"If you pick up a starving dog and make him prosperous, he will not bite you; that is the principal difference between a dog and a man."

- Mark Twain

Urinary Infections In Cats

Domestic Shorthair

It is but normal for cats to acquire diseases on their lower urinary tracts. The organs most affected in this type of diseases are the urethra and the bladder. You know your cat have urinary problems because it would definitely show the symptoms of the disease. The most common of which is when they seem to experience pain while urinating.

The Symptoms of Urinary Infection in Cats

1. Prolonged and strained urination.

Try to observe your cat while it urinates. Does it take longer than usual? Do you see it cry or wince in pain? These are the tell tale signs that your cat is suffering from urinary tract infection. Better take it to the veterinarian right away to give your pet some relief.

2. Strong, horrible odor of your cat's urine

Infection due to virus or bacteria is apparent if there's foul odor in your cat's urine. You really need not go to the spot to find out. The odor will be so strong you will be forced to find it yourself. In some cases, the vet would require a urine sample from your cat to check the extent of the infection.

3. Uncontrolled urination

If you happen to see your cat urinating inside the house when it never does before, there are high chances that your pet can't control its urine due to bladder infection. Cats usually use the litter box to heed the call of nature. And if they could go out of the house, they would do so. If you observe that your cat is urinating more frequently around the house, it is not developing some bad habits. It is most likely suffering from a disease.

4. Blood in the urine

In severe cases of urinary infection in cats, blood would be seen in the urine. This means that the infection is starting to affect other organs at that point. Your cat should be taken to the veterinarian immediately for proper treatment.

The Causes of Urinary Infection in Cats

The root cause of this problem is yet to be discovered by veterinarians. However, there are at least two suspected reasons why cats develop this disease. First, there might not be enough water for the cat to drink throughout the day.
Lack of water could limit the removal of wastes inside the body. As such, virus and bacteria could form inside your pet's body. If the water the cat drinks were contaminated, urinary infection could arise as well.

The second cause of urinary infection in cats would be improper diet. There are some foods that cat should not eat because of their high salt content. If you must, restrict your cat to healthy organic foods. You can prepare your pet's food yourself if you think that the ones you are buying from the store is causing the problem.

Diagnosis and Treatment for Urinary Infection in Cats

To determine if your cat is indeed suffering from urinary infection or from some other disease, an x-ray is usually performed by the veterinarian. The x-ray would reveal if there were visible bladder stones in the area of if there are noticeable changes in the excretory organs of your pet.

Blood samples may also be obtained so that the vet would know for sure if the disease had already affected the kidneys. If certain blockage is observed, a catheter can be used for about two days. It could go for a week or more for severe cases of urinary infection. The catheter will be used to wash out all the toxins present in the bladder and the kidneys. It can also be used to administer fluids into the cat's body. It can also flush out all the possible harmful substances in the blood. However, if these procedures still can't solve the problem, surgery may be required.