Cowboy's story
(Dealing with Urinary Tract Infections)
Cowboy once was a stray cat who was abandoned by his previous owners when they moved. He went from place to place begging for food, eating out of dumpsters before inviting himself into our home, and sitting down in the Living room. He was skinny, dirty, and covered with fleas, but very friendly. After confirming that Cowboy was in fact a stray, my husband and I adopted him. We promptly took him to the vet for treatment. Our vet estimated that he might be a couple years old, but his teeth weren’t in great condition, and he required a deep cleaning. So, who knows how old he really was but none of that mattered, Cowboy found his furever home.
About a year later, Cowboy developed Urinary Tract Infections. The poor kitty was howling loudly and peeing out blood. I quickly took him to our vet in Los Angeles, she prescribed antibiotics, pain medication, and prescription wet cat food. She informed me that UTI’s in male cats are very painful and if left untreated, even within 24 hours, it can cause death. Sometimes the male cat’s urethra will get blocked and only a veterinarian can unblock it. Unfortunately, if this happens more than a couple times, the kitty may need surgery to fix the problem. From what I understand, it’s a specialty surgery and only places like ASEC/Dr Anderson can do it. Dr. Martin Goldstein talks about this surgery in his book, The Nature of Animal Healing.
I felt that since Cowboy has never gotten blocked, I could control his UTI’s with his diet and supplements. Things that worked for most cats, didn’t work for Cowboy, not even the prescription dry cat food. According to my vet, it also wasn’t good to keep him on the prescription wet food for a long period. I guess anything in moderation is good. I did a ton of research on the internet, through trial and error, and closely monitoring him, I found a formula that worked. I’m sure every cat is different but I will share the information I gathered hoping to help other kitties with the same problem.
Cats are picky eaters. So, the first thing I did was to buy a quality wet cat food that Cowboy likes from a reputable manufacturer. I do not recommend buying pet food from the grocery store. After trying several brands, I feed him Wellness Brand cat food. He likes the Pate’, beef and chicken dinner. I also add supplements, 1/8 tsp of SeaMeal by Solid Gold and 1/4 tsp UT Answer D-Mannose & Cranberry Concentrate, mixed with his wet food to help prevent future UTIs. Cowboy loves dry cat food, so I buy him Katz N Flocken rice and lamb by Solid Gold. I feed him ¼ cup per day, as a treat in the evening, after he has eaten his wet food. So far, that has worked like a charm and Cowboy is thrilled.
Another trigger for the UTI’s is the cat litter. Unscented Cat Litter only is mandatory! Even if Cowboy uses lightly scented cat litter, he will get a UTI after a couple days. The litter box must get scooped daily to prevent the cat from getting bacteria in his urethra, therefore causing a UTI. I also recommend dumping the litter once a week and cleaning the litter boxes with soap and water. An extra-large litter box is ideal or preferably two for your kitty. They will have more room to move around in the XL litter box, preventing them from contacting bacteria. Bottled water only, no tap, distilled, or Alkaline water. Cowboy prefers Mountain Spring Water. After giving him bottled water and the other tips, I’ve mentioned, Cowboy hasn’t had a UTI in years, and we’d like to keep it that way.
Hopefully, some of these tips will work for your cat too. I’m not an expert on the subject or a veterinarian. I discovered what works and continues to work for my cat. Always consult with your veterinarian to see what’s best for your cat.