Keep Your Cats Urinary Issues At Bay
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The Spruce / Sabrina Jiang
Many house cats struggle with a variety of conditions that affect their bladder and/or urethra, broadly known as urinary tract health. This can present as difficulty and pain when urinating, increased frequency of urination and/or blood in the urine. Cats may urinate outside the litter box, in corners, a sink, or a bathtub. While these issues can occur at any age, it is often seen in middle-aged, overweight cats that dont get enough exercise.
A cats diet can contribute to urinary pH imbalance or help improve it. Diets can vary in how they support urinary tract health, but its important to look for restricted amounts of minerals, such as magnesium and phosphorus, which can contribute to the development of urinary crystal and stone formation, explains Dr. Danielle Bernal, Global Veterinarian with Wellness Natural Pet Food. The crystals cause painful urination and the stones are painful to pass. They may cause urinary tract infections, blockages, or kidney problems.
Below are a few of the best urinary tract health cat foods available today.
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Chicken is the first ingredient
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Includes digestive support ingredients
S For Maintaining Your Cats Urinary Health
Cats are notoriously plagued by urinary problems. Kidney disease, chronic bladder inflammation, and urethral obstruction are common feline medical conditions, and many owners want to know how they can maintain their cats urinary health and keep these problems at bay. Whether your cat has a history of urinary trouble, or you hope to prevent disease development, use these five tips:
#1: Increase Your Cats Water Intake
A higher urine water content dilutes the toxins, minerals, and urinary irritants that can lead to problems. Concentrated urine is more likely to form crystals and urinary stones, and irritants can contribute to chronic bladder inflammation. Increasing your cats water intake is one of the most important steps toward keeping her urinary tract healthy. More water also means your cat will stay hydrated and urinate more frequently, which will flush out toxins and maintain kidney function.
Try incorporating these ideas into your cats daily routine to increase her water intake:
#2: Reevaluate Your Cats Diet
Before changing your cats diet, consult your family veterinarian. Many urinary diets are available, and she can help you choose one that is appropriate for your cats needs. She can also counsel you about gradually changing your cat to a new food so she will accept it. Cats are creatures of habit and may not do well with a sudden switch.
#3: Reduce Your Cats Environmental Stress
#4: Provide Environmental Enrichment for Your Cat
What Are Symptoms Of A Uti In Females
- The most common sign of a UTI is a strong urgency to urinate.
- Dysuria is when sharp pains or burning is felt when urinating.
- The urge to urinate returns minutes later .
- Soreness may be felt in the lower abdomen, in the back or in the sides.If you notice a strong odor, cloudy urine or even blood presence, you should walk-in to the GYN Emergent Care Center for immediate care.
If bacteria enters the ureters and spreads to the kidneys, symptoms may include back pain, chills, fever, nausea and vomiting.
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How To Know If Your Bladder Is Irritated
If your bladder isnt healthy, it’ll tell you through symptoms. Your bladder symptoms may include:
- Painful urination.
- Pain or pressure in the abdomen or bladder areas.
- Pain in the pelvic floor muscles or bladder muscles.
- General bladder pain.
Some common bladder issues that can cause these symptoms are:
Urinary tract infections . UTIs occur when bacteria enter your urethra and infect a part of your urinary tract. Symptoms are usually pain and burning while urinating, cloudy urine, and frequent urination.
Bladder infections. Bladder infections are another form of infection created by unwanted bacteria entering your urethra and spreading to your bladder. A bladder infection is usually more severe than a typical UTI. Symptoms typically include pain in your bladder or abdomen, fever, and chills.
Interstitial cystitis. Also known as painful bladder syndrome, this chronic condition has many causes and symptoms, are general pain and pressure in your bladder. Symptoms include painful and frequent urination and chronic pain in your bladder.
Overactive bladder . OAB comes with a frequent and sudden urge to pee that you may not be able to control. Damaged or weak detrusor muscles cause OAB. Symptoms of OAB often include voiding your urine more than usual and during the night.
