Stress in a cat can cause a urinary tract infection

[Hunter]

I had to take Frankie the cat to the vet this morning because he was having trouble passing urine.
The funny thing about Frankie is he very rarely will use the little box. He will meow at the door, I will let him out to do his business, and he will usually come back inside if it is nasty outside.
I noticed he would meow loudly when he urinated so I took him to the doctor this morning.
Dr. Cotton (a fine man and excellent vet) examined Frankie and other than his problem was in good health.
He then told me he had attended a seminar and learned that stress can cause cats to have a urinary tract infection. Their bladder will hurt and they will try to urinate and can not (the associate the pain of the bladder infection with it being full).
I know it sounds crazy but he said it was true, just thought I would pass along what I learned this morning (oh I also learned that infections are expensive ).

[EnglishCat]

That is very interesting Hunter. I have never heard of that in cats. It's amazing isn't it......stress gets to all of us 2 and 4 legged.

[Rich-D]

Hunter, I found this article which you may find interesting!

How to Treat Feline Urinary Tract Infection Without Putting Your Cat's Health at Risk

By the time you finish reading this, you are going to understand why prevention is the best medicine and why you should only give antibiotics to your cat as a last result. Feline urinary tract infection is not a common problem but 10% of cat visits to the vet involve lower urinary tract disease. Feline lower urinary tract disease is often referred to as a "silent killer" because your cat may not show any obvious symptoms. As a result the infection can eventually travel up to your cat's kidneys and kill him.

If cat urinary tract infection has progressed to the late stages, you most likely will need to take your cat to a veterinarian and administer conventional treatment. The most common treatment for feline urinary tract disease is antibiotics. Since the most common causes or urinary tract problems are bacterial infections and bladder stones, antibiotics function quickly and work to reduce pain and suppress symptoms.

The problem with antibiotics is that their overuse and abuse has led to the emergence of antibiotic-resistant strains of bacteria and a lack of preventive care amongst pet owners. People come to rely on a quick fix rather than implementing the necessary dietary and lifestyle changes. Recurrent feline urinary tract infection can be easily treated and prevented by proper care and holistic treatment at home.

An important step in reducing the incidence of UTI in your cat is making sure your cat always has access to fresh, clean water. The consumption of fresh, clean water promotes detoxification and the flushing out of harmful bacteria that causes cat urinary tract infection. It is also essential to feed your cat healthy, unprocessed foods that contain important minerals like magnesium. As a complementary therapy to conventional treatment or as a treatment method on its own, a homeopathic remedy can be highly beneficial. It can be taken for long periods with no risk of side effects.

If your cat is in the early stages of feline urinary tract infection, he can recover safely with homeopathic treatment. There is no need to make him suffer from the dangerous side effects of antibiotics, which are known aggravate infections since the doses required are very high. Antibiotics and surgery are treatments that should be considered as last resorts because they are expensive and have serious consequences.

Your goal? Prevent feline urinary tract infection from becoming a problem by making sure your cat's diet and lifestyle are health-promoting. It might break your heart to see your cat in pain but you shouldn't let that stop you from seeking out a treatment gives you results gradually yet effectively rather than immediately and temporarily. Use homeopathic remedies instead of antibiotics in order to treat mild infections and prevent future recurrences. If you do so, you will find that natural treatment gets to the root of the underlying problem and leads to permanent recovery rather than just a suppression of symptoms.

If you want to make sure you are giving your pets the best health care available, please take time to read more about the many natural alternatives at my site: http://www.natural-pet-treatment.com

BIO: Ann Matthews is a long time pet health enthusiast with Pet Alive who has a real passion for the well-being of all pets

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ann_Matthews

[Hunter]

Thanks for the article Rich, I would say it is too late to try other methods as I have already started Frankie on antibiotics.
I will keep the wisdom close at hand and be more diligent to prevent any further infections.
Funny thing is Frankie and Leroy eat, drink, and play all the same and Leroy has never had any real trouble.

[Rich-D]

Frankie may fooling around with some female feral cats during his outside excursions!

[rhtwist]

Very interesting posts. Hunter sorry your cat had to go through the discomfort.
Twist

[Hunter]

Rich, Frankie no longer has his wedding tackle so I doubt he is messing with a female feline.

Thanks Twist, second day on antibodies and he seems a little better.

[rhtwist]

Hunter,
Wedding Tackle? You kill me!
Twist

[BobCat]

Hunter,

Sorry to jump in so late, haven't been around for a while. Glad Frankie is better.

There is something that used to be called Feline Urinary Syndrome (FUS) and got changed to Feline Lower Urinary Tract Disorder (FLUTD) - the Vets like their acronyms - that looks like a UTI but culturing the urine shows no bacterial growth. It is "idiopathic" - big word that means they don't know what causes it.

The best thing for a male (neutered male too) cat is to keep him flushed. May not drink water even if it is offered. If Frankie gets any canned food, try mixing a little distilled water in it to make it a little soupy. If he usually eats dry kibble, you may wish to consider switching one meal a day to canned+water.

They can block, not be able to pee at all, and be dead in 24 hours. Struvite crystals, urate crystals, calcium oxylate stones - lots of info out there, may not be worth the cost of lab work to identify the exact culprit, but keeping him hydrated/flushed is the key to keeping him healthy.

There is some powder called Cosequin - contains mostly glucosamine, that you can sprinkle on his food. It is supposed to coat the bladder and limit irritation. Two of our guys are on it - so far, so good.

And yes, stress can definitely cause urinary tract problems - seen it happen, try to limit the bullying that some of them put on others, but they need to work out their own hierarchy. Helps if the shy ones have a "safe" place to retire to, and there is more than one litter box location (sometimes the bully will keep the shy one from the room with the box in it). We are lucky to have fenced a large part of the yard so they spend a lot of time out in the woods and on the back porch and each can stake out his or her own turf.

Healing "vibes" for Frankie - hang in there.

Regards,
Andrew

[Hunter]

Great post, thanks.
Frankie really will only eat dry food but he drinks a lot of water. Him and Leroy go through a few full water bowls a day.
The do not fight amongst each other but Frankie stays outside a lot more than Leroy and there is no telling what he gets into.
Frankie acts like he is feeling good now so I believe he is out of the woods. Thanks for all the good thoughts.