How to prevent UTI's in male cat?

Question

I have a male cat and want to prevent UTI's in him he's eating Meow Mix market selects wet food (Wellness dry food) Thats the only wet food he'll eat I think I've tried everything! I buy the poultry flavors because I heard any seafood in a male cat can trigger these UTI's is this true? I found out theres some type of fish broth and tuna in all the flavors! Is this a big deal and if so any other suggetions to what wet food maybe similar to the meow mix thats better? Thanks!

Answer 1

wtf is a uti?

you know your falling too much for that vet. mumbo jumbo...

they're milking you.

Answer 2

That food should be fine if he's been eating it and not having any problems.  Changing foods may cause a UTI however.  If he is happy with the food he is eating - stay with it.  The seafood flavoring is an urban myth, and I have no idea how it started.  Make sure you cat gets a balanced diet (It sounds like you are doing that) and plenty of fresh water (make sure you wash out the dry food and water bowls once or twice a week and obviously the wet food plate daily).  If your cat is diagnosed with a UTI by a vet, then you can purchase Cranberry Paste for Cats - and that should help.

Answer 3

I had to put down my male kitty several years ago for urinary tract blockages. :(  

What the vet told me at the time was that you need to look for a food that's "low ash" and/or "low magnesium". You'll have to compare labels to be sure which one is the best, but I found the ones labeled "urinary health" or "senior" seemed to do the best. I currently by Purina One urinary health dry food.

Answer 4

I give my cats cranberry pills - the small ones O

and put lemon juice in the water...

this changes the PH in the urine.

I feed my cats a dry food that is good for urinary tract helth (it has morris on the package)

and Frisky's wet food.

I have had no problems since I started this food and the lemon juice water.

good luck  

Answer 5

The phosphates in fish cat food can possibly cause problems for some cats who are prone to develop UTI's in the first place.

In male cats, a narrow urethra is genetic so that is one variable you have no control over.  Some will, and some will never develop problems.  In addition, if they develop crystals, they can be of two types; struvite and oxalate, and that requires different strategies.

If you are trying to prevent something that has not yet happened, you are really operating blind.  It is good to be aware it could happen, but that doesn't mean it will happen.

From the way your question is posed, I assume you are anticipating a problem, not that you have a problem with him yet.  Hills s/d is supposed to be good at preventing crystals as well as a type of Royal Canin.  But here are some factors in developing a UTI, as well as stress:

- inherited traits

- congenital traits

- acquired problems (like infection, but infection usually not present in young FLUTD cats, infection is much more common in older FLUTD cats)

- diet too high in magnesium

- diet too high in ammonia

- diet too high in phosphorus

- diet too high in protein

- diet that produces a urine of the wrong pH

- diet too high in vitamin D or C

- inadequate water consumption (water not freely available, water not fresh, dry food)

- cat holds its urine too long (dirty litter box, litter the cat doesn't like, inadequate access to box due to territorial issues in multicat households)

- cat can't fully empty bladder

- obesity

- lack of activity or exercise

- acquired or inherited defect in the normal host defenses of the urinary tract. These include, but are not limited to:

--- normal micturition (adequate urine volume, frequent voiding, complete voiding)

--- anatomic structures (urethral high pressure zones, surface characteristics of urothelium, urethral peristalsis, prostatic secretions (antibacterial fraction and immunoglobulins), ureteral peristalsis, glomerular mesangial cells, extensive renal blood supply and flow)

--- mucosal defense barriers (antibody production, surface layer (glycosaminoglycans), intrinsic mucosal antibacterial properties, exfoliation of cells, bacterial interference by commensal microbes of distal urethra and genital tract)

--- antimicrobial properties of urine (extreme (high or low) urine pH, hyperosmolality, high concentration of urea, organic acids, small molecular weight carbohydrates, Tamm-Horsfall mucoprotein)

--- competence of the systemic immune system (cell-mediated immunity, humoral-mediated immunity)

Answer 6

They're not great quality food. I'd take a trip to PetSmart for the good stuff if I were you - Hills, Royal Canin and Iams are all decent enough quality brands that come in canned.

You can always feed him chicken together with his canned food, this will provide him with a fair bit of moisture. Other important things to observe are to keep the cat slim and trim (get a vet to check he's at his ideal weight) and to avoid stressors.

Some cats are more prone to UTIs than others. End of the day if he really is prone there may be no avoiding it. There are prescription urinary diets available which work excellently, but  a vet wouldn't give you these unless the cat had actually shown signs of a UTI.

Why are you especially worried about this, has he suffered with UTI before? If not there's no reason to think he ever will!

Chalice