Signs Your Cat May Have a Urinary Tract Infection

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If you suspect your cat may have a urinary tract infection you are not alone. In fact, just shy of two out of every ten cats will become infected seriously enough to require a veterinary visit and if we were to combine the number of urinary tract infections requiring a trip to the vet with those which are mild enough to be treated at home, or clear up naturally, the number probably would be somewhere north of 50 percent.

But the truth of the matter is if you are reading this article chances are you at least suspect your cat may have contracted a urinary tract infection and are looking for information on signs and symptoms.

Rest assured you have come to the right place and I will do my best to provide you with an unbiased list of symptoms based on my personal experience with this condition.

What I can tell you is that, at least with my pets, the symptoms tend to vary greatly depending primarily on how advanced the condition was when finally identified. I should also point out that about 1 percent of the time no symptoms are present but I have yet to experience this with my felines.

Okay let's get down to business listing the symptoms of cat urinary tract infections.

*Excessive water consumption: A cats natural response to infections of the urinary tract is to consume large amount of water and indeed I have found this to be one of the earliest warning signs. So if you wake up in the morning only to find your pets water bowl empty there is 50/50 chance that a cat urinary tract infection is brewing. I should point out that other conditions such as diabetes can increase water consumption as well but this warning sign should put you on guard that something is wrong.

*Fatigue: This is another early warning sign that almost always accompanies this type of infection but once again it could be a sign of other conditions as well. If you notice excessive water consumption and fatigue together a trip to the vet is certainly in order.

*Painful Urination: Cats will display this symptom in a number of different ways including crying, howling, hunching their back, or grunting while urinating. When this occurs it is an indication that the infection is gaining momentum and likely has established a sound foothold in the bladder.

*Excessive licking of private areas: This hasn't always been present with my cats but is a common sign worth mentioning. They will sometimes like themselves raw over time requiring an antibiotic cream or save to prevent infection.

*Urinating outside the litter box: Cats can be sneaky with this one and it doesn't always have a be giant pool of urine easily seen in the middle of the hallway. In fact, what I have found is that isolated hard to get to places seem to be the target of their stinky bacterial laden urine more often than not.

*Sensitivity to the touch: As you know cats normally crave attention but when a cat urinary tract infection is present this will likely change. When infected the lower stomach area of their anatomy will become sensitive and painful to the touch.

*Other signs: Scooting, isolationism, low grade fever, blood in the urine, unusually pungent urine, and uncharacteristic aggressive defensive behavior toward people and other pets.

In conclusion, normally the signs of a cat urinary tract infection are pretty obvious if you know what to look for. Once suspected early treatment with antibiotics in conjunction with a homeopathic pet UTI remedy is essential to stopping the bacteria before it has a chance to either do permanent damage or become so entrenched it becomes chronic.

Robert D. Hawkins is an enthusiastic consumer advocate for natural health and natural living with over 10 years experience in the field. To discover more about pet health along with information about safe and effective herbal and homeopathic pet remedies Click Here

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