Anyone had problems with cat having frequent Urinary tract infections?

[blue_onyx]

We have a cat that has been to the vet probably a half a dozen times in the last year for urinary tract infections. We are trying new food but doesn't seem to help. I've been researching on my own online and there are so many things that could be causing it. She is overweight so that could be a problem. Maybe she's not drinking enough water...our other cat's pee spots in the litter box are much bigger. When she's not feeling well from the UTI, she pees on furniture...usually my sister's bed and now the couch (which was just bought in December). We're taking her to the vet today and I hope we can figure out what's causing the infections. She such a sweet kitty and I would hate to have to get rid of her (not really my call...not my house).

Anyone else had this type of problem?

[ScreamingMeemie]

1. It wasn't frequent, but Kittimus Prime just had surgery last week

due to a blockage caused by a UTI. They put him on Hill's CD. Ask WannaB what all went on because I wasn't there when it happened. Best of luck with your baby.

[blue_onyx]

3. Thanks

We have a problem because we have 2 cats. One refuses to have anything to do with the Hill's food. So we try give one cat the regular food but the other cat with the UTI problem swoops in and gets some of the regular food too. I'm a little skeptical about the Hill's food after what I've read online. I looked at the bag and it has a lot stuff like corn, gluten, by-products. A lot of what I've read seems to recommend switching to wet food because it has more water and meat (similar to a diet in the wild). I'll see what the vet says today. :)

[ScreamingMeemie]

4. The food KP is on is wet (I think they have dry and wet types). Another

story, Jessie, my sheltie, had 38 (ouch) bladder stones removed when she was 1 due to frequent UTI's and magnesium in her diet. She's been on the canine C/D for 5 years now with no recurrence. I don't know if that input helps I just hope your kitty is soon all clear. :hug:

[HarukaTheTrophyWife]

20. My IBS cat just got fat on the Hill's prescription food

We switched him to Evo wet and he did great. It was cheaper, too.

Of course, IBS is different than UTI. Personally, I'd research more natural foods for UTI cats. Hill's is filled with shit.

[blue_onyx]

26. We've noticed our cat gained weight too.

I looked at the Hill's ingredients and I'm not sure I think it's the best option. I will look into other options...thanks.

[Haole Girl]

2. My cats don't have that problem, but...

they do drink a lot of fresh water. This is going to reveal just how spoiled my cats are.. They drink a lot from the faucet. On top of it, my cats have a drinking fountain. Oh, oh, and even though I only have two cats, there are four litter boxes. haha. Yep, my cats are spoiled.

Hope your kitty feels better soon! :hug:

[blue_onyx]

6. I refill their water several times a day

I also keep an extra bowl of water downstairs. But I've read that some cats just don't drink a lot of water. We use to have three litter boxes but one never got used so we started using just two.


Thanks...she'll feel better has soon has she gets her antibiotic shot. It's solving the source of the infections that will be the problem :)

[lizziegrace]

5. Will she eat wet food?

I have a male who drinks constantly and in the winter, I give him wet food to help get fluids in him. Also, he likes to drink from the faucet and this:



Both cats drink a lot more water now.

Good luck!

[blue_onyx]

7. Yes she will

Our other cat had an infected tooth that needed to be pulled. We put her on soft food to help her eat and now she won't go back to dry. I usually have to give the cat with the UTI problem a little scoop of wet food or she tries to swoop in the other cat's food.

[DeepBlueC]

14. wet food will be better

cats never drink enough water to hydrate dry stuff up to 75% fluids which is what wet food is. I think that's why my cats who have been dry food eaters all got so bloody fat. It's too much concentration of calories. If they have prescription wet food for your kitty, try that. My vet says that non-affected cats will be just fine on the prescription food & it sure is easier to feed both the same thing.

[MorningGlow]

8. Do you use clumping litter?

One of our cats was constantly getting UTIs from the dust kicked up from clumping litter. We switched to the regular kind and she's been fine ever since--years now.

[blue_onyx]

9. Really?

Did the vet mention that it's common for clumping litter to cause UTI? We did switch to clumping litter a year or so ago from regular litter. That would be about the time the UTI problems started.

[MorningGlow]

10. Yeppers

Very common for female kitties. Innards in close proximity to the dust and all. Try switching and see what happens.

[blue_onyx]

12. Thanks...we'll give it a try

:)

[old mark]

11. We switched to the plain clay litter many years ago, and my wife's

cat lived to be 20 with no UTI.

mark

[DeepBlueC]

15. what is it that makes litter clump?

I thought it was straight clay (although originally I thought it must be Portland cement). What is regular litter made of?

