Feline Urine: 5 Natural Solutions To Treat Feline Lower Urinary Tract Disease At Home.
If your cat is frequently urinating, and having a recurring problem with bladder infections, then they likely have a condition now known as Feline Lower Urinary Tract Disease. This is a frustrating health condition, but there are many more options than just conventional medication. This article will show you the signs of urinary disease, go over some of the causes, and I will give you my 5 most effective natural remedies.
You need to be aware of the more common signs of feline urinary problems, and recognize if this is an emergency requiring immediate veterinary care. The most common signs include: frequently urinating, straining to urinate, has bladder pain, he or she may excessively lick their genitals, and there is blood in the urine. Sometimes they will urinate outside their litter box, as they seem to prefer cool, smooth surfaces like a tile floor or a bathtub. If you have a male cat which is straining and not producing any urine, then he may be completely blocked, and he requires immediate veterinary care.
The disease goes by many names, one being called idiopathic because we don’t really know the underlying cause. There is marked inflammation of the bladder; the bladder lining is thickened, and the result is blood in the urine. Some are related to diet, there may be bacteria/viruses that affect the bladder, the immune system may over-react and attack the lining of the bladder, or it can simply be a response to stress, such as having another cat or not letting your cat go outside. It can be seen in cats of any age, but it is more frequent in middle-aged, overweight cats that get little exercise, use an indoor litter box, and eat a dry food diet. Very few cases are caused by bacteria; bacterial infections account for less than 3 % of feline urinary tract disease, meaning antibiotics are seldom needed.
If your cat is straining to urinate and not producing any urine, it is imperative to have him examined immediately. He may be blocked with a bladder stone in which case he would need emergency care. It is a good idea to have urine checked for any urinary tract problems; you are then able to use the appropriate remedy knowing what the specific problem is.
Additional fluid is key to treating and preventing recurrence of the inflamed urinary bladder. This is best accomplished with a higher protein canned cat food, along with providing many sources of fresh water; ideally your cat will only eat canned food, and be completely off dry cat food. You can encourage fresh water consumption by adding tuna juice to the water bowl.
The use of a specific natural hormone can be very beneficial. Pheromones in the facial glands convey messages of peace and contentment. Cats have less incidence of urinary disease if they are feeling happy. A product called Feliway, available from your veterinarian, contains these facial pheromones. This can be sprayed on your cat and on the areas he has sprayed twice daily for 3-4 weeks.
There are additional sources to provide natural anxiety relief in your cat, and potentially decrease the symptoms of bladder inflammation. Bach Rescue Remedy may make your anxious cat feel calmer and less likely to have recurrent urinary tract inflammation. Place 1 drop twice daily in your cat’s mouth. Try this for 3-4 weeks.
Two very common supplements used for arthritis, glucosamine and chondroitin, can also be helpful for cats with feline lower urinary tract disease. Glucosamine helps replenish a compound found in the lining of the bladder wall, called glycosaminoglycans (GAG), while chondroitin helps protect the GAG from being broken down. By supplementing with glucosamine and chondroitin, GAG is replenished, and the bladder inflammation, along with clinical signs of frequent urination, and blood in the urine can be resolved. The cat glucosamine dose is 100mg per 10 lbs of body weight daily. The chondroitin dose is 50mg per 10lbs of body weight daily.
Homeopathy has been successfully used for many cases of feline urinary disease. There are two homeopathic remedies I suggest that you try, aconite and pulsatilla. Aconite is best if early in the disease with few other signs. Give two 30C pellets 2-3 times daily. Pulsatilla will help some of the more recurrent cases of bladder inflammation. When the other remedies fail to work, then this one is often tried. Dose one 30C twice daily.
You should now be aware of the signs of feline lower urinary tract disease, and now know when to see your veterinarian. The causes of urinary inflammation are varied, but as bacterial infections seldom cause the problem, antibiotics should be rarely needed. I encourage you to use some of suggested home remedies to help treat, and potentially prevent this very painful and frustrating disease for both you and your cat.
