Urinary Incontinence
By: Dr. Debra Primovic

Section: Information In-depth

Other medical problems can lead to symptoms similar to those encountered in pets with urinary incontinence. These disorders should be excluded before establishing a diagnosis of urinary incontinence.

Neurologic problems can cause urinary incontinence and can be divided into the following:

Problems affecting voluntary control of urination, which are upper motor neuron problems. These include cerebral, cerebellar, brainstem and spinal cord lesions.

Problems affecting the local nervous reflex arc that directly controls urination, which are lower motor neuron problems. These include trauma, tumor, infarcts, and nerve injuries.

A variety of non-neurologic problems can cause urinary incontinence including:

Hormone-responsive incontinence, which are estrogen-responsive incontinence in female cats and testosterone-responsive in male cats

Urethral sphincter mechanism incompetence

Congenital defects, such as a misplaced ureteral opening or ectopic ureter present at birth

Overflow incontinence due to partial urethral obstruction

Muscle disorders of the bladder, as an over-active or under-active bladder muscle