Cat Urinary Tract Infection Symptoms

"Cat urinary tract infection symptoms all involve problems urinating. It is possible that your cat has a urinary tract infection without symptoms. Treatment is with antibiotics."  

Bacterial infection forms when the bladder is not emptying the way it should or if your cat is not urinating enough. For example, cats that eat dry cat food on average urinate less than cats that eat canned food. While urine itself helps to kill bacteria, problems will allow the bacteria to take hold.

If you suspect a cat urinary tract infection you should see your veterinarian since not treating the problem could lead to stones which could block the urinary tract (uroliths), inflammation of the prostate gland (chronic prostatitis), and kidney failure.

Cat Urinary Tract Infection Symptoms

Symptoms are due to inflammation of the bladder. They effect the way your cat urinates including:

• Too much frequency (pollakiuria)
• Excess volume
• Pain
• Difficulty (dysuria)
• Slow (stranguria)
• Blood in the Urine (hematuria)
• Urination outside the litter box

If your cat has a urinary tract infection there may or may not be symptoms (asymptomatic). Symptoms if they appear will be some of those listed above.

Diagnosis of Cat Urinary Tract Infection

Diagnosis of infection is done with a urinalysis or urine test. Urine taken with a catheter in the veterinarians office is the best for testing since it isn't contaminated by anything in the environment.

Treatment of Cat Urinary Tract Infection

There are two types of cat bacterial infection:

Uncomplicated: due to a temporary problem with your cat.. Antibiotics will be used for 10 to 14 days. Symptoms should disappear within 48 hours. Your cat will be retested with a urinalysis in 5 to 7 days to ensure that the infection is gone.

Complicated: caused by a problem that needs to be changed in your cat such as something that is wrong with your cat's body (anatomical problem) or other problems that can cause bacterial infection such as kidney failure (renal), hyperadrenocorticism or diabetes mellitus. Antibiotics may be prescribed for up to 4 to 6 weeks. Your cat will be retested 5 to 7 days after treatment to make sure the infection did not return.

If your cat frequently gets infections you might want to consider a natural remedy that contributes to urinary system balance. One product that is made specifically for this purpose is PetAlive UTI-Free Formula for Pet Urinary Tract Infections. Be sure to check with your veterinarian for advice and so that he or she can track progress.

References:

Bacterial Urinary Tract Infections
J.W. Bartges
The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN, USA.

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