Dietary and Lifestyle Changes
A special diet may prevent recurrent infections. Increasing water intake by encouraging your cat to drink more or by switching to wet food can help flush out the urinary system.
In conjunction with diet changes, environmental enrichment can reduce stress, which is known to contribute to urinary issues.
Prevention and Management
Video: How to treat and prevent UTI infections in cats – video.
Effective prevention and management of cat urinary infections hinge on two main factors: maintaining a proper diet and hydration levels, and managing environmental and behavioral stressors.
Diet and Hydration
Cats require a balanced diet, nothing fancy or new about that. In the context of UTI, this means high-quality, moisture-rich foods which can help prevent dehydration—a common catalyst for urinary problems.For example, wet food typically contains about 70-80% water, which can significantly help with your cat’s daily water intake. Consider including wet food in your cat’s diet, and ensure fresh water is always available, to encourage regular drinking.
Environmental and Behavioral Factors
Stress reduction is also important in potentially preventing urinary issues. The well-known tips of creating a nice and entertaining environment with toys like scratching posts, perches, and other cat-friendly objects, are still valid.
However, here we need to address other things too. And that includes obesity, a risk factor for urinary tract problems, and regular exercise. Thankfully, regular exercise will help preventing obesity, and will also reduces the chances of severe UTI complications in your cat.
RELATED: Urinary tract INFLAMMATION versus urinary tract INFECTION
Complications and Comorbidities from Feline UTIs
Video: How to monitor for cat urethral blocks at home.
There is a say “When it rains, it pours”. This is quite accurate when it comes to UTIs in cats because there are comorbidities associated with it. Comorbidities are just other conditions, pathologies, diseases, or issues that occur together with the primary problem, in this case UTIs.
Some known co-morbidities are:
Diabetes: If your cat has diabetes, it is more susceptible to developing UTIs due to the excess sugar in the urine, which can facilitate bacterial growth.
Kidney Disease: UTIs can exacerbate existing kidney disease, increasing the risk of kidney infection and potential kidney failure.
Hyperthyroidism: Manage your cat’s thyroid condition to prevent it from contributing to UT development. Consistent treatment can help.
Stress: Reducing stress in your feline’s environment is vital, as it can lead to flare-ups of lower urinary tract diseases.Feline Lower Urinary Tract Disease (FLUTD): Directly linked to UTIs, FLUTD requires careful, ongoing management to mitigate the risk of future urinary complications.
