Feline UTI and Home Remedy


Cat Litter Box - Feline UTI

This information is not a replacement for veterinary care.  It is almost impossible to diagnose your cat at home.  Improper use of this information may actually worsen your cat's condition if you have incorrectly diagnosed.

Feline UTI. All pet owners worry when they see the signs of this fatal disease it their cat. But how do you know he really has it, and what do you do if he does? Read more, and find out.

Feline UTI (urinary tract infection) is a disease that many
cats have. It’s mostly found in neutered male cats. Since it is a fatal but highly treatable disease, you will want to know the signs so that you can treat it early. UTI shows up very quickly, one day your cat is fine, and the next he is blocked by crystals or bladder stones. Toxins will build up in the cat’s body, as the kidneys are no longer filtering bad things out of the cat’s system. If your cat isn't treated, it can die within 24 hours. Recognizing the signs and symptoms is easy. Some of the first symptoms are urinating outside of the litter box, straining to urinate, blood in the urine, excessive licking of the genitals, and crying in the litter box.

Some may just think that their cat has developed bad cat behaviors. This is because they may be urinating on the floor away from the litter box. The cause of this is that if the cat finds it painful to use the litter box, they may start to identify the box as the problem. In this case, they will avoid it, trying to escape the pain. If not quickly corrected, you may have a lot of trouble getting your cat to use his litter box again.

A cat’s bladder will usually feel like a slippery water balloon. However, when it has UTI, the bladder will more likely feel like a hard peach, as it is all full. Palpate your cat’s stomach, and see if it feels hard. Hopefully it will feel normal, and soft. Once in a while, the palpating actually releases the blockage.

UTI is usually treated by a vet. At the vet they will use a catheter to push the blockage out, or back into the bladder where it will dissolve. This is a painful operation for the cat. Because of the pain, anesthetic is given to the cat. Usually, the cat will be kept at the vets for a few days with a catheter attached to them to make sure that the cat doesn't have the blockage come back, or if you are on a budget, you can leave right after the operation is complete. These vet visits may cost up to around $4,000, so you might want to treat at home.

For this, I recommend apple cider vinegar. I used ACV along with Gimborn Uri Soothe for urinary tract health. After about five days of apple cider vinegar and Uri soothe treatment, Wessie is now urinating normally. It was low cost, around $10.08, while a visit to the vets can cost over a thousand dollars.

If you are trying to treat at home, here are some tips.
  • When your cat has UTI, regularly scoop his box so that you can see any new urine that he has left.
  • Make sure that the cat keeps hydrated, but that he doesn't have too much water, as he will then be in extreme discomfort if he is unable to release the pressure.
  • Feed your cat his normal amount of wet food with a capful of ACV mixed in. If your cat usually has dry, switch to wet.
  • You might want to find a urinary tract supplement like we did.

Here’s my story of Wessie’s UTI
I knew that Wessie had a problem when I saw him straining to urinate, and nothing came out. Immediately I thought of feline UTI, as Wessie is a neutered male.

I went to the Internet to find out what you can do for your cat when he has UTI. I searched for things that you can do to help a cat with UTI. Most resources advised going to the vet. Then, I came across a website that suggested feeding your cat apple cider vinegar. After reading the reviews on ACV (apple cider vinegar), I decided to try it to save my kitty’s life. Many people were satisfied with it, and very few said that it didn't work to help their cat.

I explored different websites to find additional advice, and decided to get Wessie some canned cat food. It turned out that cats that eat dry food are more likely to get UTI than wet food eaters, as they don’t get as much water.

We headed out to Petco to see if there was any kind of urinary health treatment for cats. We found Gimborn Uri Soothe, which is used for cat urinary tract support. Afterwards, we headed over to the grocery, and picked up our ACV and canned cat food. Later, we blended the recommended teaspoon of Uri soothe with Wessie’s new food, and put it out for him to eat. Over the day, we fed him food mixed with ACV, and found that Wessie was becoming slightly more successful with his urination. During the night, I left my bedroom door open so that Wessie had easy access to his litter box. Awakening in the night to check on him, I found out that he had used the litter box and made an almost normal sized urine cake. Then, as if to prove to me that he could go and actually make something, he proceeded to urinate in front of me, leaving about a golf ball sized puddle. That day he made more golf ball sized puddles, but occasionally was unable to urinate.