Stress incontinence. Stress incontinence occurs when you leak urine when laughing, coughing, sneezing, exercising, or lifting heavy objects. In addition, weak bladder muscles can cause stress incontinence.
Take A Break From Coffee To Ease Bladder Infection Symptoms
Sure, your morning cup of java perks you up, but it may also make your UTI symptoms act up again. Caffeine is known to irritate the bladder and worsen bladder infection symptoms. A study of people with interstitial cystitis found that people who drank coffee experienced worsened symptoms. Try a mug of noncaffeinated herbal tea to replace your morning coffee ritual until you are UTI-free.
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Holistic Select Beef Pate Recipe
Another nutritious option in moisture-rich canned food for your dog is this Holistic Select Beef Pate Recipe Canned Food. It features a holistic recipe made with several premium sources of high-quality animal protein including beef, pork liver and whitefish.
It is grain-free, made with digestible carbohydrates including peas and flaxseed with cranberry and blueberry powder to provide a boost of urinary tract-supporting antioxidants. This recipe provides the ideal blend of protein and healthy fats plus essential vitamins and chelated minerals for balanced nutrition.
It is a highly digestible formula, made with supplemental fiber, so you can rest easy knowing that your dog will be able to absorb and utilize more of the nutritional content. Plus, it contains a blend of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids to promote shiny skin and coat so your dog looks his best.
- Pros: Rich in moisture and premium animal proteins, optimal blend of protein and healthy fats, cranberry powder for urinary health support, chelated minerals
- Cons: Contains some plant protein , contains some thickeners
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Purina Pro Plan Focus Adult Urinary Tract Health
Our first and favorite pick of the bunch is this Urinary Tract Health Formula cat food from Purina.
Purina being a household name speaks volumes about the quality of their cat foods. Well respected and loved by cats around the world, you can be sure your cat wont turn their nose up at this. And the Pro Plan range is their best-quality diet, its recommended by vets and compliant with the World Small Animal Veterinary Association nutrition guidelines.
For a wet cat food thats targeted specifically at a common health problem, its very reasonably priced.
With the Purina Pro Plan FOCUS range, you can be sure youre feeding them a cat food designed to help relieve the symptoms and prevent the causes of urinary tract infections every single day without breaking the bank.
It comes in a range of delicious flavors, each with the same urinary health benefits. You dont have to worry about your cat not liking the taste.
Their feeding guidelines suggest 1.1 oz per pound of body weight daily. You should divide this into two or more meals as you see fit, and dont feed it to pregnant cats or kittens.
Weve rated it so highly because its the perfect blend of value and efficacy and weve never known a cat to dislike a Purina wet cat food.
Check out the thousands of others who rate this highly using the button above.
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Whats A Cpac And Why Is It Helpful
I know I mentioned this above, but in case youve scrolled down without reading, heres the info again:
PACs are a class of polyphenols .
The PACs found in cranberries help prevent the adhesion of certain harmful bacteria, including E. coli .
Supplements can deliver a higher dose of cPACs, compared to juice.
As soon as I suspected my UTI, I was taking 2 cranberry supplements a day throughout the infection and for two weeks post just for good measure.
This is the one I use :
You Dont Drink Enough Water
Guzzling H2O will make you go pretty often. And thats a good thing. When you do this, the bacteria gets flushed out before they have a chance to grab hold, Minkin says.
Consider that your cue to make a giant water bottle your BFF. Hooton TM, et al. . Effect of increased daily water intake in premenopausal women with recurrent urinary tract infections: A randomized clinical trial. DOI: 10.1001/jamainternmed.2018.4204
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Aromatherapy When Youre Battling An Active Uti
If you have an active infection and are working with your physician to combat it, aromatherapy can assist these medical efforts, Chesla says.
You can continue using the same blend as you use for prevention, but add a few extra drops of cedarwood. Tea tree oil can also battle bacteria, so you can substitute this for the cedarwood if you desire. Youll need to source this oil extremely carefully, though, because so much of what is sold as tea tree oil is actually synthetic, Chesla says.
