Signs referable to the lower urinary tract (LUTS) are one of the most common reasons cats are presented for care to veterinarians. These signs can include variable combinations of stranguria, hematuria, periuria, and dysuria. The cause(s) for these clinical signs include some idiopathic disease, urolithiasis, urinary tract infection, neoplasia of the urinary tract, and anatomic abnormalities of the LUT. The name for this group of diseases has gone through several changes over the years. Osborne, et al.,1'2 have repeatedly recommended replacement of the term "Feline Urologic Syndrome (FUS)"3 with descriptive terms pertaining to the site, causes, and pathophysiologic mechanisms whenever possible to permit the same terminology and approach to diagnosisand treatment used for other species to be used for cats. Unfortunately, their 1984 chapter, subtitled "Feline Lower Urinary Tract Disease with Heterogeneous Causes", resulted in replacement of one acronym (FUS), with another (FLUTD). Such "urocentric"terms should likely be retired, as more recent research suggests that these signs sometimes reflect a disease affecting the LUT rather than a problem intrinsic to the LUT itself.
展开▼
