Cat urinary tract infection: signs and treatment
93
Urinary tract support
 | Amazon Price: $57.73 List Price: $91.41 |
 | Amazon Price: $11.99 |
 | Amazon Price: $49.95 List Price: $43.95 |
Cats get UTI's as well
Your cat has started to display some odd behavior lately. A previously well house trained cat, now your cat now has been found urinating in your bath tub or on your bed. Also, your cat has been found straining as if constipated, just sitting there in the litter box waiting and repeatedly scratching.
Not all owners are able to recognize these key signs of a urinary tract infection. Having worked at a veterinary hospital, I have came across many cats that were thought by their owners to be constipated or worse just simply displaying behavioral issues.
Cats that are peeing in the bath tub 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 being too painful and therefore, has started associating it with something negative. As a cat, therefore, avoidance is the best solution, so a bath tub or a bed will be tried to see if it will in any way ease the discomfort.
Another common sign of a cat affected by a U.T.I is licking insistently 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 within the urine.
KEY SYMPTOMS
Common signs, therefore, of a cat with a urinary tract infection are:
-Persistent straining in the litter box
-Increased urination often limited to just a few drops
-Inappropriate urination in other areas
-Crying while straining
-Licking genital area
-Bloody urine
A urinary tract infection may seem like a minor issue but if your cat happens to be male it could be a urinary blockage that can turn out to be quickly deadly if veterinary attention is not seeked immediately. A cat with a urinary blockage will produce no urine and become poisoned by a buildup of toxins. Vomiting, nausea, lethargy and loss of appetite in a male cat should never be ignored. A cat urinating a few drops is slightly better than one not producing any urine at all.
DIAGNOSIS
Diagnosis of a U.T.I is usually confirmed by a urinalysis. Collecting urine from a cat may be challenging. Owners can try to replace the normal litter with lentil beans or Styrofoam packaging peanuts which will not absorb the urine making it easier to collect. In some cases the vet may need to perform a cystocentesis. This consists of inserting a needle directly into the bladder to collect some urine.
TREATMENT
Treatment is based upon findings. Bladder stones or the presence of crystals may mimic a U.T.I. If this is the cases surgery or a diet change may do. If a U.T.I is confirmed, a round of antibiotics will help fight the infection. When a urinary blockage is present a catheter may be inserted in the male cat's urethra and flushed to unblock. Special diets may be prescribed if necessary.
So next time you think your cat is not behaving well by urinating in odd places have him checked to rule out this dangerous condition. Many times it just turns out to be a moment of stress or a dirty litter box, however, the saying better safe than sorry becomes a savvy one when dealing with your feline companion's health.
For further reading
- Leftover Human Antibiotics or Online Non-Prescriptio...
More and more pet owners are trying to treat their dogs at home using left over antibiotics or online antibiotics of questionable sources. Learn if such practice is safe and its risks. - What to do if your cat starts urinating in your home
When a new cat is introduced into a new home there are two major concerns that worry people the most: the scratching and the urine marking. These are usually the two major reasons why cat owners decide to give...
vote upvote downsharePrintflag
- Useful (12)
- Funny (1)
- Awesome (2)
- Beautiful (2)
- Interesting (1)
CommentsLoading...
Cats can be pretty stoic in hiding their pain. However if it happened that suddenly I would think something heart related like cardiomiopathy, and if he is outdoors something he could have gotten into like something toxic. Sometimes they may have internal bleeding from trauma like being run over from a car and they may die quickly from trauma. I am so sorry for your loss, when they go so fast there is nothing as owners we can do. My dearest condolences..I am sure he had a great life with you.
He was 8 and an indoor cat but that night he ran out the door and we didn't think to much about it he usually just sat on the deck. My husband found him carried him in and I thought he was alive his eyes were open his tongue was not hanging out. He had no marks on him no dirt, blood nothing and he was warm yet. It was snowing and cold outside. We figure an owl, wolf, fox, coyote or fisher did not get hold of him. I'm sure it would have shown. If a car hit him he would have been wet and had dirt on him. He did have some foam around his mouth. Your right we also thought it would be cardiomyopathy. It's very hard not knowing and wondering if we could have saved him.
Something similar happened years ago to one of my dearest cats. Of course it was on a Sunday when all vets were closed. My outdoor cat just came running upstairs meowing only to lay down stretched out, eyes opened but unable to move about. I thought she must have had a head trauma and died from internal bleeding as her pupils were very dilated. Still as of today I wonder about what happened to her.
