Cat Urinary Tract Infection Treatment

What Are The Causes Of Flutd

Urolithiasis

One possible cause of FLUTD is the formation of urinary stones, also called uroliths, in the bladder and/or urethra. These are collections of minerals that form in the urinary tract of cats. X-rays or ultrasound are usually needed to diagnose urinary stones. The most commonly seen uroliths are calcium oxalate and struvite . While a special, stone-dissolving diet can be prescribed to dissolve struvite stones, calcium oxalate stones need to be removed surgically. If the diet fails, or if the stones form again, then surgery may also be necessary for struvite stones. In female cats, it may also be possible for a veterinarian to help a cat pass stones by flushing its bladder with sterile fluids or remove small stones directly from the bladder using a cystoscope when the cat is under anesthesia. A veterinarian may then recommend medication or dietary changes after surgery to help prevent recurrence.

Urinary infection

Infection of your cats urinary tract with bacteria, fungi, parasites or possibly even viruses can cause signs of FLUTD. Although bacterial infections are more common than fungal, parasitic or viral infections, they are still relatively uncommon in cats. If an infection is found, your veterinarian will probably look for another disease or problem that may have put your cat at risk of infection. For example, uroliths and diabetes can increase the risk of urinary tract infection.

Urethral obstruction

Feline idiopathic cystitis

Other causes

What Is A Urinary Tract Infection

A urinary tract infection can affect any portion of the urinary tract, including the kidneys, ureters, and bladder, though it most commonly refers to an infection in the bladder. Cats get urinary tract infections when bacteria colonize the bladder.

Bladder infections fit in the broad category feline lower urinary tract disease . Other common manifestations of FLUTD include urolithiasis , crystalluria , urethral obstruction, and feline idiopathic cystitis.

Cats with diabetes mellitusand hyperthyroidismare at an increased risk of developing FLUTD.

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What Can I Do To Prevent A Uti From Occurring In The Future

Your veterinarian will let you know if there is anything that can be done to prevent your cats UTI from coming back. There is evidence that specific diets can support lower urinary tract health. It is best to discuss UTI prevention and bladder health with your veterinarian in order to put into action an effective plan.

Symptoms That Your Cat Has A Uti

If your cat has a UTI, then you may notice some strange behavior from them, when they need to use the bathroom. These can include:

• Your cat is struggling to urinate at all. This is because it is quite uncomfortable for them.
• Having to urinate a lot more frequently. This is because they feel like their bladder is still full.
• They begin urinating in places other than the litter box. This can be annoying for you, but it is a clear sign that something is wrong. However, they may have lost control and cant help when they urinate.
• You may notice your cat is suddenly drinking a lot more water than normal.
• Their urine may be either cloudy or bloody.
• Your cat may actually seem ill, they could show signs of lethargy or vomiting.

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Chondroitin And Glucosamine For Cats

Glucosamine and Chondroitin are not only used for pain management for arthritis, but can also help felines with UTI. These two compounds help cats rebuild the bladder wallpreventing further damage. Where glucosamine helps replace a compound in the lining of the urinary bladder, chondroitin helps prevent the breakdown of this compound. These two supplements also help to alleviate other symptoms of UTI in cats.

According to WebMD, you should give 50mg of chondroitin and 10omg of glucosamine to your cat for every 10 pounds.

What If My Cat Is Not Peeing But Is Acting Normal

Urinary tract issues usually come with behavioral changes, but there are exceptions to this rule. If your cat cant pee but is still eating, sleeping, and playing normally, youre one of the lucky ones. You noticed the issue before it spiraled out of control.

But even without other signs of illness, a cat who isnt peeing is at risk of serious health consequences. Bring your cat to a veterinarian as soon as you can.

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Treatment Of Urinary Tract Infections In Cats

One important part of treating a UTI is increasing your cats water intake. For general cases of FLUTD, treatment will vary based on the cause of the infection.

Urolithiasis

Surgery is sometimes required to remove stones from the bladder. A change in diet may help dissolve certain types of bladder stones. If this is possible, your vet will prescribe a special diet that will help break up the stones and keep them from coming back.

Urethral Plugs

Urethral plugs must be removed right away, as they can cause kidney failure in as little as 2-3 days. In this case, your cat will be administered anesthetic and the vet will remove the blockage. Because your cat will have a urinary catheter after this procedure, your cat will be kept overnight or even for a few days. Your vet may prescribe painkillers and a special diet to help prevent blockages from coming back.

Bacterial Infection

This type of infection, typically clears up easily with the use of antibiotics. The vet will determine which type of drug to prescribe based on the type of bacteria present in the urine.

