Chisipite Veterinary Surgery

13/08/2025

Here are a few tips on how to eliminate stress for your cat:
• Provide your cat with plenty of toys to engage them.
• Make sure to keep at least one more litter box in the home than you have cats, so they can have some privacy to do their business. Make sure to separate these litter boxes throughout the house. Also, be sure to clean the litter boxes daily.
• Give your cat something to scratch, which releases pheromones and makes them happy.
• Also, make sure to have one bowl per cat. Think about it: do you want to share a plate with someone else?
• Provide your cat with a cat perch or condo. Cat's love to be up high where they can see things and it gives them the privacy they want.
• Finally, talk to your vet about certain therapeutic diets that are formulated to manage stress response in cats – Royal Canin Calm and/or Hills C/D Stress

06/08/2025

Your cat could be stressed if:
• The household has too many cats and they must compete for resources (i.e., alone time at the litter box or competing for food and water)
• Other cats bully them, including your cats or neighbouring cats
• Their litter box is dirty
• Sometimes, having out-of-town visitors, moving furniture or renovating can stress a cat out as well. If your cat is having issues with urinary blockage, consider whether there's anything that could be causing them stress, then try to eliminate those stressors.

30/07/2025

Prevention of blocked bladders
Water consumption is an important part of flushing debris from your cat's system and preventing blockage; try offering them water from a drinking fountain instead of a bowl and switching/adding canned food if they currently eat dry food.
Nutrition can also play an important role in preventing blockage. If your cat already experiences urinary health issues, then a therapeutic cat food may help dissolve your cat's crystals or make it less likely they form new ones and maintain a healthy urine pH that contributes to overall urinary health.
Anti-stress diets help reduce anxiety, preventing stress caused cystitis and bladder issues.
Modifying the environment to help reduce stress and encourage cats to drink and urinate more frequently are key goals in the management of FIC. Thus, helping to prevent reoccurring blocked bladders.

23/07/2025

How do we treat a blocked bladder
If your cat has urinary blockage, they will be admitted immediately for emergency treatment. We place your cat on intravenous fluids to deliver fluids and medicine to your cat. Your cat will then be under a heavy sedation or anaesthesia so that a urinary catheter can be placed to relieve the obstruction and empty their bladder. The catheter is then left in place for 3-4 days to let the urethra heal and let your cat recover. Most blocked cats are with us for 5-7 days. In addition to intravenous fluids, other drugs commonly used to help manage cats include:
• Drugs to help relieve spasm of the urethra (spasmolytics)
• Anti-inflammatory drugs to relieve the swelling in the urethra
Once your cat is urinating normally, you'll be able to bring them home.

16/07/2025

WHAT CAUSES BLOCKED BLADDERS IN CATS
A ‘plug’ in the urethra- this is usually an accumulation of proteins, cells, crystals, and debris in the bladder that accumulates and lodges in the urethra.
A small stone (urolith) or an accumulation of very small stones- these form in the bladder but may become lodged in the urethra
Stress is thought to be the most significant cause of Feline idiopathic cystitis (FIC) in cats. Reducing your cat’s stress may lower their chance of lower urinary tract diseases, including urethral blockage.
Cats that are exclusively on a dry food diet are more likely to develop a blocked bladder than those on wet food.
Male cats are more predisposed since they have a longer and narrower urethra compared to females.

09/07/2025

SIGNS OF BLOCKED BLADDER
• Repeated attempts to urinate that are unproductive, often looks as if constipated
• Crying or discomfort when straining to urinate
• Increased agitation, and there may be some vomiting
• Depending on the underlying cause, you may also have noticed some other changes in your cat’s urinating behavior over the preceding few days such as increased frequency of urination, straining, discomfort or even some blood in the urine.

07/07/2025

Chisipite Veterinary Surgery would like to give a very big thank you to all our valued clients who generously sponsored Dr Clare Savage and Dr Tania Mukandi to participate in the VAWZ walk to raise funds for animal welfare, at Wingate Golf course. We really appreciate your continued support!

04/07/2025

BLOCKED BLADDER (CATS)
Urinary blockage is a panful and life-threatening condition that typically affects male cats. If your male cat has urinary blockage, it means their urethra (the tube that drains urine from the bladder to the p***s and out of the body) is blocked by inflammatory material. When the urethra is blocked and urine can’t exit the body, the bladder becomes overfilled or “hyperextended”. If the blockage goes on for too long, the kidneys may start to swell, become damaged, and the bladder may rupture.

04/07/2025

Join us on Sunday the 6th of July at Wingate Golf Club for the annual VAWZ Walk for the Animals.

Enjoy some fresh air and get your steps in for a great cause! Furry friends are welcome, provided they are on leads.

We hope to see you there!

21/06/2025