How to Treat a Cat's UTI
Get a test culture done to identify and use effective antibiotics., Treat your cat with broad spectrum antibiotics if a culture is not possible., Put your cat on a urinary health diet., Beware of stones when acidifying your cat's urine., Use...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Get a test culture done to identify and use effective antibiotics.
The gold standard when treating a UTI with antibiotics is to perform a test culture to analyze antibiotic sensitivity.
Antibiotics are a family of drugs that either inhibit the growth of bacteria or kill them, depending on the type of antibiotic.
A test culture tells your vet exactly what bug is present, and which antibiotics are effective against it.
Using targeted antibiosis reduces the risk of inducing antibiotic resistance in bacteria and is the best way to treat an infection.
However, it is not always possible to get a large enough urine sample to culture, or else the cost of culture may be prohibitive.
Another reason a culture may not be possible is if this is the cat's first episode of UTI and needs immediate treatment, since it may take a week to get culture results back.
It is especially important to culture the urine if the cat has recurrent UTIs.
In this case, it is likely that the cat either has a mixed infection where only some of the infection is being killed, or the infection is resistant to the antibiotic being used. -
Step 2: Treat your cat with broad spectrum antibiotics if a culture is not possible.
Broad spectrum antibiotics kill a wide range of bacteria.
If a cat has never had a urinary infection before, then it is acceptable to put him on a course of broad spectrum antibiotics that kill a wide range of bacteria commonly found in urine.
Typically, these antibiotics are penicillins, such as amoxicillin, clavulinic acid, cephalosporins, or sulphonamides.
A cat weighting less than 6kg commonly will normally get 50mg of penicillin by mouth twice daily. , There are prescription urinary health diets available for cats, such as Hills CD, or Purina UR.
These diets act in a number of ways to promote your cat's urinary health.
Because they contain a lesser amount of minerals such as phosphate and magnesium, they can reduce the likelihood of crystals forming in your cat's urine.
These diets also manipulate the pH (how acid or alkaline the urine is) of your cat's urine for optimal urinary health.
They usually aim for a mildly acidic urine – pH
6.2-6.4 (which coincidentally is the same pH that a cat's urine has if he lives exclusively off mice).
This environment is hostile to most bacteria, and although it is unlikely that a diet alone will get rid of a UTI, it could help reduce the chances of bacteria surviving in the bladder. , As a general rule, bacteria do not like acid urine, thus acidifying the urine acts as a natural disinfectant.
However, this type of treatment is best done under veterinary supervision.
Although the most common bladder crystals and stones (struvite) grow in alkaline conditions, there are other less common stones (oxalate) that flourish in acid conditions.
Certain breeds, such as Burmese cats, are more likely to grow oxalate stones.
This means you could cure one problem (infection) only to create another one in the form of an oxalate bladder stone. , The bladder produces a layer of mucus-like material that acts like a bandage to protective the lining from noxious substances in urine.
When a cat has a UTI, this glycosaminoglycan or "GAG" layer becomes thinner, exposing the bladder lining to irritation.
Neutraceuticals such as glucosamine, may help to replenish this GAG layer and make the cat more comfortable.
Although research into the benefits of glucosamine is inconclusive, there are several over the counter preparations available, such as "Feliway Cystease" that contain glucosamine and tryptophan.
Each capsule contains 125mg N-acetylglucosamine and the dose is one capsule twice a day.
If your cat won't take capsules, then an injection containing acetylglucosamine is available through your veterinarian.
This treatment is meant to treat arthritis in dogs, and treatment of bladder inflammation is off-label.
A typical dose is
0.15 milliliters (0.0051 fl oz) by injection once a week for 4 weeks, followed by a regular monthly injection. -
Step 3: Put your cat on a urinary health diet.
-
Step 4: Beware of stones when acidifying your cat's urine.
-
Step 5: Use glucosamine to stimulate the cat's GAG layer.
Detailed Guide
The gold standard when treating a UTI with antibiotics is to perform a test culture to analyze antibiotic sensitivity.
Antibiotics are a family of drugs that either inhibit the growth of bacteria or kill them, depending on the type of antibiotic.
A test culture tells your vet exactly what bug is present, and which antibiotics are effective against it.
Using targeted antibiosis reduces the risk of inducing antibiotic resistance in bacteria and is the best way to treat an infection.
However, it is not always possible to get a large enough urine sample to culture, or else the cost of culture may be prohibitive.
Another reason a culture may not be possible is if this is the cat's first episode of UTI and needs immediate treatment, since it may take a week to get culture results back.
It is especially important to culture the urine if the cat has recurrent UTIs.
In this case, it is likely that the cat either has a mixed infection where only some of the infection is being killed, or the infection is resistant to the antibiotic being used.
Broad spectrum antibiotics kill a wide range of bacteria.
If a cat has never had a urinary infection before, then it is acceptable to put him on a course of broad spectrum antibiotics that kill a wide range of bacteria commonly found in urine.
Typically, these antibiotics are penicillins, such as amoxicillin, clavulinic acid, cephalosporins, or sulphonamides.
A cat weighting less than 6kg commonly will normally get 50mg of penicillin by mouth twice daily. , There are prescription urinary health diets available for cats, such as Hills CD, or Purina UR.
These diets act in a number of ways to promote your cat's urinary health.
Because they contain a lesser amount of minerals such as phosphate and magnesium, they can reduce the likelihood of crystals forming in your cat's urine.
These diets also manipulate the pH (how acid or alkaline the urine is) of your cat's urine for optimal urinary health.
They usually aim for a mildly acidic urine – pH
6.2-6.4 (which coincidentally is the same pH that a cat's urine has if he lives exclusively off mice).
This environment is hostile to most bacteria, and although it is unlikely that a diet alone will get rid of a UTI, it could help reduce the chances of bacteria surviving in the bladder. , As a general rule, bacteria do not like acid urine, thus acidifying the urine acts as a natural disinfectant.
However, this type of treatment is best done under veterinary supervision.
Although the most common bladder crystals and stones (struvite) grow in alkaline conditions, there are other less common stones (oxalate) that flourish in acid conditions.
Certain breeds, such as Burmese cats, are more likely to grow oxalate stones.
This means you could cure one problem (infection) only to create another one in the form of an oxalate bladder stone. , The bladder produces a layer of mucus-like material that acts like a bandage to protective the lining from noxious substances in urine.
When a cat has a UTI, this glycosaminoglycan or "GAG" layer becomes thinner, exposing the bladder lining to irritation.
Neutraceuticals such as glucosamine, may help to replenish this GAG layer and make the cat more comfortable.
Although research into the benefits of glucosamine is inconclusive, there are several over the counter preparations available, such as "Feliway Cystease" that contain glucosamine and tryptophan.
Each capsule contains 125mg N-acetylglucosamine and the dose is one capsule twice a day.
If your cat won't take capsules, then an injection containing acetylglucosamine is available through your veterinarian.
This treatment is meant to treat arthritis in dogs, and treatment of bladder inflammation is off-label.
A typical dose is
0.15 milliliters (0.0051 fl oz) by injection once a week for 4 weeks, followed by a regular monthly injection.
About the Author
Kathleen Butler
Professional writer focused on creating easy-to-follow practical skills tutorials.
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