Are recurring bouts of cystitis in cats linked to stress? Yes, according to a Canadian study of 33 cats.
The study—done by a team at the Université de Montréal’s Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and published in the Journal of Veterinary Behavior—casts light on a poorly understood and painful condition in cats.
A leading cause of emergency visits to the vet, feline idiopathic cystitis (FIC) is an acute inflammation of the bladder in cats that causes painful and sometimes bloody urination.
Usually, urine tests reveal no bacterial infection, and scans show no evidence of stones or a tumour. The cystitis is therefore classified as idiopathic, meaning no organic cause has been detected.
One of the most worrying aspects of FIC is the high rate of recurrence—about half of affected cats experience repeat episodes.
In all, 33 cats (23 males and 10 females) diagnosed with idiopathic cystitis were included in the study. Their human companions were asked to complete a detailed questionnaire about their cat’s behaviour.
This included whether they feared strangers and were aggressive toward humans and other animals. Also probed were details of the cat’s living environment, such as access to food and a litter box and the number of other cats in the home.
The researchers divided the cats into two groups: those that had experienced a single episode of cystitis and those with two or more episodes. The team then looked for behavioural and environmental differences between the two groups.
They found that 94 per cent of cats with two or more episodes showed a marked fear of strangers, compared to 59 per cent of cats with one episode. This fear response is thought to be an indicator of underlying anxiety.
“We initially thought that anxious, aggressive cats would be more prone to recurrent cystitis, but it’s actually the fearful, withdrawn ones that seem to be at greater risk,” Professor Marion Desmarchelier said.
In other words, cats who internalise their stress by becoming nervous and withdrawn are more vulnerable to repeated bouts of cystitis than those who externalise their stress through aggression.
