How to Maintain Your Cat’s Urinary Health

Cats are infamously known for getting plagued by urinary problems. This often leads to your cat making frequent visits to the litter box. Or they leave puddles all over your floors and bathtubs.

Urinary tract disease can be painful for your cat and almost wreak havoc on its bladder and urethra. But cats also commonly get kidney diseases, urethral obstructions, and chronic bladder inflammations—all these compromise your cat's health and overall well-being. So, taking the necessary steps to get them back into shape is crucial.

Cats' urethral problems also affect their owners. Cat owners go through a lot of stress trying to maintain their urinary health. There are multiple reasons why cats can get their urinary health compromised. If your cat shows any signs of urinary tract disease, immediately contact your vet.

In this post, we'll cover, what causes UTI in cats, how to maintain your cat's urinary health, and how to prevent UTI in cats.

Let's dive in.

Change Your Cat's Diet

Diet is one of the most critical factors that directly contribute to a cat's health. Cat has several diet options for various nutritional needs. Many cat foods are made explicitly for maintaining urinary health. Also, they provide the right amount of protein, minerals, and bladder-protecting ingredients.

These diets also regulate ingredients that directly compromise your cat's urinary health. Things like calcium, magnesium, phosphorus and various minerals can play a part in giving your cat urinary problems. They can even lead to crystal stone formation. You should reevaluate your cat's diet and eliminate those foods at any cost.

But before making any changes to your cat's diet, make sure to consult your vet. There are a lot of urinary diets available for cats. A vet will help you choose the right one for your cat and its needs. You'll find diets that help protect the cat's bladder linings. So, a proper diet is crucial for maintaining your cat's urinary health.

Drink More Water

Consuming more fresh water is vital for maintaining your cat's urinary health. The higher water content in the urine helps dilute the harmful minerals, toxins, and irritants that play a role in chronic bladder inflammation. Steadily increasing the amount of water your cat drinks is vital for keeping her urinary tract healthy. One of the most common questions that many fur parents have: does dry cat food cause urinary problems - is plausible.

Keeping your feline friend will ensure all the toxins are flushed out of their body. There are several ways to increase your cats' water intake.

• Cats are extremely clean creatures. They enjoy fresh water quite a bit. So, regularly clean your cat's bowl and offer clean and fresh water.
• Introduce canned foods to your cat. Canned diets usually have higher water content. So, that's a great way of regulating a cat's water intake
• Trying adding flavor to your waters. Any juice or sodium-less chicken broth encourages cats to drink more water
• Fountains are also an option. Most cats are fascinated by fountains. So, getting battery-powered fountains food for your cat can also help them drink more water

Schedule Appointments with Your Vet

Cats with urinary diseases need constant looking after and regular visits to the vet. Routine visits will help you keep track of your cat's health progress report. Along with that, you'll also detect any underlying urinary conditions during your visits.

Cats older than eight years old should visit the vet more often than younger cats. If your cat shows any symptoms of urinary issues, your vet might perform a urinalysis on them. This'll look for signs of infection, inflammation, and kidney dysfunction. They might even do blood work to check for kidney failure. That's the leading cause of death for cats. So, regular vet visits are crucial.

Cats diagnosed with urinary complications need special care. So, if you have any questions, schedule an appointment with your veterinarian.

Reduce Stress

Like us, cats also get affected by environmental stress and are susceptible to it. It's also linked with urinary tract disease, which causes chronic bladder inflation. For that, you need to help reduce the stress of your cat. Their several ways you can minimize your acts of stress

• Keep indoor environments for your cat where they can scratch, rest and climb
• Cats hate dirty litter boxes. So, try to clean them daily
• Cats can also be picky about the brand of litter they use. So, find a brand they like and don't change them
• Create a quiet place for your cats where they can seek refuge, especially if you have kids in your home

To Wrap It Up

Taking care of cats' urinary health can be rather stressful. But by following these simple steps, you can help your cat has a long and healthy life. And if you need any help or notice any UTI cat symptoms, visit us at Forever Vets for a checkup.