Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2018 Oct;20(10):913-921.
doi: 10.1177/1098612X17734067. Epub 2017 Oct 2.

Epidemiological study of feline idiopathic cystitis in Seoul, South Korea

Younjung Kim  1   2 , Hyungjoon Kim  3 , Dirk Pfeiffer  1   4 , Dave Brodbelt  1
Affiliations

Epidemiological study of feline idiopathic cystitis in Seoul, South Korea

Younjung Kim et al. J Feline Med Surg. 2018 Oct.

Abstract

Objectives The objective of this study was to investigate potential risk factors for the diagnosis of feline idiopathic cystitis (FIC) in cats living in a primarily indoor environment. Methods A case-control study focusing on a cohort of cats attending a first-opinion veterinary practice in Seoul, South Korea, from 2012-2016, was undertaken. Data were collected from cats' owners by questionnaire and analysed using a multivariable logistic regression analysis. Results Fifty-eight cases of FIC and 281 randomly selected controls were surveyed. Over 90% of the cases and controls had no access to the outside, and 100% and 91% of the cases and controls, respectively, were neutered. The estimated prevalence of an FIC diagnosis was 1.77% (95% confidence interval [CI] 1.36-2.18). The final logistic regression model included five variables associated with an FIC diagnosis. Males had 2.34 times the odds of being diagnosed with FIC compared with females (95% CI 1.18-4.62; P = 0.015). Cats reported as not having vantage points had 4.64 times the odds of an FIC diagnosis compared with those reported as having vantage points (95% CI 2.05-10.49; P <0.001). Cats living in an apartment had 2.53 times the odds of an FIC diagnosis compared with those living in a house (95% CI 1.30-4.93; P = 0.006). Cats cohabiting with other cats were more likely to be diagnosed with FIC than those living alone (odds ratio 3.16, 95% CI 1.61-6.22; P = 0.001). Cats using non-clumping litter had 2.62 times the odds of an FIC diagnosis compared with those using clumping litter (95% CI 1.38-4.96; P = 0.003). Conclusions and relevance This study was conducted in a different epidemiological context from previous studies in that the overwhelming majority of the cats studied were housed entirely indoors. This study identified several significant associations related to a cat's indoor environment. These findings suggest that the cat's physical and social environment may play a role in the development of FIC.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

References

    1. Ettinger SJ, Feldman EC. Textbook of veterinary internal medicine: diseases of the cat and dog. 7th ed. St Louis, MO: Saunders, 2009.
    1. Lekcharoensuk C, Osborne CA, Lulich JP. Epidemiologic study of risk factors for lower urinary tract diseases in cats. J Am Vet Med Assoc 2001; 218: 1429–1435. - PubMed
    1. Cameron ME, Casey RA, Bradshaw JW, et al.. A study of environmental and behavioural factors that may be associated with feline idiopathic cystitis. J Small Anim Pract 2004; 45: 144–147. - PubMed
    1. Gerber B, Boretti FS, Kley S, et al.. Evaluation of clinical signs and causes of lower urinary tract disease in European cats. J Small Anim Pract 2005; 46: 571–577. - PubMed
    1. Egenvall A, Bonnett BN, Haggstrom J, et al.. Morbidity of insured Swedish cats during 1999–2006 by age, breed, sex, and diagnosis. J Feline Med Surg 2010; 12: 948–959. - PMC - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources