Have you ever had a cat with a UTI?
By katsmeow1213
@katsmeow1213 (28716)
United States
September 3, 2012 2:28pm CST
I grew up with cats my whole life. My mom usually had about 6 cats, and she took very good care of them. Since being an adult I've usually had about 3 cats at a time.. once I had 5 after my mom passed and I adopted 2 of hers.
But never in my life have I known a cat to get a urinary tract infection.
Well yesterday I noticed one of my cats trying to pee on the dirty clothes pile in the bathroom. At first I figured the litter just needed to be changed, because none of my cats have ever peed anywhere but the litter box.
But then later in the night the same cat peed in my clean clothes basket, which constantly has some clothing in there, usually just a small pile of stray socks that can't get matched up.
I couldn't believe he'd done it, because my cats aren't the type to do that.. so I checked to see if in fact he had, and noticed that the pee was reddish. Uh oh!
I immediately did a search online and discovered that all of his symptoms point to a UTI, even the symptoms of trying to pee in places that aren't the litter box because the cats associate the pain of the UTI with the litter box for some reason.
My husband's racking his brain trying to figure out how the cat got the UTI as we've had no major changes lately.. but my guess is these things just happen, although rarely.
While searching online to learn about feline UTIs I found out that they are more common in cats with a strictly dry diet.. which I'd never heard before. All of my cats have had a strictly dry diet as I can't afford to buy canned foods for them. Apparently cats don't have a thirst mechanism so do not drink enough fluids and so their urine is extremely concentrated where as canned or wet foods give them the fluids they need for healthy urinary tracts. At first I thought that info was bologna.. but then I saw the same information again on a different website.
The websites both said it's best to give cats nothing but canned or raw foods, but as that is too expensive, I think I will just do a mixture. My mom used to leave dry food out for them all the time, but give them cans in the morning and at night. That is probably what I will do as it is more affordable that way.
I also stopped at a pet store and got some treats specially made for urinary tract health so that hopefully this doesn't happen again in the future.
Just when you think you know everything about cats there is to know, you learn something new! Amazing!
Have you ever had a cat get a UTI? Had you heard that a strictly dry diet wasn't good for cats?
7 people like this
18 responses
@deazil (4730)
• United States
3 Sep 12
Here is a link that might help. The first part is re:dogs but scroll about half way down the page. You will, unfortunately need canned food. And, yes, I've had cats for 60 years and they need some wet food. If you can give it to them maybe every other day this might be more affordable. The link is www.earthclinic.com/Pets/bladder_infection.html Good luck.
3 people like this
@katsmeow1213 (28716)
• United States
3 Sep 12
Thanks for the info. As I was just telling Jill, my mom fed her indoor cats canned food everyday and my previous cats were partially outdoor cats and caught live prey, so this is probably why I'd never encountered this problem. My current cats are strictly indoor and are on a strictly dry diet. So it makes sense that I've never had a cat with a UTI before as my previous cats have had a proper diet they need.
3 people like this
@GardenGerty (160696)
• United States
3 Sep 12
My niece gives her cats indoor formula food, just an inexpensive kind, but it makes their hair so silky and they are in good health.
1 person likes this
@katsmeow1213 (28716)
• United States
3 Sep 12
I think I've gotten them the whiskas indoor type once or twice. I know they like the whiskas the best because anything else I've ever gotten them they'd turn their nose up at and as soon as I bring Whiskas in the house they rip the bag open even if there's another type in their bowl. I generally get them the meaty selections dry food though as that's what they like the best.
2 people like this
@rocketj1 (6955)
• United States
3 Sep 12
I don't believe it's rare at all! Our cat had it. She was so bad at one time that she had blood in her urine too! I believe that it is the bone meal in dry foods that cats have trouble with. I don't believe it's the moisture of the food. In fact, I believe there is bone meal in canned food too! We ended up switching her dry cat food to one for "urinary tract health." We were able to find it in Kroger and it was only slightly more expensive than other types. I believe it was made by 9-lives. Simply switching her food solved the problem. I'd start with that first.
Also, if your cat is an unfixed male, it could be that he is just marking his territory?
2 people like this
@katsmeow1213 (28716)
• United States
3 Sep 12
No, he's fixed and has been since he was about 5 months old. He's almost 2 years now.
I was looking at the pet store for foods specifically for urinary health, but didn't see any. I will look a little harder next time, because I think my focus was mostly on canned foods. Thanks for the tip.
2 people like this
@sedel1027 (17846)
• Cupertino, California
3 Sep 12
I haven't had a cat with a UTI problem, but it isn't uncommon - especially in male cats. There a other things that can use blood in the urine - kidney problems, bladder infection, bladder inflammation. UTI treats and food are add for cats with a chronic problem, not a one time occurrence. Just like in humans any infection requires a visit to the Dr and antibiotics.If you do not get your cat treated the infection could lead to bigger problems. We have had a catgut bladder inflammation from not drinki enough water when the temps in Texas hit 115 (she did the same thing your cat is doing). After steroids and antibiotics the problems resolved itself.