Chesla also recommends supporting your painful abdomen by massing it with a blend of equal parts clary sage , geranium , and lavender , again mixed into a carrier oil. Clary sage can have anti-spasmodic effects, while the others are said to induce calm.
Foods To Avoid If You Have Overactive Bladder
Urinary incontinence can be an embarrassing problem. Its important to remember that youre not alone. Contact us for your treatment options.
If you have overactive bladder, you may feel strong, sudden urges to urinate, even during the night. Eating or drinking certain things can make symptoms worse, mainly because your bladder is sensitive to irritants that can trigger the urge to go.
Paying attention to these triggersand avoiding them if possiblecan go a long way toward cutting down on sudden bathroom trips. Here are 10 types of food and drink that can worsen overactive bladder.
Spicy foodsYou may want to reconsider reaching for hot pepper sauce at every meal or always eating sushi with wasabi. For pretty much the same reason that hot, spicy foods can make your mouth burn, it is thought they can irritate the bladder lining and worsen symptoms. If you want to eat foods with flavor, you can use some herbs instead of spices, says Harvey Winkler, MD, co-chief of urogynecology at North Shore-Long Island Jewish Health System in Manhasset, N.Y.
Cranberry juiceCranberry juice helps fight off bladder infections, but it can be a culprit in worsening overactive bladder symptoms.
The berries acidity can irritate the bladder, and although its diuretic action helps flush out the bladder and urethra, it will also make you go more frequently.
Eating fruit also helps stave off constipation, which can sometimes plague people with overactive bladder.
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Can A Blood Clot Change The Color Of Your Urine
The presence of blood clots is likely to change the urine color to bright pink, red or dark yellow. However, if the existence of blood clots is insignificant, the urine color will appear normal.
If a UTI is severe enough to cause bleeding to the point of forming clots, then it would probably be accompanied by severe urinary symptoms frequent urination, burning, urgency, etc.
Best For Senior Cats: Blue Buffalo W+u Weight Management + Urinary Care Wet Food
Key Ingredients: Chicken, chicken broth and liver, pea protein, potatoes, whitefish, carrots, cranberries | Calories per Serving: 68 | Balance: Crude Protein min. 8.5%, Crude Fat min. 2.5%, Crude Fiber max. 4%, Moisture max. 78% | Life Stage: Adult, senior | Texture: Paté
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Manages two problems with one food
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Grain-free
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Prescription required
Obesity can be a problem for senior kitties who become less active as they age, especially for indoor only cats and those with health problems that sap their energy or reduce their mobility. Since some urinary problems are more common in senior, overweight and/or obese cats, it makes sense to consider a food that provides ideal levels of fat, calories, and fiber to help your cat manage its weight as well as controlled mineral levels to keep urine pH lower to prevent crystal and stone formation.
Blue Buffalo W+U Weight Management and Urinary Care canned wet food is an excellent choice carried by many veterinarians. With chicken as the first ingredient, this food also has added plant fiber in the form of powdered cellulose so your cat will feel fuller despite being a lower calorie food. Levels of magnesium and sodium are controlled to promote balanced urinary pH.
Blue Buffalo reports that its science-based formulas are developed by a team of PhD animal nutritionists, food scientists, and veterinarians.
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Why You Shouldnt Drink Alcohol When Taking Antibiotics
Alcohol interrupts the bodys healing process. Drinking also excessively interferes with sleep patterns, and if the individual struggling with a UTI doesnt receive quality rest, they could be fighting the infection longer than necessary. While you should avoid mixing nitrofurantoin and alcohol, getting a professional opinion can be helpful when deciding if you can still have a drink.
The best route to take when deciding whether or not to consume alcohol while taking nitrofurantoin or Macrobid would be to discuss matters over with a doctor or medical professional. Your doctors decision will be based on individual medical history and medications currently being taken. For example, if someone inquires about consuming alcohol while undergoing liver problems and taking Macrobid, the doctor will say no to this combination.