Neoplasia

Unfortunately, by the time symptoms start to appear, neoplasia will likely already be at an advanced stage, making removal of the tumor impossible. Fortunately, though, this disease is quite rare in cats, and usually affects older cats. Chemotherapy treatment might help manage the tumors size. Your vet may also prescribe NSAID pain relievers, which can reduce tumor inflammation.

How Is A Cat Urinary Tract Infection Diagnosed

A combination of tests may be required to diagnose a cat UTI, as it can be difficult to diagnose which factors are involved. Your cat will be examined in afree consultation at Animal Trust where the veterinary surgeon will assess the size of your cats bladder and kidneys. They will also examine if there is any discomfort in these areas for your pet and check for a fever.

Following the physical examination, urinalysis is used to assess the acidity of the urine and check for the presence of crystals, bleeding, sugar, infection and inflammation. A urine culture test may also be carried our if bacteria are detected in the urine sample.

More diagnostic tests including X-rays and ultrasound scans can be useful to help detect urinary stones in the cat, tumours and to assess the thickness of the bladder wall. Performing blood tests will help to check the cats kidney function and to decide infection or any other underlying causes of disease.

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Natural Home Remedies For Cat Urinary Tract Infection

Urinary tract infection in cats is very uncomfortable and, if left untreated, could lead to complete obstruction of the urethra and could even lead to rupturing of the bladder and failure of the kidney, which could be fatal. Therefore, you should be very careful and observant of your cats behavior. If she is showing the above-discussed signs of feline urinary tract infection, you should make a vet appointment, and until then, you could help her with the following home remedies for urinary tract infection in cats.

How And Why Urinary Tract Infections Occur

UTIs can develop in any pet. A common reason they develop in cats is because of poorly balanced diets or environmental factors such as stress. Some cats are naturally predisposed to UTIs, like older female cats or cats with diabetes. With pets who get UTIs more frequently, youll notice the symptoms sooner and become accustomed to the treatments that work well, but UTIs should always be taken seriously.

While your cat cant tell you what they feel, common physical symptoms of a UTI include fever, backache, painful and frequent urination, and lethargy. Causes could be related to diet, but may also include immunological deficiency or fungal or protozoan infections. Other causes could be bladder stones, injuries, or tumors.

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Remedial Products And Specialist Help

Remedial ProductsUsing Feliway Classic spray on the areas daily, and/or having a diffuser in the room can reduce or even eliminate the problem. The calming pheromones create a comforting environment, helping to alleviate stress symptoms such as spraying or inappropriate toileting. Find out more here: www.feliway.co.uk. There is also a calming spray called ‘Pet Remedy’ which may help, and is available from most vets.

Cleaning urine stains & eliminating smellsThe most effective way to clean urine stains and/or remove the smell of spraying, is to use a good quality enzymatic urine cleaning solution – this will break down the uric acids and salts in the urine. Products are available for both soft surfaces and for hard surfaces .

Most home-made cleaning remedies do not dissolve the enzymes, which then release smells for years, encouraging your pet to continue spraying in that area. A cat can smell an old urine stain, even if you cannot!

Don’t use cleaning products containing ammonia, as your cat is quite likely to urinate there again to cover the smell up, thus continuing the cycle. Avoid using bleach too, as it can cause damage or discolouration to many surfaces.

Locating the urine or spray areas If spraying is extensive, a urine detector torch , will enable you to find the exact locations.

Thebest Urinary Care For Cats

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Cat Urinary Tract Infection Treatment

The vet will suggest the best course of treatment for your feline friend. Depending on the signs exhibited by your cat, the vet may perform a urinalysis. If the vet suspects a urinary tract infection in your cat, the vet will prescribe a common antibiotic to ease your kittys pain, even before getting the results of urinalysis from the lab.

If the culprit is some bacteria, the vet will prescribe the specific cat urinary tract infection antibiotics. You will have to give it to your cat as instructed by the vet. Otherwise, you will only be killing some bacteria, leaving others to grow and multiply. Only your vet could tell how long you will have to give antibiotics to your cat.

Never leave the antibiotic treatment in the middle, even if your cat seems to be perfectly finenot showing any signs of UTI. Unfinished antibiotic rounds give bacteria a chance to return with more strength, developing antibiotic resistance.

Warning Signs Of Urinary Tract Infections

Because you live with your favorite feline, you are the perfect person to notice changes in behavior. You know your cat’s normal litter box habits better than anyone. Possible signs of a UTI include:

• More frequent visits to the litter box and/or more frequent attempts to urinate during a visit
• Straining to urinate
• Crying out, whining, or loud meows
• Inappropriate urination
• Blood in urine
• More frequent licking of the genitals
• Especially strong urine odor

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Cat Urinary Tract Infection

Oh no! Your cat has been making a lot of trips to the litter box to pee lately, and now theyre straining and crying out when they urinate. Maybe theyve even become frightened of the litter box and started peeing on your carpet! These are all red flags that may lead to concerns that your cat has a urinary tract infection . Urinary tract infections in cats arent very common, but are known to occur if bacteria is introduced to the bladder by way of the urethra. This article will help you understand the symptoms and causes of urinary tract infection and offer some treatments.