Yes, cats require both wet and dry food especially as they get older and are more prone to stop drinking. On top of providing them with a water source they are drawn to. I'm surprised you have never heard this from a vet.
If you are going to feed your cats multiple times a day, be careful of serving sizes. Our cats have dry food out for them to eat all day (they get 1 refill at night, 1/2 c) and I take one of the large cans of Nutro Naturals and split that into 6 servings. A.ternately you can buy the Whiskas pouches (not the all purple ones they are filled with fillers and other crap, but the ones that are primarily a while pouch). they a less than $5 for 10 pouches. If you have 1 cat, you can give them 1/2 a pouch a day. Cheaper than using higher end wet cat food which is $1-$2 a car for the larger size can
2 people like this
@katsmeow1213 (28716)
• United States
3 Sep 12
I have 3 cats, they'll probably split 1 to 2 cans a day. And they always have fresh water out. They have 2 bowls of water and they're cleaned and refilled twice a day.
Naturally I know my cat needs to see a vet.. I didn't expect the treats to cure the problem, I said I plan on using that to ensure the problem doesn't reoccur.
2 people like this
@sedel1027 (17846)
• Cupertino, California
3 Sep 12
You didn't mention bringing them to a vet. Some people don't [em]thumbdown[/] if you are serving wet and dry food, you should not need to feed them an entire can of wet a day. We have 2 cats and they each get 1 of those 'serving' sizes a day or I split a small can of food (which is really too much food based on what they eat at one sitting).
Have you tried using a cat water fountain? Keeps the water cool and circulating, and of course it's entertaining, may get your cats to drink more to prevent any further problems.
2 people like this
@katsmeow1213 (28716)
• United States
3 Sep 12
I haven't brought him to the vet yet as I honestly cannot afford to pay for the emergency vet and the regular ones won't be open on a holiday. He will go though. That's why I didn't mention it.. but I fully intend on bringing him as bloody urine is nothing to mess with.
My youngest cat is really funny as whenever I use the bathroom sink he comes running and tries attacking the water. I turn it down to a trickle and let him play with it for a few minutes, and he does drink from it too. My mom used to leave her bathroom faucet constantly running because one of her cats would only drink from the tap and not from a bowl! She also had one of those things that replenished the water constantly. I have not gotten anything like that yet.
2 people like this
@GardenGerty (160696)
• United States
3 Sep 12
I frequently have had, and it is more common in the males, but I had a female with a chronic problem due to stress.I had to give her a urine acidifier. If you can check for the ash content in your food and find one that has lower ash, or an indoor formula it will help. My cats surely do have a thirst mechanism, they drink all the time. It is just that the cheap dry cat food has a lot of residue that is irritating to them. Males that are neutered too young frequently have this problem and it can kill them. We put a splash of vinegar in their water daily when we remember. They seem to like it.
2 people like this
@katsmeow1213 (28716)
• United States
3 Sep 12
Hmm.. I think he was about the right age when he was fixed.. about 5 to 6 months. I buy the Whiskas meaty selections as that is the type of food they like best. It's certainly not the best type of dry food, but it's not the cheapest either. I will look to see if there is a better solution.
What does the vinegar do?
2 people like this
@AmbiePam (92800)
• United States
4 Sep 12
I've never had a cat. My dog Annabelle got a UTI right after having the surgery to get her fixed. I didn't know what the deal was when she started peeing everywhere. Thankfully, I took her in to the vet the following day to get her stitches out and they were able to tell me what the problem was. I felt badly about getting aggravated.
2 people like this
@katsmeow1213 (28716)
• United States
4 Sep 12
I did not get aggravated with the cat. The first time I just got aggravated that the litter boxes weren't clean.. the second time I noticed the blood so that alerted me that there was a problem.
2 people like this
@ANTIQUELADY (36440)
• United States
3 Sep 12
i SURE hope he gets better. I guess cats are like dogs when it comes to them having all the problems that a human does.I think i have told u my mother hated cats so we never had one.U are so good to yours, better than some mothers are to their children.
@katsmeow1213 (28716)
• United States
3 Sep 12
I love my cats as much as if they were my children.
2 people like this
@ANTIQUELADY (36440)
• United States
3 Sep 12
It shows. They are some lucky cats.
1 person likes this
@katsmeow1213 (28716)
• United States
3 Sep 12
Interesting, huh? I grew up with cats my whole life and had never known this. Like I said, my mom fed them canned foods so that's probably why I'd never known.. and my previous cats always had mice to catch and were partially outdoor cats so probably ate a lot of live prey which warded off their infections. My current cats are strictly indoor so have never eaten anything but dry food.
