Difficult catheterization and previous urethral obstruction are associated with lower urinary tract tears in cats with urethral obstruction

OBJECTIVE To retrospectively assess the hospital prevalence and risk factors associated with iatrogenic lower urinary tear in cats with urethral obstruction (UO). ANIMALS 15 client-owned cats diagnosed with concurrent UO and lower urinary tears and year-matched control population of 45 cats diagnosed with UO. METHODS University teaching hospital records were reviewed for cats presenting with UO between January 2010 and December 2022. Signalment, anatomic location of tear, experience of the individual passing the urinary catheter, difficulty level of catheter passage, history of previous UO, blood work parameters on presentation, presence of visible grit in urine, and survival to discharge were recorded. In addition, prevalence of lower urinary tears in cats presenting with UO was calculated. RESULTS The prevalence of lower urinary tears was 0.92% in UO cats. Cats with lower urinary tears were significantly less likely to survive to discharge and had a longer period of hospitalization than cats without tears. In addition, cats with tears were more likely to have a history of previous UO and had more difficult urinary catheter passage than cats in the control group. Cats with tears also had a higher Hct than the control UO cats. CLINICAL RELEVANCE Cats that develop lower urinary tears are more likely to have a history of previous UO and difficult catheter passage. This group of cats is also more likely to have a longer hospitalization period and lower survival to discharge rates.