And at the vet hospital working as a vet assistant we handled often cases as such. Often only a necropsy may yield some answers. When it happens so suddenly I do not think as owners there is much we can do. Please do not torture yourself on what you could have done. Usually, when cats are in such a state it is too late and a trip to the vet could only have meant putting him down if he wasn't deceased already. Sometimes it just seems like it is God's will to take over their care. So sorry it turned out that way.
I have a beautiful "rescue" cat which is testing my love for rescuing. She has peed on every piece of clothing and the carpet everywhere incessantly. I have done laundry on everything I own at least 3 times and taken her in and yes she has urinary tract infection. I have treated her through the meds yet now again today at least 9 areas of urine throughout the house. I am at wits end. Just ready to implode. she is a nice cat also had upper respiratory and now a condition of ear mites which have returned, this is insanity.
My kitty, Jackie, is showing some of the symtoms for UTI. I changed her litter to shredded newspaper paper until I can take her to the vet. I hope that helps her until then.
Great info. Thanks!
Our cat has a UTI and is on antibiotics for 3 days now. Just wondering how long it takes to work as he is still having a few "accidents" around the house. Should I be concerned .. thinking it might be something else.
Generally, you should have seen signs of getting better by now, but at times, it may take some time for all the bacteria to be ''flushed out''. This varies on how advanced the infection was, the ''aggressiveness'' of the bacteria, your cat's immune system, and the effectiveness of the antibiotic. I would give your vet a call if you do not see any improvement, it could be he needs a broader spectrum antibiotic (one that kills more strains of bacteria) or yes, he could have been misdiagnosed. Being a male I would say give the vet a call rather than wait just to be safe.. Have they run a urinalysis to confirm it is actually a UTI? I have known of some cats that needed a second course of antibiotics at times to fight a more aggressive UTI.
We have aa kitty who is lying down in basemsnt on mat. urinating fine. Shakes head alot. weird. took to vet. Asked them to do urinary test. NOPE Bladder's empty wont be able to get a sample. disregarded whole idea w/out even trying to express his bladder.1 Then said just take him home & call if he still does it! Then i prompted him 9vet/0 to prescribe a med. Ok we're out of Baytril/ then gave another and a drop for ear infection thats gone on FOR YEARS! CONFUSED what to do!
Cholly, find a new vet!
Hi. We have a beautiful 4 year old female cat which developed a urinary tract infection which was diagnosed by our vet. They could not get a urine sample even though they kept her for 2 nights at a 400 dollar charge. We cannot afford to keep taking her back at this cost.
She is overweight and unable to clean herself. We have cut her hair in the urinary area and wash and dry her every day at least once if not more. It is difficult to control her food intake as we have a total of 7 cats which eat as they want from a communal feeding dish.
Is there an antibiotic which is available online for my cat at a cost less than the supposedly necessary cost of overnighting at our high overhead vets?
I am not aware of any over the counter antibiotics from a reliable source. Antibiotics from your vet should not cost more than $20-30 at a max. You can give them a urine sample by keeping her in a room with a litter box filled with lentil beans. These will not absorb the pee so you can collect it in a sterile cup. Have the vet test it so they can see exactly what bacteria you are dealing with and can prescribe the most proper antibiotic. A urinalysis should not cost more than $45. So your total cost should be no more than 60-70 at the most but you will not need to take her there as you can drop off the sample when it is fresh, no longer than 4 hours old. Best wishes!
My year old female cat is what I think, showing signs of a UTI, She has freely urinated once so far, she did this as she lifted her leg to clean herself. she is lethargic, and recently kinda falls on her back left hip. I have touched her in all areas but yet she shows no sign of pain or dislocation. She is more talkitive but yet no crying when she releives herself, she also pooped on the bed yesterday for no apparent reason. Could this be caused by the amount of human food that she has recently eated( I watned the guilty party about this already, now he's kicking himself in the butt!) I have AMOXI tabs already from another infection, would that be alright to give her, they are from another cat who is about her size & weight. please help its saturday night on labor day weekend...no vets until tuesday! Thank you
I have a 3 year old domestic female who won't stop peeing in dark corners or on cement floors. I've had a problem with her since I rescued her from a barn. I thought I had kicked the habit at my old house by locking her out of the basement where she used to pee behind the furnace. I have two cats and didn't notice that she was jumping over the door and peeing behind a wall in the basement. The smell was so bad we couldn't even go in the basement anymore.
I just moved into a new house and I've been very careful about cleaning the litter box every few hours. I only noticed she would poop beside the litterbox. Then yesterday I smelled something only to discover that she's been peeing down a crawl space and all along the furnace. I was furious! I locked her the bathroom with a litterbox, food water and a bed and she refuses to use the litterbox or use the washroom at all! I'm at the point where I can't take it anymore. I love her but I can't let her ruin my new house.
