Cat keep getting UTIs - what to do?

[shiloh]

So poor little Bonnie has ANOTHER uti. Poor little girl. I feel so bad for her. But this is fast becoming a routine occurrence. I know that she only has one decent kidney so am being very watchful of her but I am having a hard time understanding why this keep happening to her. She also keeps getting pyelonephritis. I know when she starts to feel bad because she starts eating less and less and the other cats start tormenting her which stresses her out and exacerbates the problem.

She is going to the vet tomorrow and I will have blood drawn on her and based on what vet feels on physical exam will see about an xray. I have given her some fluids to get her thru tonight and she is still eating (we are going to have a snack now) . Before bed I have some Clavamox so may try to get a dose in her.

Does anyone have any experience with this or have any suggestions? She is 14 this March and a Siamese. (You should see the horrible little blue crossed-eyes. She is a real character. Smallest cat cat in the house with the biggest attitude.)

But what to do to keep this from happening? Should I cut her off all dry food? Feed her a supplement that changes ph of urine? I feel so bad for her - clearly we can’t keep on doing this. She does not tolerate oral antibiotics well (she had Clavamox two weeks ago and it made her really sick to her stomach and she refused to eat.) plus getting them into her is a beast. She will sit right up for a shot and handles Baytril and Convenia well. I might ask for one or the other of those.

[ravenclaw]

Do you have her on a urinary-based food? Several years ago, 2 of my boy cats got urinary infections (not at the same time). I put them on Hills c/d food and they didn’t get another urinary infection. Dewey would only eat the dry but another cat eats the dry and the cans of c/d stew.

Poor Bonnie. I hope the vet can give her something to help her feel better tomorrow.

[Lusoluv]

When my 2nd cat started getting UTIs I did a LOT of reading. The most common cause is not enough water in the diet - feeding dry food exacerbates this as cats don’t have a “thirst drive”. They derive most of their hydration from their food (mice, birds, etc). I started feeding wet food only that is low in phosphorous and carbs. You can find an extensive list of recommended brands online. You don’t need to buy Rx food or high priced boutique brands. Some of the cheapest (Friskies, Purina) pate style canned food is as good as $$$ ones. And all canned foods are better than dry. And for those that say their cat just won’t eat wet food, I’ve never had a cat starve themselves before making the adjustment!

[Altag]

Add some plain yogurt or probiotics to her diet.

[Simkie]

I’ve been in this boat. Going to 100% wet food made a HUGE difference. Adding cosequin is worth a shot, too–it makes the lining of the bladder more “slippery” so bacteria will have a harder time adhering.

You might also try d-mannose. It’s been shown to be effective at breaking down biofilms, and that might be contributing to her repeat infections. You can get it cheaply in capsules or powder–just add to her food.

Good luck!

[Ponycatraz]

A cat fountain helped a lot for my cats to increase their drinking. I feed a mix of wet and dry. I’d prefer them on all wet but they prefer the dry so we compromise.

I also feed a lyseine with cranberry added. I don’t know if it helps a ton but they need the lyseine anyway and seem to prefer the one that is cranberry flavored.

[shiloh]

Could not get to vet today. No appts avail until Tuesday (!!!). She does feel a bit better. Her appetite returned so that’s good. Am going to take her to her regular vet tomorrow - I may just walk in and see if they will do her first thing in AM.

I am going to cut her completely off dry food. It does not seem to help her any. At this point the only food she is interested in eating is the Sheba pate, but I don’t care so long as she is eating. She does come out to drink but waits until everyone else is finished. I have three other cats that drive her off the bowl. I will have to figure something out about that.

@Altag Don’t know if she will eat yogurt - she’s pretty rigid about her likes and dislikes but I could try getting a syringe of it down her head. How much?

The cosequin is on my list and will add the d-mannose. Could the constant UTIs be a contributing factor to the bouts of pyelonephritis?

[Simkie]

@shiloh

The cosequin is on my list and will add the d-mannose. Could the constant UTIs be a contributing factor to the bouts of pyelonephritis?

Yep, absolutely.

[Altag]

I’d try for a teaspoon or so of yogurt. If she doesn’t like it by itself, maybe mix it with something she does like – sardines, chicken or beef liver, canned food? If yogurt isn’t appealing, you could try probiotics (acidophilus) in powder or liquid form and mix it into her food.

Good to hear that you’re going to get her off the dry food completely. That should help a lot.

If the other cats keep her away from the water bowl, I’d place additional bowls in different places so she should have better access. As someone else mentioned, flowing or trickling water also tends to attract cats better than a bowl, so a cat fountain might be worth trying.

[shiloh]

Yeah, no running water in this house. I have two cats who would think that a fountain would be there purposely for their entertainment and I would come home to find the place awash in water. Ninnies. On the look out for another Crock pot insert or used beyond repair Le creuset stew pot. So it can’t get tipped over.

