Association between behavioral factors and recurrence rate in cats with feline "idiopathic" cystitis

Feline idiopathic cystitis (FIC) is a lower urinary tract disease associated with significant morbidity and mortality in cats. The aim of our study was to detect potential associations between behavioral parameters and recurrence rates in cats diagnosed with FIC. Our main hypothesis was that anxiety-related behaviors could be overrepresented in cats that will experience a recurrence, compared to cats with a single episode. For this retrospective study, we recruited cats diagnosed with FIC who presented to the Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vétérinaire (CHUV) from March 2019 to February 2022. Cats with concurrent systemic diseases or with any other condition that could explain the urinary signs were excluded. Cat owners were sent an online survey to collect data on their cat’s behavioral parameters, potential recurrences, and whether they complied or not with provided environmental recommendations. Thirty-three surveys from 23 neutered male and 10 spayed female feline patients were received and analyzed. We found a significant association between fear of unfamiliar people and recurrence of FIC: 94% of cats who had recurrences were reported by their owners to show fear of strangers had recurrences compared to 59% of cats in the single episode group (P=0.04). Cats with reported fearful behavior in the presence of familiar people also tended to be overrepresented in the group with recurrences (P=0.08). Factors that did not differ between the two groups include displaying aggression towards humans and other animals, being a victim of aggression, displaying urine marking, owner compliance with the prescribed environmental modifications (P>0.05). Identifying cats with fear and anxiety-related problems and treating them may help decrease the recurrence rate of FIC and may decrease associated mortality. Further larger scale prospective studies are needed.