Is there anything I can try before taking her to the vet? I'm on a tight budget and the vet will only do bloodwork that runs over 400$. Please help!
Eileen
If this has been going on for a long time and you have not noticed any health problems suggesting a urinary tract infection it could well be a behavioral problem. Since this cat lived in a barn before it could be she was simply used to go where she pleased. Some cats may urinate if they are stressed like when moving to new homes or when their routines are disrupted. In these cases, Feliway may help, along with proper cleaning of the areas with products containing enzymes. Here is a helpful link:
http://www.feliway.com/us/About-Feliway/How-do-I-u
Of course, if you notice any signs of urinary problems do not hesitate to have her seen by a vet, Best wishes!
I have a male cat that has had the PU surgery who is having urinary tract issues it appears. All the classic signs of a UTI. On Sunday (4 days ago) I took him to the vet. He didn't have any urine to do an urinalysis, but gave him a shot of anti-inflammatory and also gave him amoxi drops and a urinary tract health food. I thought he was getting better because there was no more blood in the urine, but I came home today to find that he threw up his food. He then threw up a big hair ball. Since then he has been lethargic this evening and doesn't want to eat anything. He is not using the litter box as frequently though. Should I be concerned or does his tummy just hurt from throwing up and the Amoxi?
My cat was taken to the ER on Monday, something was not right. I last saw him eat and drink the morning before. The vet said his bladder was largely increased in size; they cath'd him and we were told that his urethra was completely blocked and the procedure took three times as long as normally.
He has been at the vet for the past 4 days and this is his first night home, with his new speical diet and medicine. He fell asleep on me and pee'd on me, later feel asleep on a blanket and pee'd on it. I have had taken him to his liter box just 10-20 minutes prior to his second accident with no success.
He has only had one does (1mL) of his medicine so perhaps I haven't given him ample time, I just wasn't prepared for accidents that it doesn't even seem he's aware of doing. Is this normal behavior after such an ordeal? He is still licking his genitals, I assume that's ok...
It may be the vet gave him lots of fluids under the skin and his bladder is extremely full and he could not contain himself. If it continues throughout tomorrow consult with the vet.
My 7 month kitten is having trouble urinating. Because, of no blockage or cysts. He is on the C/D diet. He has been diagnosed that his urethra does not dilate properly. No surgery to revise this just expensive meds to relax it where he can and even than may not fix the problem. He has to be expressed at the moment when he has gone more than a few days. Mama dog was able to get him to urinate over the week end.I am really at my wits end for answers.
Are the vets suggesting this is a congenital disorder? that is something he was born with? did they tell you why his urethra is not dilating properly?
My cat went back to the vet today, as he dribbled all over all weekend with no good urine flow. They gave him a shot of antibiotics and did a laser therapy treatment. If the antibiotics don't work, they will do an xray to look for a stone-
The problem started about a month ago. So we have been in and out of the vet's office. The first vet I took him to find a infection. Put him on fluids and antibiotics during his stay. Tested for all the feline diseases and negative on those.
Took him to another vet when he started having light seizures. And he had 250 ml on his bladder. Kept him for four days to the normal blockage procedures. He is on the C/D diet. Have had to take him back several times to get him expressed and vet told me that I needed to learn to do it. Since, he wasn't blocked the last few times I took him and no signs of the cysts (plugs) that is what he told me was wrong with him. The meds that May help will cost around 200.00. I asked about surgery and he said there wasn't one to fix his problem. He will go days himself and than he doesn't. He said it was due to genetics. He stayed little for a long time. Just started growing the last month or so. Not really a reason as to why it was happening other than that. He is on seizure medication so my husband thinks that is making him where he doesn't go due to being a zombie kitty. I don't know if there are anything I can do or give him as a alternative to the drugs that would help. I am just at my wits ends not knowing what to do. Any help would be appreciated.
From your description it sounds like you are dealing with the frustrating ordeal of idiopathic interstitial cystitis. Here is a link:
http://www.petmd.com/cat/conditions/urinary/feline
For seizures, there are alternatives to phenobarbital, if that is what you are giving. Ask you vet about them- even though phenobarbital remains the drug of choice for seizures- or see if the dosage can be adjusted to not make him so drowsy. Best wishes.
Thank you, I will ask him about both asap. He is on phenobarbital for his seizures. The lowest dosage in pill form. That is what is bothering me he goes sometimes than he doesn't...So if it was that he wouldn't go at all I would think.
