common condition, often resulting in repeated episodes of life-threatening urethral obstruction. Defective urinary bladder glycosaminoglycans have been implicated as a causal factor. In this report, a commercially available glycosaminoglycan product was infused into the urinary bladders of cats with urethral obstruction from idiopathic cystitis to study the effect on repeated obstruction. In this randomized, blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial, the therapeutic protocol was well tolerated with no adverse effects. Whereas no glycosaminoglycan-treated cats (n = 9) developed repeated urethral obstruction during the 7 day follow-up period, 3/7 placebo-treated cats developed repeated obstructions. Approaching statistical significance (P = 0.06), these data suggest that further investigation of this new treatment option is warranted., (© ISFM and AAFP 2013.)

Corynebacterium urealyticum is an uncommon cause of urinary tract infections in cats. However, it is difficult to diagnose and if left untreated it may result in irreversible bladder lesions. C urealyticum is a multiantibiotic-resistant bacterium whose culture requires special care. Risk factors for the occurrence of this infection include urological procedures, foreign bodies, bladder mucosa abnormalities, immuno-suppressed states and antibiotic treatment. This report describes an unusual case of C urealyticum urinary infection in a young cat with pre-existing urethral obstruction. C urealyticum was isolated in pure cultures from two urine samples. Clinical and ultrasound features, results of the urinalysis and urine culture are described as well as therapeutic treatment and eventual favourable outcome to treatment with amoxycillin-clavulanic acid.