Frequency Of Urinary Tract Infection In Cats

A urinary tract infection in cats is not common. Less than 5% of young, healthy cats will develop an actual urinary tract infection. Older cats will develop a urinary tract infection more often, especially if they have an underlying condition that affects the health of the cat’s urinary tract, such as diabetes, or kidney disease.

Signs Of Urinary Tract Infection For Cats

The most common sign of a urinary infection in cats is urinating outside the box. Other symptoms can include blood in the urine, more frequent urination, and crying or straining in the litter box. If your cat is sitting in the litter box straining to urinate without producing urine you shouldcontact your veterinarianright away. Your cat may have a urethral obstruction (blocked) and needs immediate attention. This is a life-threatening problem if not treated quickly.

How To Find Out If Your Cat Has A Urinary Tract Infection

Take your cat to your veterinarian if you think your cat has a urinary tract infection. There are many other diseases that can cause the same symptoms as a urinary tract infection such as bladder stones, bladder infection and stones together, injury, cancer of the bladder, behavioural problems, kidney disease or kidney failure, and feline idiopathic cystitis. To determine which disease is affecting your cat, your veterinarian needs toexamine your cat and perform diagnostic tests. These tests can include:

• Blood and urine analysis to see if there are diseases causing more urine to be made
• Viral tests for feline leukemia virus and feline immunodeficiency virus
• Culturing of the urine for bacterial infection
• X-rays to look for stones affecting the urinary system
• Ultrasound of the abdomen to look for cancer of the bladder in older cats

Treatment Of Feline Urinary Tract Infection

Bacterial urinary tract infection in cats is treated with antibiotics. This treatment should only be done if the urine culture shows your cat has a urinary tract infection and the bacteria are sensitive to the antibiotic. Inappropriate use of antibiotics – even in cats – has led to superbugs that are resistant to many antibiotics. There is an injectable antibiotic that works for two weeks and I advise cat owners to use this if it is appropriate.  This injection is done at the clinic and solves the age old problem of how to give a cat a pill!

What To Do If Your Cat Keeps Getting A Urinary Tract Infection

Further investigation is required if your cat continually gets a urinary tract infection. Felines are prone to chronic urinary tract infection if they have an underlying illness that affects the health of the cat’s urinary tract, such as kidney disease, kidney failure or diabetes. These cats should have urine cultures every six months to identify “quiet” urinary tract infections. Remember, cats do not show signs of disease or discomfort until they are very sick. Finding your cat’s urinary tract infection early can prevent serious complications such as kidney infection, which can lead to kidney failure.

If you think your cat has a urinary tract infection, call us now. The sooner cats are treated appropriately, the sooner they will feel good again.

Yours in health,

Dr. Kent Morley