My cat had surgery to unblock his bladder and had a catheter afterward. Now that he is home he is not using his litterbox at all. I'm assuming he is associating the pain with his litterbox but if he continues his behavior I'm going to have to give him away. What can I do to get him back to being properly litter trained?
You can try to change litter box, get a different one and use a totally different type of litter. This way he should not generalize it with pain. Keep him in a small room with it, so he cannot miss it. You can try feliway pheromone plug-in case he is stressed. I hope he resumes his usual use of it.
Our female cat has had UTI several times.
She used to get really stressed when we put her in the cattery when we went on holiday which brought it on so now we have someone cat sit but it's still happening.
We take her to the vets and they put her on anti biotics and it seems to go away only to come back again a few months later. It's starting to seem like we're just putting a band aid on the problem but I don't know what to do.
She's spotting blood at the moment and the vet has actually given her a short course of morphine along with anti inflamorty and anti biotic pills.
Like I said before I thought it was stress bringing it on but she doesn't seem to be stressed at all now. The vet has sent of to check the culture in the urine sample. Is there any more avenues we can go down?
Any ideas would be much appreciated!
Hey, I have two cats. They are both 7 years old. One of my cats has always been very good with going pee outside..that is until a week or so ago. She has been urinating around the bathroom on fallen towels and such. It is upsetting that this is happening to her. Around the same time as it first started, I noticed a rather large lump near her back/tail area. It was soft and liquidy. I kept my eye on it and checked it every day, and it disappeared a few days ago. I thought maybe the lump had caused her to urinate. The lump is gone and she hasn't stopped. I haven't noticed any blood or her licking herself in the genitals.. so I am not too sure what it is. Could it be a UTI?
My 1 1/2 yr old female cat has been having unsuccessful trips to the litter box, I changed her litter yesterday morning she has pooped but not peed, she has a soft belly since I thought she was constipated and she has not cried or stopped playing...
I have seen alot good questions asked and alot of good answers. I lost my first male cat to UTI and that was due to not knowing things about kitties, many years ago. You can start from when you first bring the furbaby home. My vet gave some very simple things to follow. Watch the food intake, you want to stay away from the red dye and food with high ash content, especially the male kitties. My simple rule of thumb to that is, if the stuff(dry or can)looks redish it gets thrown out.So please stop feeding your kitty that store brand meow mix. I was also told the male kitties were susceptible to UTI if they were fed dry food that was a tarter control. I am sorry I forgot what ingredient it has that makes it a bad thing. He told me that they hadn't come up with with a tarder control dry food that was male kitty friendly yet. My vet also suggested spring water all around, enough said about that. My vet also suggested for multi- kitty homes each kitty you have you should have a litter box , something to do with territory issues and possible behavior problems. Plus he suggested to use low or dust free litter and scoop the poop at least twice a day and change the litter every 4-7days. I am a proud owner of a male furry furbaby this time who just turned 21 and is in good health. Please if your kitty gets any of the symptoms get to a vet ASAP. Kitties are really great in hiding their pain. I really believe it is because of the love have for you they will endure that pain and not complain! Unfortunately once the symptoms do appear their health is critical and they could pass or you might to make that very hard decision. If you can get to a vet in time, be sure to follow the instructions to the letter from your vet. If you were told to give the kitty (ex.)pills until script was exhausted, do so. Even if the kitty looks like it's feeling better, don't stop and throw the leftover pills in a drawer for next time. Remember I said kitties are good in keeping how they are feeling a secret. Really you don't want your kitty to build up a tolerance on medicine which was suppose of been used up on the UTI and now you've become the Dr and decided to use the remaining medicine on what you think is another UTI,
you could be fatally wrong.Don't make that mistake.
I am not a specialist! Never said I was. I am only passing on the suggestions my vet gave to me who thanks to him has helped keep my Simon healthy. Hope it can help.
My cat has this, we have taken him to the Vet. They want 400.00-500.00 dollars to flush his kidenys and we just don't have that kind of money. I love him dearly, he is a recue cat, and have spent alot on him, but not at one given time.
We do not qualify for help, so I really don't know what to do.
Karen, you did not include a diagnosis for your cat but it seems that it is in acute kidney failure. Flushing or diuresis is used to try to restart kidney function. It may work and they may function for a few months on their own or they may fail as soon as the flushing process is stopped. Even if they restart, treatment will be ongoing and expensive. It may be time to think about quality of life versus quantity. Palliative care, pain meds and keeping kitty comfortable and euthanasia when this no longer works.