Best Wishes,
Dr Andrew Jones, DVM
P.S. My supplement, Ultimate Feline, contains correct amounts of glucosamine and chondroitin which can help cats with Feline Lower Urinary Tract Disease. You can see it here:
Hello,
My male cat had suffered from FLUTD for 4 years on a diet of quality canned food plus kibble. I started feeding him exclusively a homemade raw diet about a year ago, and he has not had a FLUTD symptom since. He is healthy and energetic, and his fur is incredibly soft and silky.
thanks for the info. It helped to leave random water bowls here and there for the cats to find, at least 2 more in addition to the main water bowl. be sure to wash the bowls often, cats wont drink stale water because they learned genetically to avoid standing water in the wild due to its bacterial content. Thats why cats love to drink from the toilet, fish tanks or your water glass. Make sure not to use scented detergent to wash their dishes and rinse VERY well under hottest water. (they wont drink from a dish that smells like lavender or vanilla, etc. and so many of the dish products are now in spa scents.. cats say yuk. Good luck and blessings to all. and thanks again.
I have a female that is prone to it. I’ve traced it back to the dry food. Vet says it’s an accumulation of crystalline buildup from minerals in the food. I now feed her a bowl of moist food with water and Purina One Urinary Health dry food sprinkled on top. She’s been fine for 2 years.
My male cat had recurrent UTI’s also, with crystals in his urine, and the vet wanted him to eat a commercial kidney formula kibble, of which the main ingredient was corn! We said no to that, and also switched to a raw diet (commercial and frozen). He has never had a UTI since. He still eats a bit of high-quality kibble, and we add some water to his raw patty, so it’s very wet. But the raw food, plus disregarding the advice to use the “vet formila” kibble, have completely solved his UTI problem. It’s been 5 years since he had one.
I have four cats eating Purina U/R…the corn stuff. I hate it. But I do give them the canned U/R w/the dry and water mixed in. The vet told me to make it soupy and that’s what they get. They eat it no problem. No recurrences either, lately, thank dog…
I have 13 cats in all, am a caregiver for an 88 y.o. mother, have an aging horse I have to visit often 70 miles away and take care of the shopping, cooking, cleaning, yard work…yadda, yadda, yadda.
Make homemade food for 13 cats?!?!? I don’t have time, thank you very much. I do the best I can.
I have 2 male cats, both who had to have the surgery for a blocked urinary tract. Both had problems with blood in urine, crystals, etc, before the surgery, and when there was a blockage they had life saving surgery. At one point though, before the surgery, when one of the cats was having trouble, I looked up holistic methods on the net for treatment, and I found out about celery juice. (through an email from someone on a cat forum, and from info I found on the net) So I made fresh celery juice from my juicer and then mixed in some tuna juice for palatability, and got that in to the cat with a small syringe. That time the cat got better.
I think stress might have been a factor as to why the 2 male neutered cats ended up needing the emergency sugery. (the surgery is done to make the urinary system work like that of a female instead of a male.) The urinary tract of the male is much narrower and longer than that of the female, thus there is a greater chance of bladder irritation and infections, and blockages.Anyway, back to the stress theory of why the cats may have got the blockages – we have 6 cats and one of the cats that ended up in surgery is not comfortable with the other cats and refuses to leave the bedroom, where he lives 24/7. I think there was some stress going on when I tried to get the cats to mingle with each other, to no avail. Also, I wonder if the temptations treats that my husband keeps buying and feeding them had something to do with the cause of the bladder problems? Whiskers Temptations has THREE cancer causing ingredients – BHA,BHT,and Ethoxyquin, but my husband still insists on buying that crap for the cats, and they are addicted to it.
The BEST cat food I found for this problem is Purina Urinary Tract formula!
A friend put me onto this years ago and my 2 cats – male and female – have NOT had ANY problems since making the switch 6 years ago. I highly recommend this food and formula!!