The next day, Wessie was making slightly smaller than normal puddles, and sometimes made a nice large normal sized one. After several days, Wessie is urinating normally, and has his regularly large puddles.


30 comments:

  1. Thanks for the great information. Anything we can do to stay out of the vet's office is a bonus for us both!

    Pat
    www.critteralley.blogspot.com

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  2. The advise in this is DANGEROUS and this person obviously has NO expertise nor is informed on PROPER care!!!!!!!!!!!! Just like the ole adage Buyer beware it is Reader Beware !

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    1. your reasoning?

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    2. I think the writer here conflated "UTI" which is urinary tract infection with kidney stones. I hope everyone knows that if there is a true urinary tract INFECTION there is no solution but antibiotics. Kidney stones, however dangerous, can pass on their own--my cat went through this twice, and I didn't recognize it. I think it damaged his kidneys and the third time it happened he was so weakened and ill I decided to end his life by euthanasia.....which was heartbreaking. I wish I had recognized the fat bladder and pain urinating and gotten him to a vet to remove the blockage both times, and I wish i had followed my vets advice to avoid future stones by increasing my kitty's water intake. in the end it cost him his life. my three new cats are benefiting from my horrible experience and drink lots of water, which is placed all over the house. I watch for those big puddles like a hawk!

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    3. Antibiotics are bad for people as well as animals. There are many herbs that are far superior to them, and don't deplete health!
      105 year old doctors advice to longevity..."Stay away from doctors!"

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  3. I noticed my 10-year old male neutered cat frequently squatting on the lawn (in the snow!). Most unusual behaviour for him. So I took advice from a cat expert friend and checked out the internet.

    I quickly came across lots of similar problems with possible urinary tract infection and many people advising the use of apple cider vinegar, also to add more wet food to the cats diet. So out we went and bought a bottle of organic ACV (organic is better apparently as it hasn't been pasturised).

    I have not come across this problem with my cats before but recently introduced Purina dry food - unbelievably I found a couple of forums where people are 'blaming' Purina for problems with their own cats! Gulp! I have always fed dry food in the mornings and wet food at night, so my cats get a variety.

    For the next week, he is going to get wet food only with 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon of ACV twice a day mixed in with the food. Fingers crossed this works.

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  4. Feline urinary blockage is extremely painful for a cat and can quickly become life threatening within a matter of hours if it is not treated by a veterinarian. A build up of toxins that are normally expelled in the urine can cause a complete system failure.

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    1. This should be used as a last resort if you are unable to go to a veterinarian. I can't guarantee that this remedy will work, but it worked for me, and I wanted to share it with others who are unable to get a vet.

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    2. My cat has been showing some relatively "mild" symptoms of urinary problems for the past month, namely his urine comes out in spurts, as opposed to one fluid stream and he dribbles towards the end of the stream. It seems to be gradually worsening, so I have scheduled him a vet appointment for tomorrow. Yesterday, I noticed that he hadn't peed in quite a while so decided to try the apple cider vinegar as a solution until his vet appointment. Within 7 hours, he peed and peed relatively normally, so it seems to be working wonders for him! Although he did some foaming at the mouth and licking/retching immediately after I gave it to him. I do have a question though about this. Will any urinalysis tests conducted by the vet be altered by the presence of the apple cider vinegar? Meaning will this cause his pH to be out of whack 2 days later? Just don't want to get a misdiagnosis as I'm very concerned about him. Any input would be appreciated.

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    3. Hi Caitlin,

      I'm glad to hear that the ACV seems to have helped your cat.

      How did you administer the vinegar? My cat vomited after putting vinegar directly into his mouth (not really a good idea), but he's fine when it is mixed into his food.

      Shortly after your cat takes the ACV, his urine pH will be acidic, but after a day or two it should be alkaline. I don't think the ACV will really affect anything after two days.