Is your cat experiencing a Urinary Tract Infection? The Vet on Fourth can help. Request an Appointment Online for your fur baby.

Diagnosing Utis In Cats

If a cat owner is observing signs of abnormal urination in their cat they should schedule a visit with their cat’s veterinarian. A urine sample will need to be collected either by the owner at home with the use of special, non-absorbent litter, or by the veterinarian.

The veterinarian may temporarily keep the cat in the animal hospital until it urinates on its own in some non-absorbable litter or the urine may be obtained by cystocentesis. Cystocentesis is a procedure that involves collecting a sterile urine sample directly from the bladder via a needle. This procedure is the preferred method for urine collection if a UTI is suspected because it is the only way to obtain a sample without contamination. However, the procedure does come with some risk and the decision should be made with the guidance of your veterinarian.

Alternatively, it may be possible to obtain a sample by allowing the cat to urinate in a clean litter box filled with non-absorbent granules.

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Cats Can Get Urinary Tract Infections

Your cat has started to display some odd behavior lately. Your previously house-trained cat is now urinating in your bathtub or on your bed. Also, your cat strains as if constipated, just sitting there in the litter box waiting and repeatedly scratching.

Not all owners can recognize these key signs of a urinary tract infection . Having worked at a veterinary hospital, I have come across many cats that were thought by their owners to be constipated, or worse, just simply displaying behavioral issues.

Cats that pee in the bathtub or on the bed are doing so for a very specific reason: their trip to the litter box has turned unpleasant. Your cat has tried to urinate in the litter box, but it turned out to be too painful, and therefore, he has started associating the litter box with something negative. To a cat, avoidance is the best solution, so he will try any other place to see if it will, in any way, ease the discomfort.

Another common sign of UTI in a cat is insistently licking the genital area. Cats tend to lick their wounds, so licking their genital area is the way they try to “heal” the burning sensation they are feeling.

If you have happened to find some occult blood around the home, it is very likely coming from the cat. Blood may appear as normal red drops, or it may have a pinkish tint if it is mixed with the urine.

How To Tell If Your Cat Has A Uti

Feline urinary tract infection is not as common in cats as other urinary tract issues, but it does not mean that cats never develop UTI. Cats do develop UTI, which may become quite painful for them if not treated timely. Therefore, it is advised that you always stay vigilant of the signs of sickness in cats.

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Faqs About Urinary Care For Cats

Urinary tract infections are the most common type of infection in cats. About one-third of cats will develop a UTI at some point in their lives.

Is there anything I can do to prevent UTI and bladder infection?

This is a very common question that we get. The answer is no, but its not something we recommend or encourage. We dont think its good for the cat to be urinating outside their litter box . If you notice your kitty has been peeing outside of her litter box, the first thing you should try is changing how often she goes in the litter box. You may need to try two times a day and then move up one time a day until you find what works best for your kitty. It may take several weeks or months, but eventually she will go in the litter box every time you want her to!

Antibiotics For Uti In Cats

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Antibiotics for UTI need to be chosen carefully. If your pet is affected by a urinary tract infection, antibiotics are the treatment of choice. If the antibiotic you administer to your cat is not designed to attack the specific bacteria causing the infection, the treatment might only strengthen the resistance of the bacteria and worsen your cats condition. Antibiotics can also trigger allergies or have side effects. Therefore, it is important to consult your veterinarian and have your cats infection diagnosed correctly.

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Warning Signs Of Feline Urinary Tract Infections

• Straining to urinate: Feline idiopathic cystitis can lead to straining while urinating, and can eventually lead to more severe situations such as the formation of bladder stones or a urethral plug. Male cats are more at risk to develop a urethral plug this is a life-threatening condition that causes a cat to lose the ability to urinate.
• Frequent attempts to urinate: Cats with FLUTD have a frequent urge to urinate, but can only pass a small amount each time.
• Painful urination: If your cat cries out while urinating, this is a tell-tale sign that she may be in pain.
• Blood in urine
• Licking the genital or abdominal areas: This is a way for cats to soothe the pain of a urinary tract disease.
• Irritability
• Urinating Outside the Litter Box: Take note if your cat is urinating in places other than litter box, especially on cool surfaces like tile or a bathtub.