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If a condition or disease is called “idiopathic”, it means that the cause of the condition/disease is unknown or uncertain. Usually, pets can only be diagnosed with an idiopathic condition when known causes are ruled out. For example, cats can suffer from ‘idiopathic cystitis’, which means that the bladder inflammation is of unknown cause – but despite being very common, a vet can only decide this is the case if they’ve ruled out other causes of cystitis, like urine infections.

Treatment of idiopathic conditions in pets is usually aimed at relieving or managing the clinical signs of the disease.