A few months ago my 5 year old cat, Adia, had a UTI. She was licking herself constantly and growling while she did it. She didn't pee anywhere outside of the litter box though. I got medication for her and a few days later she was acting amazing. A few days after that my mom found her on the kitchen floor with foam around her mouth and heard her take her last breath. The vet told me it probably had nothing to do with the UTI and more than likely she had cardiomyopathy. I didn't have an autopsy done because obviously that wouldn't have brought her back. It's just really hard for me to believe it had nothing to do with the bladder infection.
Need Help
My 3 year old female cat died from Antifeez poisoning 2 weeks ago.
My male cat has now started urinate in the house. He will get up urinate in the corner then want to go outside?
Im so upset over the loss of poppy(cat) this is really confusing me
I would collect a urine sample and make a vet appointment to rule out a UTI. bladder infections in male cats can get serious rather quickly. Do you think he is urinating or marking? Is he neutered?
He has been Neutered. but maybe he is marking now my other cat has gone.Thanks for the advice will go to the vets.
Kind Regards
Worried about my cat. The first day I noticed symptoms he was acting strange I looked online and seen that he could have urine blockage symptoms. I took him to the vet right away the next morning and they looked at him. Did a few test and seen he had lots of crystals in his kidney's.
They gave him some shots, and gave me some amoxacilin to give him twice daily.
The next morning I gave him his first dosage of amoxacilin, 1 hour later he is lying on the floor with instead of sitting with his leg up and trying to pee but blood is coming out. Not a lot just a few drops did. I called the vet told him if I should worry, and he said that he would feel like shit for a few days...
I can't tell if he's peeing, the doctor said if he's not peeing bring him in immediately...He tries to go constantly but nothing comes out.
How long does it take for the medicine to start working???I"m so worried I don't want my cat to die he's special to our family.
BTW the doctor told me it could be the food that he is eating is the culprit to the crystals....I feed him on Friskies this last month cause they got rid of my iams brand :( damn walmart and their unhealthy cat and dog food selections... I got some blue buffalo coming in the mail.
Angela if he is not peeing this is very critical, even if in doubt, better go the safety route, look for an open emergency center in your area, male cats can die quickly from urinary blockages, best wishes!
If it's the food, your vet has some prescription diets for that or you can look for some high-end brands for cats with urinary problems per your vet's recommendation. Are they struvite crystals? Make sure he has access to fresh water.
Hello, my cat has had a uti before, that appears to be happening again although he is not peeing all over the house like last time. He is vomiting a lot, perhaps it is something else, but if it is indeed a UTI again, how much time can pass without him peeing before I should suspect a blockage?
That's hard to say as it would depend on a variety of factors. If there is no urine output at all that would be a life threatening medical emergency. At the vet we used to see cats with complete blockages on an emergency basis, whereas when the cat was still able to urinate we would treat it as a normal office visit after assessing the cat.
My middle aged cat is peeing on towels and not going outside to do her business. She only pees(as opposed to both types of "business") in the house, typically on dropped clothes,towels, or other misc cloth. We have put out a litter box on the patio, which works when she is out there. It seems that she only urinates in the mornings and evenings... including the dig and scratching on the floor as to "cover" it up. She is healthy but rather stupid. She has always been diligent by going outside. We leave the laundry room window open for both cats to go outside freely ( helps us sleep by not having to open the door at 2 in the morning.. if you know what I mean!) What do you think could be the problem? It doesn't sound too much like a UTI to me, does it?
Is she spayed? it does sound like urine marking, but spayed females may also urine mark. Any recent changes? stress? I would try a plug-in diffuser, cleaning up the messes with an enzyme product and leaving dropped stuff out of the way.
Yes, she is spayed. We moved a year ago into a smaller place, but only the last month or so she has been doing this. A plug-in diffuser like a scented thing? (the bath mat gets peed on, so it's mostly in the bathroom)
Plug-in diffuser like Feliway found in pet stores or online may help is this is stress-related. Cleaning up messes with an enzyme based cleaner helps remove traces of smells which can mean a big ''bathroom sign'' to cats. Try to enrich her environment and play with her if she is lonely during the day. Doesn't hurt to rule out a UTI if you think it may not be behavioral though.
moonlake Level 7 Commenter 3 years ago
It was interesting reading your hub. Our cat died the other night and I thought maybe he had a urineary infection and we didn't know it but I see from your hub that is not what he had. He acted healthy. We're in complete shock when he suddenly died. He was a very loved cat and if he had acted sick I'm sure we would have noticed.