About 15 years ago, my mother got a cat. After about 6 months, he got a severe case of urinary tract infection. The vet told her to give him low sodium chicken broth along with his medicine until he was over it. Because of the chicken broth, he would drink more water.
After he was well she decided to give him chicken broth every day. He never had urinary tract infection again. Mom (Margaret) and the cat both died last year.
Mom wrote this down with a note. "Can you believe how much money you can save, by not taking your cat to the vet for urinary tract infection all the time?"
Source: A veterinary in Tipton told my mother who passed on to us kids.
By Pearl G. from Greenwood, IN
This page contains the following solutions.
Prescription wet canned cat food for a urinary diet is not very interesting to my cat. Our cat Patches' veterinarian granted that the second best alternative is to have a high-quality canned food, that is "no dry".
Here are the questions asked by community members. Read on to see the answers provided by the ThriftyFun community.
By smponder from New Orleans, LA
You need to change his food, Science Diet has a special vet only formula for this to disintegrate the crystals. The food is what normally causes crystals.
Also if it is frequent they normally chop off most of the penis so the crystals can pass, but since your cat is so old they may choose not to do so. Some indoor cats will keep getting them over and over so this procedure is a last resort.
Will they allow you to inject water into your cat? If so then you could inject him with water to help flush the bladder.
Also try adding multiple water bowls through out the house to encourage drinking.
Lastly, you can have the crystals analyzed and find out what they are made of and try to avoid foods that cause them.
Please keep close watch with your vet. I had no idea my cat was so very ill until it was too late. (kidney failure) The vet made me fell very bad for waiting so long as he said this is VERY painful for them.
"The Vet has not offered any explanation for the UTI frequency. Does anyone have any ideas?" Yes, go to another vet.
I don't know anything about pet urinary tract infections but for myself I take probiotics that are specially formulated for urinary tract and I have seen probiotics created for animals at my health food store. Best wishes.
My mother had a male cat for many years. He came down with uti. Her vet put KitKat on antibotics and also told mom to put low sodium chicken broth in his water.
Sent you a message sweetie. OK for anyone else on here with this problem. Male cats can not have anything over 3.0 in ash max..(look at your cat cans in the back) If a cat has a UTI/blockage they can die from it. And it can be costly to have them unblocked. They are in alot of pain and end up with a fever, if not treated it will get worse. I have done this and done research on it.
Buy a bottle of cranberry pills. The ones you can either open or cut in half to get the cranberry gook out. This should cost no more then $10. (cost of vet for me once was $800) Give him the cranberry stuff from the inside (not the casing) that isn't good for them. I had two sick kitties at the same time. Gave them one cranberry pill contents then that evening I gave them another. The following day they urinated like a race horse (don't want to offend but you get the idea) it flushed them).
For the rest of the week I put it in their food, even tho some was left in their bowls, they were still eating some of it. Leave fresh water out they will need that. Funny thing is, the vets never told me why it was happening, i found out from a shelter telling me. Dry food is not good for male cats, it is high in ash this is why you don't see it listed on the bags, boxes, etc.
Only on can food. I stick with friskies and only buy 2.7 and under for them now. I also now have them on a schedule. They eat twice a day when I get up and then for the evening. Not only is it healthier they eat most of their food and not leave much which also helps with weight. (even tho vet said they are a bit over weight). Dry food is giving once in awhile and as a treat and that is it. Worried about them eating too much wet food because of their teeth. You can also start brushing them they need that anyway. :)
That's a pretty old cat. Poor old guy. I had frequent UTI's and they were torture until I got to the right MD. I start out with every new cat giving them dry food with urinary tract protection in it. There are several brands you can get.
First of all, I thank you for being such an attentive pet owner. To have an 18-year old cat reflects much love and care. UTI is more prevalent in male cats than females, and can be fatal in a very short time (overnight). Sometimes it comes with age, sometimes it's the food. I hope your vet prescribed an antibiotic and a special food. Royal Canin makes a very good dry food - Urinary SO. He might need to stay on that food for the rest of his life. It's not cheap - sold only at a vet clinic - but you pay for it one way or another. Just like most anything else in life.
FYI, I have done rescue work for over 25 years. I have always fed premium food (Iams, Science Diet, ANF, etc.) but my (highly regarded) vet told me he has seen fewer UTI problems with cats who are fed Science Diet (regular food) and, after switching, I found this to be true. Now that's if you have other cats who are not experiencing frequent UTI. I hope this helps. Susan
My cat has been on Science Diet CD for several years because of crystals. He has never had a recurrence. I would go see another vet, as the first vet I consulted said my cat had a hair ball. If I had left it at that, he would have died. He was 11 at the time; now he is 16.
My vet told me to quit feeding the cat "whiskas" (INMHO) as it is a cause of urinary tract infections in some cats, I have never heard this before but i did and he seems to be much better (I am not stating this as fact only what I was told and what has worked for me. :)
I hesitate to post since everyone here seems to know so much more about this than I do. But I had a completely different idea and think I should mention it. Have you changed cat litters or do you think you should change cat litter?
Cats have their own ideas about things. If it is painful when they urinate sometimes they blame the litter box and go elsewhere. I have had two cats who needed special food that I bought at the vet. One was diabetic, took insulin and ate low salt food. Most commercial food has two much salt. My baby now has a problem with constipation and won't urinate when she is constipated and gets UTI.