I may mix the yogurt with tuna liquid. That might make it more appealing - to her. Yogurt makes me gag just smelling it.

If I have the vet run a blood panel, should I be looking for something that will hit the highlights like BUN, creatinine, WBC? Anything else to look for? Don’t want a full panel if most of the info is useless to me.

[Altag]

If tipping the bowl over is a concern, get a dog bowl with a wide base that’s made to prevent tipping.

Many cats like milk and cheese, so I’d think yogurt might also be appealing, even plain. You may not need to mix it with anything.

[Simkie]

@shiloh

If I have the vet run a blood panel, should I be looking for something that will hit the highlights like BUN, creatinine, WBC? Anything else to look for? Don’t want a full panel if most of the info is useless to me.

I’m not sure if you can pick and choose individual test values, but I’d be curious about the kidney values, including SDMA. Chronic infection can decrease function, and especially with only one, it’ll be worthwhile to keep an eye on where you are.

Have you cultured the urine and targeted your antibiotic? With repeat infection, that expense is also worth it.

[shiloh]

Oh, I had forgotten about that. Adding to the “list.” I don’t know that SDMA is a part of the “normal” or regular blood panel, but I will ask. They keep wanting to give her clavamox which I am not fond of and Convenia - another I really don’t love as I don’t believe it’s that effective. On her first episode of pyelo they gave her injectable Baytril. That worked like a charm for her. She perked right up and never lost her appetite. But when they look blank at me and will only offer Clavamox or Convenia, I have to pick lesser of two evils. Sometimes I feel like I am fighting an uphill battle. I know what works for my pets and what does not. Why is that so hard to understand for some of these veterinarians and staff?

[Lusoluv]

If you do feed yogurt, make sure it’s plain, non-fat Greek, unsweetened. Check label for sugar, xylitol, stevia, etc. Good luck.

[mbv]

You may want to discuss with your vet the differences and similarities between sterile interstitial cystitis in cats and a bacterial urinary tract infection. Many cats that present with UTI type signs don’t have a bacterial infection. Ideally both a urinalysis and a bacterial culture are needed for appropriate diagnosis, especially with a history of treatment failures with multiple antibiotics.
Pyelonephritis can be hard to diagnose and typically requires a longer course of antibiotics. It can be caused by progression of a bladder infection into the kidneys. A single dose of Baytril is not a typical therapy (not sure if that is what you meant). Baytril is not a first line treatment for UTI in most patients and can have some serious side effects in cats. The best way to choose an antibiotic is to base it off of a bacterial culture and antimicrobial susceptibility test and take into account other disease co-occurring in the patient. Cats don’t get UTIs nearly as often as dogs. If they do have multiple true confirmed UTI it is usually due to an underlying problem and treating with antibiotics will only be a short term solution unless the underlying issue is addressed.
This is provided for general information and is not meant to be specific medical advice! Just to help you do the right research.

[Simkie]

Have you been doing UAs and cultures for each of these infections? Without a culture, it’s really a shot in the dark knowing which antibiotic to use. With such a recurrent issue, it’s time to target your meds (and confirm it’s an infection, and not sterile cystitis, like mbv covers.)

Cosequin can be useful for cystitis, too, as it soothes the bladder lining

[Ponycatraz]

I thought the same about the water mess. One of my cats would swim in the toilet if you left the lid up, but they never made a mess with the fountain waterer.

I use the style in the picture but I didn’t add the flower so the water bubbles up from the tank and there is very little “free” water to splash.

We also had the no tip dog bowels that worked well other then my swimmer would lay in it.

[Kyrabee]

Another that agrees with ditching the dry food. My female had several episodes of cystitis until I got her off the dry food. That was years ago and that said, 10 years later I have added back in a bit of dry food (less than 1/8 cup/day). She is now hyperthyroid and doesn’t eat well so I am trying to get in any calories I can. She hasn’t had any cystitis events since I have added the dry food back in but I am watching her.

Susan

[Saddle_Search]

Add water to her food. My cats get tinned food, I put the food in the bowl, then add water to the can, swish around and put on the food (to make a gravy). I have never had any issues with my cats and they always clean up all their food. They also get dry kibble daily, mostly I feed the kibble to clean their teeth. And I serve fresh water daily in a dog bowl on a metal stand, I’ve never seen them drink from it but it is there if needed!

[Simkie]

@Saddle_Search

mostly I feed the kibble to clean their teeth

It’s a fallacy that dry food cleans teeth Kinda like saying that eating crackers cleans your teeth–doesn’t happen, right?

Best thing for cleaning teeth is something like raw chicken necks or wings. Something they really have to CHEW.