[MorningGlow]

17. Beats me

It may be just how finely it's ground. The "regular" litter we use has bigger granules of clay--maybe clumping litter is ground to dust so it can lump and be scooped up? :shrug: Just guessing, though. I haven't studied the finer points of litter production or cat pee management yet!
:rofl:

[LiberalEsto]

13. My vet said to feed them plain yogurt

They love it, and it works.

I give my two kitty girls about a tablespoon each of plain yogurt once or twice a week. Once in a while I forget, and they remind me by piddling on the bathroom floor. Then it's back to the yogurt.

[carlyhippy]

23. would flavored yogurt work also?

My cat gets to lick the container every evening but I eat the yogurt with fruit. He loves it!

[LiberalEsto]

28. The sugar is not good for them

It's bad for their teeth. And I suspect artificial sweeteners are bad for animals too.
Try a small cup of plain yogurt to start with.

By the way if you mix jam with plain yogurt, it tastes great and has fewer additives. The big 32-oz containers of plain yogurt are much cheaper than the small cups. I use Polaner all-fruit preserves, which are sweetened only with fruit juice, to mix in. For people, of course.

[City of Mills]

16. My cat has that problem...doesn't drink enough water

it seems like every few months or so, it will flare up...I always think it's gone and then it comes back. He has had major surgery to remove his 'equipment' in order to widen his urinary tract and prevent blockages, but he still gets these infections now and then. He shares a couple of litter boxes with another male cat, and I clean both their boxes daily. I always see the healthier one at the water dish, but the UTI guy much less frequently. I've read recommendations about switching to wet food (they both currently eat dry) but the healthy cat is overweight and I don't have a good way to separate them.

On the plus side, I found a UTI product that seems to clear the infections quickly, called UTI free from PetAlive.com, seems to clear it up in a couple of days. It's better than watching him spend half the day in the litter box and the other half dripping urine and blood on my floors and bed :scared:

[LisaL]

18. What food are you feeding her?

One of my cats had urinary problems. Now my cats eat Waltham Urinary SO.

[blue_onyx]

21. We have her on Science Diet

She would sometimes sneak some of the other cat's regular food. Our other cat is now eating wet food because she had a tooth problem. Since we're now feeding the other cat wet food separately , it will be easier to make sure our cat with the UTI only eat her UTI dry food.

[jobycom]

19. Get her a food for urinary health, give her filtered (but not bottled) water.

Don't feed her scraps, or milk, or tuna. I found that water with heavy lime or mineral content caused all kinds of urinary issues. I tried bottled spring water, but it seemed to not agree with her, either, or else it had too heavy a mineral content. Brita filtered worked best.

Someone upthread recommended wet food. I had the opposite experience. YMMV. Be VERY VERY careful if she's overweight. A cat can starve herself to death just to be ornery. A cat will just refuse to eat food she doesn't like, and if she's overweight, that can lead to fatty liver syndrome (or whatever it's called), where the body starts digesting so much of its own fat that the liver starts to fail. It tells kitty that it's full, and so kitty can starve while her liver is failing. Very upsetting, very hard to cure, very expensive.

Anyway, that's what worked with my kitty, after she ruined a couch and the carpet.

[blue_onyx]

24. I'll try giving her filtered water.

The weird thing is, she was fine for the first few years we had her. Then she started having the UTI problems. That's why the non-clumping litter another person recommended made sense...we did change to clumping litter around that time. She's pretty easy going about her food (our other cat, not so much) so she would eat just about anything we give her. She is overweight and she's going on a diet (we're giving her few servings). When I was carrying her to the vet, I could even notice the extra weight. I hope we're able to find the source of her problem. Thanks :)

[carlyhippy]

22. I have had my poor cat in 3 times with UTI

a round of antibiotics usually does the trick for a few months. He is an overweight neutered male. I can't remember the name of the antibiotic, it's yellow and smells like bananas.
Carly

[blue_onyx]

25. She's usually ok for a month or two

but then the infection comes back. It's getting expensive. We have to give her the antibiotics with a shot. We tried the liquid but after 20 minutes, my mom and I weren't able to get any in her mouth. We tried the pill (using Pill Pocket treats) but she would eat the treat and leave the pill behind. She can be stubborn when she wants to be.

[carlyhippy]

27. my kitteh didn't like the first set of antibiotics we gave him

it was that pink stuff, amoxicillin I think, that stinky cherry smelling stuff. We couldn't get him to take it,he immediately threw it up, but this yellow stuff he doesn't seem to mind, it takes 2 of us, one to hold him while the other uses an eyedropper to put it in, after he takes it I usually hold him for a minute or so and pet him to make sure he doesn't run off and toss it up. he has had it 3 different times, he knows he is going to get it twice a day, doesn't like it, but I think he knows he will feel better.

[applegrove]

29. Mine had a blockage. Needed an operation. He's been fine since then

(6 1/2 years) and I've had him on dry food for 8 months (it is what I can afford).