      Sending good vibes your cat's way!

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    4. Hi Eileen,
      How lonh o can feed my cat with this diet? For his whole life or certain period only?

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    5. Hello Anonymous,

      It's fine if you supplement your cat's diet with ACV for his whole life (there are a lot of health benefits besides just helping UTIs).

      However, this may temporarily raise the acidity of his urine (though in the long run your cat's body will become more alkaline), which may increase the chances of your cat developing calcium oxalate stones.

      Eileen

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    6. Ian going to try this ... My poor rexs boy is peeing blood.... I took him to the vet in January and it is starting again .. He is peeing the size of a golf ball... But he Is weeing at me I use soft food he only licks it till the juice is gone... But he plays he eats dry food and his treats... So I hope this works cause iam on a set income...

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    7. Hey thanks for the tip! My cat Lute has been peeing and leaking blood everywhere! I just noticed this about 1-2 days ago I hope this remedy helps! Any tips on how to administer the ACV other than wet food?

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    8. An eye dropper can be used to administer the ACV, however, giving it in moist or wet food is preferable. Your cat will better accept the ACV, and the liquid in the moist food is beneficial as well.

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  5. my cat has something going on, it has been leaving a bad smell everywhere as it has a brownish liquid discharge from its anus. It is peeing very small amounts and then a good pee and back to small amounts and is very unhappy, I gave it ACV and didnt know to dilute it for the first day or so. It seemed to help and the cat seemed normal, then I didn't do it and she's having trouble again, I gave her cranberry extract in food and vit c both crushed and in fsoft food, She usually eats hard food and I was told the opposite of what I know now, hard food is the one that causes the trouble and soft helps them, I have no money literally as I have health problems and am applying now for aid. I called around today but no one will help. I am so upset and sad. I don't know what to do. I also put a small amount of coconut oil on her paws to lick off, please pray!!. Im afraid and I don't have any money so cant get her help. What am I going to do? I love her very much and need help.

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  6. Hi, Sorry too hear of your hard ship with your pet. I have 4 Doggies and a Cat. I am diluteing acv with water , 1/2 teaspoon too a 6 ounce glass of water. I use a small eye dropper too administer it in the side of his mouth. I mixed some with his food, he wouldn't touch his food. I crushed up c tablet in his wet food. Been the week end now, if not peeing better by Monday, my vet will see him. Please call a Vet on your pet though, sounds like it could be more then UTI going on there. Ask the Vet for a monthly pay plan. Most will help out like that. Some won't that have been taken advantage of by others not paying their bills. Can't blame the Vet.

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  7. I am concerned about my male cat. He has been spraying around my house which is unusual. He is an inside/outside cat. I got up this morning to find him laying in my bath tub and blood all over the floor and in the tub. He did get out of the tub and I noticed the blood was coming from his urine. I called a couple of vets who refuse to see him without payment up front and I currently can not financially afford it. I'm going to try this remedy and hope and pray it works bc I would hate to lose my Kit Kat over a UTI that a vet refuses to treat bc They don't want to take payments! What has this world come to? It's all about the money...so sad! They would allow a family pet to die than to treat them and wait for the money!

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  8. Not sure if my first post went through so I'm writing again...Long story short I have experienced the same symptoms with my cat. After antibiotics (that only worked while she was taking them. When the course of antibiotics was done, the symptoms would return) and a very expensive blood panel, I switched my cat back from clumping clay litter to clumping natural corn litter. This did the trick! I also tried the ACV for a few days. No more droplets of blood and no more running to the pan every few minutes. I had, stupidly, switched them to clay litter after successfully using corn litter for many years. They seemed to like the clay (as I did) because it clumped better than the corn and they were using it just fine. But one out of my three cats apparently could not tolerate the clay and developed a problem. I have switched back to corn and all is well. This may not be the solution for everyone but it helped my cat... I hope this helps someone else's kitty out there...