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Diet Changes Your Bladder Will Love
Whether you are living with incontinence or caring for a child or parent who experiences incontinence, diet is a critical factor in promoting a healthy bladder. While abs may be made in the kitchen, the same goes for incontinence. What you eat and drinkand what you dontdirectly affects your bladder.
If youre wondering how to calm an irritated bladder, youve come to the right place. And dont worry, you wont have to give up all of the good stuff! Weve included some tasty snack and meal ideas you can easily add to your weekly grocery haul. Keep reading to find out more.
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Acidic Fruits Can Worsen Symptoms Of A Bladder Infection
Fruit may be an essential part of a healthy diet, but fruits containing a lot of acid can irritate the bladder and worsen your UTI symptoms. So try to avoid lemons, oranges, grapefruits, and tomatoes when you’re treating a UTI. Other fruits that may cause bladder irritation and worsen a urinary tract infection include apples, peaches, grapes, plums, strawberries, and pineapple. You should also steer clear of juices made from these fruits.
What Is A Urinary Tract Infection
A urinary tract infection or UTI is an infection anywhere in your bladder, kidneys or in the urinary system.
An infection of the upper urinary tract or the bladder is called a bladder infection or cystitis. An infection in the urethra is called urethritis. Women tend to be more at risk of these types of infections due to their anatomy they have a much shorter area between the urethra and the opening to the urethra to the bladder. Urinary tract infections are rare in men under 50 due to their anatomy.
A more serious infection of the lower urinary tract is an infection of the kidney and the ureters and is called pyelonephritis. This is a complication and occurs when the bladder infection progresses to the kidneys.
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According to the Stanford Medicines Michael Hsieh Lab, half of women and men will have experienced a urinary tract infection during our lifetime at least once. They are the most common infection, and can lead to death in patients who are experiencing it severely. Antibiotics are the most effective therapy.The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases account 8.1 million visits to the clinic, hospitals for UTI purposes. For women, the risk of getting a UTI is 50 percent greater than a man.
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How Common Is Bladder Cancer
Globally, approximately 1 in 100 men and 1 in 400 women will develop bladder cancer at some stage during their life. Bladder cancer rates vary considerably by region, being highest in Europe and North America, and in most regions bladder cancer is 3 to 4 times more common in men than in women. In the United States, the lifetime risk of bladder cancer is approximately 1 in 25 for men and 1 in 100 for women.1,2
Drinks Lots Of Water Then Drink Some More
Typically, I drink loads of water.
Remember my long run the day before I was symptomatic?
Looking back, I probably didnt drink as much as I should have, which is one of the reasons I thought it was possibly a bladder lining issue.
As a long distance runner, this is not an unheard of issue, especially if youre not hydrating properly.
Water serves to flush bacteria from your bladder.
Symptomatic or not, its a good idea to stay hydrated for bladder health.
My insulated cup ochoice:
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Should I Take Antibiotics To Prevent Uti
Not usually. Antibiotics are medicines used to kill bacteria that cause infection. When you take an antibiotic to kill bacteria, the bacteria can change or adapt in a way that it becomes resistant to the antibiotic being used. This means that the antibiotic can no longer kill the bacteria. It takes a stronger antibiotic to then kill the bacteria in the future. There are a limited number of antibiotics that can kill bacteria, so its best to use antibiotics only when needed to avoid reaching the point when the bacteria are resistant to all antibiotics.
Here are a few recommendations for using antibiotics and better avoiding antibiotic resistance.
- Do not take antibiotics that are not prescribed to you.
- Do not take antibiotics for conditions that do not require them. For example, dont take antibiotics to treat viruses like the cold or flu.
- Do not take antibiotics simply because your urine has bacteria. It is very common for people with SCI to have bacteria in their urine, so you usually only need to take an antibiotic to treat a UTI when you begin to you have signs and symptoms.
- Antibiotics may be used to prevent infection in some situations. For example, women with SCI are often prescribed antibiotics to prevent UTI during pregnancy.