Did your cat have a urinary tract infection? Or, is this her second or third infection? About 20% of cats will have persistent infections.
Preventing feline urinary tract infections is not impossible and as an owner you can use several steps to learn how to prevent cat urinary tract problems.
1.
Stress can cause the immune system to lower its ability to fight off infection; keeping your cat healthy will help to lower the probability of stress related illness.
Contributing to stress can be the addition of another animal, kids, moving, etc.
2.
pH level in the urine.
You cat's pH level should be between 6 and 6.
5.
You can purchase testing paper and keep tract yourself and adjust her diet as necessary.
Some pet owners put small amounts of apple cider vinegar to help balance pH is too acidic.
Some commercial cat foods have acidifiers to keep your cat's pH at acceptable levels.
3.
Water.
Make sure your cat has an abundance of clean fresh water and a clean litter box in which to urinate.
This is very important so that bacteria are flushed out immediately; and if the immune system is also healthy, the two working together will lower the chance of an infection taking over.
Using canned food also helps to keep hydration levels high along with mixing extra water with their food.
4.
Fiber.
A large percentage of dry food is high in fiber, which causes more moisture to be drawn out as it goes through the bowels.
This causes the urine to be much more concentrated which isn't helpful for flushing out bacteria from the urinary tract.
5.
Ash content in food.
There is some debate on this topic.
Canned food should contain ash under 2.
5% so as not to pose any risk of urinary crystal formation while also making sure the cat receives a good balance of nutrition from the ash which is composed of Calcium, Phosphorus, and Magnesium.
6.
A good vitamin or herbal supplement can also contribute to the health of your cat.
There are many on the market, some better than others that you can try.
There are general type vitamins and some targeted just for specific purposes such as urinary tract infections.
Preventing feline urinary tract problems is possible if you implement these ideas.
They can work but you must be diligent in your cats care and it must be a life long schedule especially if kitty has had more than one urinary infection.
Preventing feline urinary tract infections is not impossible and as an owner you can use several steps to learn how to prevent cat urinary tract problems.
1.
Stress can cause the immune system to lower its ability to fight off infection; keeping your cat healthy will help to lower the probability of stress related illness.
Contributing to stress can be the addition of another animal, kids, moving, etc.
2.
pH level in the urine.
You cat's pH level should be between 6 and 6.
5.
You can purchase testing paper and keep tract yourself and adjust her diet as necessary.
Some pet owners put small amounts of apple cider vinegar to help balance pH is too acidic.
Some commercial cat foods have acidifiers to keep your cat's pH at acceptable levels.
3.
Water.
Make sure your cat has an abundance of clean fresh water and a clean litter box in which to urinate.
This is very important so that bacteria are flushed out immediately; and if the immune system is also healthy, the two working together will lower the chance of an infection taking over.
Using canned food also helps to keep hydration levels high along with mixing extra water with their food.
4.
Fiber.
A large percentage of dry food is high in fiber, which causes more moisture to be drawn out as it goes through the bowels.
This causes the urine to be much more concentrated which isn't helpful for flushing out bacteria from the urinary tract.
5.
Ash content in food.
There is some debate on this topic.
Canned food should contain ash under 2.
5% so as not to pose any risk of urinary crystal formation while also making sure the cat receives a good balance of nutrition from the ash which is composed of Calcium, Phosphorus, and Magnesium.
6.
A good vitamin or herbal supplement can also contribute to the health of your cat.
There are many on the market, some better than others that you can try.
There are general type vitamins and some targeted just for specific purposes such as urinary tract infections.
Preventing feline urinary tract problems is possible if you implement these ideas.
They can work but you must be diligent in your cats care and it must be a life long schedule especially if kitty has had more than one urinary infection.