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  9. Okay, this is my third try to publish my comment. For some reason my previous comments won't publish...I'm new to blogging but felt my experience might help someone else's suffering kitty out there: If you are using clumping clay litter try switching to natural corn clumping litter. This did the trick for my cat. One out of three of my cats cannot tolerate clay litter. I took her to the Vet and had her on antibiotics but when they were gone, the symptoms returned. I tried ACV for a few days and switched her to clumping natural corn litter and all is well. My advise is not a substitute for taking your cat to the Vet. This might not be your cat's solution but it worked for my kitty. I hope this helps someone else's poor kitty out there....

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  10. My male cat was in the vet for a week before his first birthday due to uric acid crystal. The vet said purina was the cause coupled with the fact that he was from a feral mom and was neutered too early. For the last 8 years he's been fine until I ran short on cash last month and ended up buying purina natural cat chow. My boy has blood in his stool and has been urinating outside of the litter box. It was over $1000 for him to go to the vet before and I'm really wishing I made the extra effort to get the right food for him instead. Going to try homeopathic medicine until I can get him to the vet. Cantharis and staphysagria were recommended.

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  11. I just took my cat to the vet. He was throwing up,moaning, lethargic,hiding, wouldnt eat or drink and couldn't pee. He had blockage and they gave him a catheter to flush out the stones. I asked about apple cider vinegar and I was told it can be very dangerous because you don't know what you type of stone you are treating. He was given a muscle relaxant, pain killer and told to be kept stress free. He needs to be on two diets. One is temporary " Hills science diet s/d wet food " and long term " hills science diet c/d ". He also needs purified water and not tap water due to mineral build up..not distilled..it costed me 500 in ny plus 94 for meds. If I chose the hospital option it would've been 800-1100. They were able to flush it out with the catheter though so I am happy. I wanted to pass on the info about the ape cider and cranberry remedy. Get blood work first ( around 40 bucks for the blood panel )before attempting to treat your cat because you can be doing more harm then good! I wish you and your pets all the best!

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  12. I have been prone to Urinary Tract Infections my whole life. I've probably tried every home remedy that I could find out on the market today! DO NOT drink Cranberry Cocktail--theres a lot of sugar in it and it will just aggravate your condition further.) Cranberry Juice has a dry taste for me, so I haven't always been a huge fan of

    The Lady Soma cranberry Concentrate is a great alternative - I take it in the morning when I take my regular vitamins. I have made it part of my regular routine so that my body is prepared if another Urinary Tract Infection is lurking in the shadows. These pills are small and easy to swallow as well as not having any taste. Good Luck!

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  13. Until you see the vet you don't know if it's a "mere" UTI (unusual in males) or a FLUTD where they develop crystals from either too high or too low pH which block the urine from getting out of the penis. The whole penile shaft gets irritate by these crystals and by the time he lets you know, it's a tough row to hoe. Male cats will often die within 24 hours if not seen by vet because their bladders burst--very cruel and painful way to have your baby die. Do not be cavalier and treat with human products get him to the vet.

    Best is to never get to that point:
    NO Dry food EVER. Protein not carbs.
    Syringe water into cat. Dilute urine can flush out crystals before they're large enough for you to know, i.e, block your kitty.
    Go to catinfo.org, where a vet, Lisa Pierson, has powerful information on helping and feeding your kitty.
    Please take care of your kitty. Giving it human remedies can kill it.

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  14. I have only read about male cats, my female is showing all the same signs.should I do anything different?

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    1. No, we don't think you should do anything different based on the gender of your cat. Best wishes!

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  15. chanca piedra will help....it did to my cat

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  16. I Really Hope this works!
    I'm borrowing money, My cat was fine no blood but he was irritable. He was eating drinking now he can't stop licking his penis, At first his drops of pee where pink, Now it's like a murder scene in my room.
    I Hope this helps, Shadow has bought me and especially my husband joy.
    We really can't afford a vet right now due to family issues, Hope this really helps my furry baby

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  17. My cat has a Uti and I'm unemployed so taking her to the vet is out. But she is having a hard time peeing. How much apple cider vinegar do I put in her wet food. Please help I'm stressing out!

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