Owning a pet comes with great responsibility; there are various things you need to do as long as you own a cat. One of the things you must be is observant; this is the only way you can identify if your cat has a health issue or character issues that you need to deal with quickly. One of the scariest things to see is blood in a cat’s urine; we will show you how to deal with it.
The major cause of blood in a cat’s urine is a health condition called feline lower urinary tract disease. Some home remedies to treat a cat’s urinary tract infection are exercising, changing the cat’s diet, hydration, feeding the cat vitamins, and over-the-counter (OTC) relaxants.
Seeing blood in your cat’s urine is a major cause of concern, and although the best thing to do is to take the cat to a veterinary doctor, there are home remedies for it in the absence of a vet.
Blood In Cat Urine
There are various reasons you will find blood in your cat’s urine; most of the causes result from health conditions. However, they can also be triggered by the environment, the owner’s actions towards the car, and various external changes. UTIs in cats are uncommon, unlike dogs, and older cats are more likely to experience it than younger cats.
Causes Of Blood In Cat Urine
One of the most common reasons cat owners visit the veterinary doctor is because they find blood in their cat’s urine. The accompanying complaint is that the cat is also urinating outside its litter box. There are three main reasons for blood in the urine; a condition referred to as hematuria. Below are the reasons.
UTI Or Urinary Tract Infections
Urinary tract infections are common reasons for bloody urine in older cats experiencing decreased kidney function. Cats with healthy kidneys hardly experience UTIs because the waste they pass out is concentrated, impeding bacterial development.
Older cats have diluted urines so that UTIs can occur in the bladder alone and both kidneys in more serious cases. When a cat has a kidney infection, it loses weight while having a poor appetite. When you find blood in the urine, this indicates that the infection has been present for a long time.
Increased thirst, straining to urinate, and increased frequency in urination are other signs of urinary tract infections. In more severe kidney infection cases, the cat refuses to drink water, which is bad for the liver, kidney, and other internal organs. The treatment of urinary tract infections involves the use of antibiotics for about 4 to 6 weeks.
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Interstitial Cystitis
This cause of bloody urine in cats has been a mystery for a long time, but veterinary doctors are getting some insight into the complex disease. Nevertheless, this is the most common cause of bloody urine in cats.
Interstitial Cystitis is diagnosed by excluding urinary tract stones, crystalluria, as well as UTI by analyzing the urine, x-rays, and urine culture. The best way of managing and treating this disease is by modifying the cat’s diet, feeding it more canned food to increase its hydration while decreasing the urine concentration.
Other effective remedies are increasing the fun in the environment by adding more toys and cat perches to decrease stress and reduce the frequency of bloody, painful urination caused by Interstitial Cystitis.
Crystals In Urine
This is also known as Urolithiasis or urinary stones. It is formed in the bladder or urethra; they are collections of minerals or crystals that form in the cat’s urinary tract. Without ultrasound or x-ray, it is impossible to tell if there are crystals in a cat’s urinary tract.
The most common crystals found in a cat’s urine are magnesium ammonium phosphate or struvite and calcium oxalate. The best way to get rid of crystals in a cat’s urine is by feeding it a special, crystal-dissolving diet recommended by the vet to get rid of the struvite stones. The cat would require surgery for calcium oxalate stones to be removed.
It is possible to flush out crystals in a female cat’s urine using sterile fluids or a cystoscope when under anesthesia. After surgery, the cat would require medication or a change in diet to prevent the re-development of the crystals.
What Can I Give My Cat For Urinary Problems?
There are various things you can do when your cat experiences urinary problems. The tips we will provide will also help you prevent the development of urinary problems in your cats.
Increased Water Intake
When a cat drinks lots of water, the minerals, toxins, and urinary irritants that can cause urinary problems are diluted. Crystals and urinary stones are more likely to form in concentrated urine, and chronic bladder inflammation can develop as a result of irritants in the concentrated urine.
Increased water intake keeps the cat hydrated, and it will frequently urinate, flushing out all the toxins while maintaining proper kidney function. If you want to increase your cat’s water intake, give it fresh water and feed it canned foods. You can also give the cat flavored water or take it out to water fountains.
Reduce Environmental Stress
Environmental stress affects a cat’s health; they are sensitive to environmental stressors. Environmental stress has been linked to chronic bladder inflammation caused by FLUTD; cats affected by this condition are at risk of experiencing a life-threatening urethral obstruction.
Some of the things you can do to eliminate environmental stressors are by cleaning the cat’s litter daily, providing a safe, quiet space for the cat, stop changing cat litter brands, and adding diffusers like feline pheromones in spots the cat hangs around in the house.
Change The Cat’s Diet
We mentioned earlier that as a pet owner, you must be observant and vigilant; this is one of the many areas this is important. If your cat has experienced urinary health problems, it may be the diet. You must be able to identify the meal your cat ate before the development of the health issues.
It would be best to switch the diet to one of the available urinary diets; these meals contain an appropriate amount of bladder protectants, protein, and minerals that help protect and maintain a healthy urinary tract. They also contain limited amounts of minerals like calcium, phosphorus, and magnesium that aid the formation of stone and urinary crystals.
Can Urinary Tract Infections In Cats Go Away On Their Own?
Not all urinary tract infections can heal independently, but a few will. Nevertheless, it is best to use antibiotics and urinary meals to aid the healing and rejuvenation process of the cat. You must ensure you follow all the instructions from the veterinary doctor for your cat to heal completely from urinary tract infections.
The issue with leaving urinary tract infections to heal on their own is that they can recur more severely. So, it is always safe to treat every urinary tract infection in your cat.
What Does Blood In Cat Urine Look Like?
When a cat has blood in its urine, the urine will appear pink, red, or brownish. The urine also comes with a pungent smell (the smell of the blood in the urine). This is usually accompanied by lots of pain and discomfort in the cat. So, when you observe that your cat’s urine is pink, red, or brown, please take it to the vet as fast as possible.
Final Thoughts
Your pet’s health should be your priority; having this in mind will help you make informed decisions. You should also observe and check your cats regularly; this involves monitoring their movement, behaviors, feeding habits, and bowel movements. Only then can you tell when there is a health issue.
Shawn Manaher is a serial entrepreneur but when he isn’t working, he loves dogs. He’s owned different pets over the years, and always gives a part of his heart to each pet.
