Does anyone know about a recurring UTI in male cat??

bahger

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Our adorable 13 year-old neutered male Ocicat Chas has had difficulty peeing, twice now. On seeing his distress the first time, I took him to the vet, who initially dismissed a Urinary Tract Infection because they are rare in males and said it might be stress. We considered this but felt it was unlikely, as he is a contented, sociable, much-loved indoor cat with very few stress triggers in his life. Sure enough, blood tests proved that he did indeed have a UTI (E-coli), which was then knocked down successfully by the third antibiotic the vet prescribed.

Now, about a year later, the UTI has reoccurred but we caught it fast (there was blood in his urine) and it appears that another round of the same AB has alleviated Chas's discomfort and inability to pee. I am wondering whether re-occurrences are common, whether anyone else with a male cat has experienced this and whether there is anything preventative we can do (I gather cranberry extract can be effective). He should probably have an x-ray to identify any stones in his bladder or urinary tract.

Can anyone shed some light on this? As always, I am grateful for the wisdom on offer here.
 

Furballsmom

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Hi! My boy had a UTI when he was about two, and his vet at the time told his then-owners to begin feeding wet food. He's now 14, gets wet food throughout the day, and a little kibble now and then and hasn't had a relapse.

If you're feeling dry food you may want to consider beginning to feed him canned food.
 
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bahger

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Hi! My boy had a UTI when he was about two, and his vet at the time told his then-owners to begin feeding wet food. He's now 14, gets wet food throughout the day, and a little kibble now and then and hasn't had a relapse.

If you're feeling dry food you may want to consider beginning to feed him canned food.
Thank you. Wet food only here, too.
 

Furballsmom

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Is your water quality good? If not, or maybe do so anyway if you aren't due to the "extras" that can be in tap water, use a water filter...Brita, or pur are good.
 
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bahger

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Is your water quality good? If not, or maybe do so anyway if you aren't due to the "extras" that can be in tap water, use a water filter...Brita, or pur are good.
That's interesting. I wonder how to determine water quality here in L.A. The mysterious thing is that if it had been carried in the water, you'd think Chas's (female) litter-mate, Pherber, would have picked it up.
 

Furballsmom

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What I was thinking of is more along the lines of the load/effort on his kidneys/bladder, and trying to ease that so that his whole urinary system is stronger.

I believe there are tap water tests available (other than the ones that the whole house water purifier/softener people do).
 

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shadowsrescue

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You might do some research on D mannose. It can really help cats with recurrent UTI's. It's a powder that can be added to wet food.

Water, water, water is your best friend. I have a male cat who is 6 years old. He has blocked 3x. He had pu surgery 2 years ago and all was well until this past April. He blocked again. I am using a cocktail of products and he seems ok for now. Yet the best thing is to be sure he gets enough water. My boy is not a big water drinker. He is fed only wet food. In his morning meal, he gets an extra 2 T. of warm water added to his food. The same at night. I then give him the empty cat to lick. I add 5 T. of water to the can. He drinks it all.
 
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bahger

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This is all very interesting and helpful, thank you.

Today the vet called to say that the urine test came back negative, even though there was blood in the sample, which the vet thinks was triggered by stress; we had noisy construction in the house recently and out college-age children came and then went for Thanksgiving. He thinks the sedative he gave Chas -- which made him all pie-eyed and stoned for 48 hours -- was what unblocked him. He does drink his water. What do you guys think of this stress theory? I am not keen to pay eye-watering amounts of money to the vet every time this happens if the sample comes back negative (although the first time it happened it was E-coli which responded to an antibiotic). Any thoughts?
 

shadowsrescue

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There are some other supplements that can help too. You can also search Cornsilk extract (without alcohol) for cats with urinary issues. Having a stress free environment is key as well. I use feliway plug ins and also supplements for stress to keep my boy as calm as possible.
 

furmonster mom

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Stress can definitely be a factor.
Also, whether your water or food is too acidic or alkaline can be a contributing factor. I forget what the range is supposed to be, maybe someone else can weigh in on that. Living in the desert, we have pretty hard water, so I generally filter everything through the Britta pitcher... even for my houseplants!
I've also heard that males are generally more susceptible to UTIs, so not sure why your vet ignored that possibility initially. weird.
 

Furballsmom

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Not to put too find a point on the stress factor, but there is a current thread on this site where prior to renovation construction, the cat was basically fine. Afterwards, the owner is having an extremely difficult time because the cat reacted very poorly to the stress and can't seem to return to a balanced state of being.

Some cats are incredibly sensitive to change and disruption.

There are calming products in addition to feliway, and there is Relax My Cat, MusicforCats . com, and classical harp music, low volume and not on all the time, but music has been shown to help some cats to be more calm.
 
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