Urethral obstruction in male cats in some Northern United States shows regional seasonality

Abstract

Feline lower urinary tract disease (FLUTD) is a term encompassing several different conditions affecting the feline lower urinary tract. Certain FLUTD aetiologies, such as idiopathic cystitis, urethral plugs or urolithiasis, commonly produce urethral obstruction (UO) in male cats. It is widely accepted that environmental, behavioural and dietary factors can play a role in the aetiopathogenesis of these conditions. We investigated the seasonal prevalence of UO by analysing admission dates of 2443 male cats with UO from eight practices in the Northern USA over a 4-year period. A significantly greater number of cats presented for UO in April and May (P < 0.025). When stratified by geographic location, a spring peak was found in cats from the North-Eastern United States, but no peak was demonstrable in cats from the North-West coast. This suggests that UO might depend, at least in part, on geographical climatic variations.