Blocked Again? How Lorazepam May Prevent Repeat Urethral Obstructions in Male Cats

Zero re-obstructions sounds almost too good to be true, so we wanted to understand what the data really means for feline practice. In this episode, Dr. Kelly Tart joins us to discuss a prospective, double-blinded, placebo-controlled trial evaluating lorazepam for recurrence prevention after feline urethral obstruction in male cats. We cover why recurrence happens so quickly after discharge, the important role of skeletal muscle in the distal penile urethra, and why lorazepam’s skeletal muscle relaxant effects may succeed where other approaches have shown inconsistent results. We also discuss what makes this study design strong, practical discharge considerations including dosing, duration, cost, and adverse effects, and how these findings could change post-obstruction management in cats. JAVMA article: https://doi.org/10.2460/javma.26.01.0045