- Frequent urination
- Straining to pee in the litter box but not successful
- Accidental urination outside the litter box
- Lethargy, loss of appetite
- Fever
UTI may be a symptom of something more major such as a kidney or bladder infection, especially if left untreated. If the cat starts to show blood in its urine, it could mean crystals or stones that need to be removed, and may even require surgery.
UTI treatment usually involves a broad-spectrum antibiotic, one of the common ones is amoxycilin which is usually given as a compound with clavulanic acid. I know this because the vet is closed on Sunday and we had to find a way to treat Scooter's illness over the weekend; we happen to have amoxycilin on hand - also an antibiotic given for fever. So far Scooter seems to have improved in his frequent peeing and the accidental urinations are decreasing. I also gave him anti-inflammatory painkiller both yesterday and today, vitamins for appetite, and rehydration fluid which contains salt that will entice him to drink more fresh water to flush out the infection. We tried feeding him canned food mixed with cranberry juice which helps in treating UTI, but he has no appetite. Amoxycilin, the antibiotic, can be administered as an injection (only in veterinary practice, the same drug for humans is usually orally administered) and so we will be bringing him to the vet for a jab if his condition doesn't improve further. Meanwhile, we monitor his condition and see if he gets better or worse. We have been checking his urine - no blood - and keeping him cool as he has a mild fever.
UTI can be brought on by stress, poor diet, dehydration. Scooter is not likely stressed, but he might have been drinking less water before today because I just realised the water fountain motor pump needed to be fixed and Scooter, like many cats, likes drinking running water more than still water. In the past, many used to blame a dry food diet for urinary problems like UTI, but most pet food manufacturers have modified their formulas to prevent urinary problems.
That and our cats get canned i.e. wet food once in two days, and our cat fountain is now working properly after I detected and fixed it - a sliver of fur had gotten stuck in the rotary fan part of the motor and just needed to be cleaned. A water fountain, having canned food in your cat's diet, premium quality dry food, will help ensure good urinary tract health for your cat.
I certainly hope Scooter can recover without going to the vet - he hates going outside of the house and to the vet!
