What Complications May Occur Due to an Obstructed Urethra?
The most common complication of a urethral obstruction is bladder atony. Atony means that the muscles of the bladder wall are unable to contract to push out urine. This occurs when they are stretched to an extreme degree. Not all cats with obstructions develop atony. If this occurs, longer hospitalization is necessary. The muscles will nearly always rebound and become functional again, but this may take several days to over a week. Another complication that occurs occasionally is kidney damage. Although feline cystitis does not directly affect the kidneys, if the bladder becomes extremely enlarged, urine may backup into the kidneys and create enough pressure to temporarily or permanently damage them. If this occurs, prolonged hospitalization will be necessary to treat the kidney damage. However, with aggressive treatment, most cats will recover their normal kidney function. It should be noted that both complications, bladder atony and kidney damage, are the direct result of the bladder