We solved the problem with high fiber food from the vet and a teaspoon of inexpensive cat stool softener. Most problems can be fixed with a good vet. I take my cats to a vet who only treats cats. No offense to dogs but when a cat is stressed it is aggrivated by the sound of barking dogs all around.
Hello, Just a little about hyperthyroidism in cats. My cat was dx about 3 years ago and what it does is make every thing race inside the body and damages the organs, the heart works 3x as hard and they tend to lose weight and it also is severely damaging to the kidneys causing renal failure. It is the number one cause of their death when they are diagnosed with Thryrioid. If the Vet did not explain these things to you. Then you should take your boy to a different Vet.
My cat has already suffered kidney damage and we are all dealing with the fall out. She has had 3 UTI in the past 1.5 yrs and it appears she is leaning toward another at this time. We feed her special food that helps protect the kidneys. She was eating Hills K/D diet for a bout 2 years a 10 lb. bag was $38. We have since switch to a food called Duck and Pea and she is doing great with it. This food is about $24 for 10 lbs. Plenty of fluids just keep a watch on her. I wish healthy things for you and that sweet kitty. God bless you both.
ps. My Bella is going to be 17 yrs old on Jan 24th She is a flame point Siamese kitty. She is my baby girl and I tell her so every day.
Switch to all canned food for this problem and even rinse the can out with water and add to the food. Also cook up chicken in water with nothing else. Strain the cooled broth through coffee filters in a strainer to remove as much fat as possible. My cats LOVE this broth and they have not had recurrences of their UTI's.
I agree with most everyone here. I experienced this years ago with our male cat Morgan. So when we got Ramsey (male) I specifically asked my vet how to avoid this. He told me to use either Royal Canin or Purina Pro Plan. Both make one for UTI's and I buy it at Pet Supplies Plus and also at Petco. Yes, it's a little more expensive than most brands but well worth it. Like someone else said, either you pay now or you pay later. I prefer to pay now with good quality food for my boy. It is more prevalent in male cats because their urethra is shaped differently. It's zig/zagged vs. straight like in female cats. Good luck with you little boy and thank you for taking such good care of him. One more thing, I think I would look into a different vet if yours doesn't take the time with you to explain things.
I give my cat ( who has a small urethra, and is on medication frequently) a 1/4 tsp of olive oil, every other day. i mix it in his food and he doesn't mind it at all. It prevents constipation, especially since he eats Royal Canin dry food, for urinary tract infections. And we notice that his coat has a healthier appearance.
My 4 year old female cat is peeing everywhere, mainly on my couch and blankets, and recently started meowing constantly. She has been treated twice for a UTI. The first time they tested the urine and it came back positive.
The second time they took the urine from the bladder and said it may have had a trace of a UTI, but weren't sure so they put her on a 14 day dose of antibiotics. I am not sure what else to do. Please someone help!If your cat is meowing constantly, she may be in pain and needs help now! Please take her to your vet now, any further delay may the problem and cost more to treat.
When your cat was diagnosed with a UTI did the Vet send the sample out to be cultured? It takes about 3 days and it shows which antibiotics the bacteria will respond to? If they don't do that then you may have had the wrong antibiotics, and your cat has still got an infection. Find a Vet that does it the right way, quickly.
Typically a veterinarian will first do a basic urinalysis which consists of a dipstick (which checks for glucose, red cells, white cells, ketones, and some other values), and a sediment. If there are significant white cells and or red cells, the doctor will typically start on a broad spectrum antibiotic. If you cat gets better and then has another episode within a few weeks/months, then your vet will probably want to do a culture and sensitivity. The culture and sensitivity will show the doctor what bacteria is in the bladder and which antibiotics will be effective in treating (bacteria can be resistant to some antibiotics). This culture and sensitivity will take a few days to get back, so your vet will probably start you on an antibiotic, and then change it if he gets the test back and the bacteria is NOT sensitive to the antibiotic he prescribed. Your vet might also want to do some x-rays to see if you cat might have bladder stones. If your cat has bladder stones, it could cause chronic urinary infections. If your cat has bladder stones, the only options for treatment are dietary change or surgery. Some stones can be dissolved with diet, while others need to be surgically removed.
Good luck!
I was able to heal my cat from UTI coming back - please read it - My can was treated twice for UTI ( with rilexine), but even though she improved, something still was wrong, she ate hungrily, often and her litter smelled. This was going on for months and I tried to make sure that she drinks more, but she still did not improve completely. So here is what I did and it worked! I completely stopped feeding her Friskies, start feeding her differently: fresh chicken liver - a bit, a bit of fresh white meat chicken, all protein good cat food with boiled chicken and milk, slightly diluted with water. The litter stopped smelling and she is all well now.
I have multiple cats. The male is prone to urinary tract infections and has had two surgeries, which are very expensive. He has to eat the special food, but doesn't like it.
My female cat loves it. Is it OK for me to let her eat this special food, as she eats his food and he tries to eat her food.Have you asked your vet for possible alternative food for your male to eat? The other cat should not be fed a food designed for a specific purpose, such as your male cat's problem. You should ask your vet's help for the proper food for both of your cats.
Your vet can help your cat with this problem, but the cat's diet may contribute to why this has happened. This is a page about urinary blockage in cats (feline urinary syndrome).
This is a page about remedies for cystitis in cats. Cystitis is a bladder infection, often from unknown causes.
