Bigger Isn't Always Better The Prostate Problem

Marketing and advertising companies encourage belief that bigger is always better. Why settle for just a regular burger when you can upgrade to a mega-burger combo? Why settle for a small home (that you can probably clean yourself) if you can afford a mansion (that requires you to hire help with the upkeep)?

- Nancy Kerr

Based on that line of thinking, you would think that a male cat with an enlarged prostate gland would be a lean, mean, super-stud able to impregnate females with a single glance.

Unfortunately, it is more likely to result in a transfer to premiership.

I learned this from personal experience after running into repeated blockage and bloody urine episodes with an otherwise healthy young male who had just bred his first girl. If these symptoms occur in a breeding male, there may be a different problem than the more common issues of urinary crystals, stones or inflammatory plugs, and you may very well end up at the emergency vet, just as I did.

After my cat had been examined and tested, the vet told me that the X-rays showed an enlarged prostate. She recommended an emergency neuter, because the prostate had increased in size so it was pinching the poor boy’s urethra. However, first the cat had to be stabilized for any surgery.

Understanding the Role of the Prostate

Although it is not involved in sperm production, the prostate gland is essential to successful breeding because it provides the major part of the fluid in the ejaculate and is important in nourishing the sperm cells and increasing their movement.1 This gland is located within the pelvis and behind the bladder,1 on the top and sides of the urethra, the tube that carries urine from the bladder to the outside of the body. Because the urethra travels under the prostate after leaving the bladder, an enlarged prostate can impact the urine flow.