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Originally Posted by Ducman69  Great advice given, but I just wanted to add that it is a misconception that all or even most UTIs are caused by crystals/stones, for which hydration plays a primary role. In women, hygiene and hormones are a more common cause for example, rather than just not drinking enough. Likewise in kitties it may have been from urine retention or unsanitary litterbox conditions or being overweight or just a fluke from a hormone imbalance and many other things. From what I'm told, in the majority of the cases, the vets really don't know the cause of UTIs and just treat symptoms.
A dilute urine and a higher urine PH both make for a more hospitable environment for bacteria, which drinking does not address at all. When checking for a UTI, one thing your vet should have noted was not just the urine PH and if crystals are present but also its concentration, as a highly concentrated urine indicates bacterial infection is unlikely and thus a culture unnecessary.
The reason I mention this, is that if your cat is on an all wet diet, its normal for them to drink very little at all, especially if not active while feeling under the weather. It may simply require time for the antibiotics to work, and perhaps a food with an acidifier if prescribed by your vet, reducing concerns over getting the cat to drink a whole lot.  |
The culture turned up lots of bacteria. My vet says "The more the dilution, the less the pollution.", which means it's best to get more water in him to flush the bad stuff out of his system. Water has cleansing properties and I believe it will help him.
Midnight Sun eats both wet and dry. I can't get my kitties off the dry because Christopher Cody absolutely refuses to eat wet food (even people food like chicken or turkey breast).
True that drinking water doesn't affect the urinary PH, but it just seems logical that water helps flush out toxins and other bad stuff. If a cat has concentrated urine sitting inside his warm little body for too long, it seems to me that bacteria would thrive.
Midnight Sun used to drink a lot of water and he was fine for four years. Then for some reason he stopped. Next thing I know, he is squatting in the litter box for 25 minutes. Then there was blood. Then there was Clavamox.
Thank you for taking the time and thought for your post. Do you know of anything natural that lowers a cat's urine PH level? My concern about the prescription diets is that the nutrition is substandard.
His urine was concentrated but the urinalysis turned up lots of bacteria and no crystals. This situation is so confusing. I just want my babies to be healthy and happy.