2 people like this
@shaggin (72141)
• United States
4 Sep 12
I did have a cat that had a uti. He was doing what your cat was doing peeing in weird places and since he was fixed I didnt understand what was going on. If you do not take him to the vet to get medicine he will block up and not be able to go to the bathroom and he will either die or you will spend hundreds of dollars to get him unblocked. Since I didnt understand he had a uti I didnt think to take him to vet until I realized he couldnt go to the bathroom. Then I had to take him to an emergency pet hospital. It was $500 to have him unblocked. He was fairly young so I couldnt just put him to sleep. We had a little girl and not much money so that was very expensive for us to have to spend that much money to unblock the cat. After that he never stopped peeing on things in weird places even after the uti went away. They made me buy him this special cat food from the vets office. It was $65 for a 20 lb bag. I bought it for him for years then decided to try the wet food idea see if that would help. I bought him urinary tract health cat food at walmart and then I would put it in a bowl and let it soak in water until it was fluffy then give it to my cat. He never got another uti.
1 person likes this
@cynthiann (18602)
• Jamaica
3 Sep 12
I never knew of this before. I had never ever heard of cats getting a UTI.
I hope that the cat is not in too much pain? Neither did I know about the diets although when I had a cat we did give it wet food. Thanks for the infirmation and plese let us know if he is recovering quickly. Blessings
I hope that the cat is not in too much pain? Neither did I know about the diets although when I had a cat we did give it wet food. Thanks for the infirmation and plese let us know if he is recovering quickly. Blessings1 person likes this
@katsmeow1213 (28716)
• United States
3 Sep 12
I haven't noticed him in any pain. Other than peeing in odd places, he's acting normal. I may have never known about it if I didn't see him peeing in the laundry basket on the socks.
1 person likes this
@41CombedaleRoad (5952)
• Greece
4 Sep 12
I haven't heard of it but it sounds nasty. Have you thought of taking the cat to the vet, a shot of antibiotics might clear the problem quickly. Cats hate being dirty so she must feel awful in every way. Trying to get a pill down a cat is a difficult job and it scares the cat, an injection might be your best option.
1 person likes this
@Juliyan23 (600)
• Indonesia
4 Sep 12
my cat ever had a UTI - he was screaming when I saw him on the litter box.
I tot there was something wrong and I was right. The pee contained blood - and the vet told me to keep the food . He gave me a suggestion that I should give my cat a wet food /canned food - or dry food labeled Royal Canin .
And do not give cat any salted food , mainly fried fish . And after I gave my cat with RC , my cat never had a UTI anymore
2 people like this
@Melody968 (124)
• China
4 Sep 12
I had cat when I was a child. It was very lovely and shy. We usually gave some rice and some meat to it to eat . But some day , it disappeared and hadn't been back to our house again.
I suggest you to bring your cat to the doctor and ask for the doctor's suggestion .
2 people like this
@scarlet_woman (23463)
• United States
9 Sep 12
i had a female cat with one-and that's why they avoid the box sometimes-turned out she was allergic to the litter.
either the dye or the fragrance in it was irritating her to the point of UTI.
changed the litter to a different type,and she was good to go.
@Hatley (163776)
• Garden Grove, California
4 Sep 12
hi katsmeow no I don't recall ever having a cat with uti but live and learn. When we had a cat we did feed it wet cat food but that was way back when it was not so costly . But it figures any animal could get an UtI I imagine just as we do. poor kitty that must be really painful as I have had several of those myself. I
think you have found some good advice over the net so now armed with
that and seeing your vet your poor kitty should soon get some
relief.,I imagine the vet will prescribe a cat antibiotic and hopefully your cat will be his own sweet self again. I hope your little guy will soon be well again. 
@katsmeow1213 (28716)
• United States
4 Sep 12
Thanks. He's seeing the vet tomorrow. We couldn't get an appointment any sooner. I hate the thought of him being uncomfortable so I want to fix this as fast as we can!
@bellis716 (4799)
• United States
5 Sep 12
Cats are subj act to pretty much the same type of diseases people get. Of course, they don't measles, mumps and such . I had a cat who who had kidney stones. He had to be hospitalized. A few years later, we found out that his kidneys were diseased. Since both were involved the condition was considered inoperable. No, I didn't know that dry food only was not a good diet. That is all we ever fed our cats, and the vet never advised us different.
@dorannmwin (36392)
• United States
5 Sep 12
I'd actually never heard that a strictly dry diet wasn't good for cats because that is the diet that my cats have been on since I've had pet cats. Now, I believe that the first cat that we had did experience a UTI, but I'm not positive about it, but he had taken to peeing in the bathtub and his urine was very, very concentrated. He really didn't live all that long, but it isn't because of the UTI that he didn't survive, we are pretty sure that he actually had feline leukemia as we adopted him as a stray.
@katsmeow1213 (28716)
• United States
5 Sep 12
Being a stray does not mean the cat had feline leukemia. Actually there's no way of knowing if a cat has feline leukemia until it's tested. Most of the cats I've had in my life were also strays but I've never had a cat with FeLV, and they were each tested before they got fixed. Did you ever take it to the vet?
