How to Stop Recurring Urinary Tract Infections in Cats
Make sure that your cat is actually swallowing her medication., Understand that too short a course of antibiotics can lead to a recurrent infection., Get a culture done to figure out what antibiotic your cat needs., Complete the antibiotic course...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Make sure that your cat is actually swallowing her medication.
When your cat does not actually swallow her medicine, it is called failure of compliance.
This happens if the cat is clever at spitting out the tablets, or if you accidentally forget to give your cat her medication.
Either way, the complete course of antibiotics is not given, and those bacteria remaining in your cat's bladder are more likely to be resistant to this antibiotic in the future.
The key to avoiding recurrence due to failure of compliance is to ensure that every single dose of antibiotic is given on time, and swallowed rather than spat out.
Some cats are impossible to give pills to.
If this is true for your pet, tell your veterinarian who may be able to give a long acting antibiotic injection instead, such as cefalexin (Convenia).
This antibiotic provides cover for two weeks after a single injection. -
Step 2: Understand that too short a course of antibiotics can lead to a recurrent infection.
Some infections take longer to clear than others.
This is usually dependent on the number of bacteria present and whether or not the conditions in the bladder make it easy for them to reproduce.
If the course of antibiotics is too short then there is a greater chance that the bacteria in the bladder will repopulate when the treatment ends.
For example, a bacterial infection in dilute urine (that has less natural disinfectant properties) may need a longer course of antibiotics than bacteria in a hostile environment such as concentrated, acidic urine where they are less likely to reproduce. , The gold standard in antibiotic usage is to take a culture of the cat’s urine to determine the exact antibiotic most likely to kill the bacteria causing the infection.
To get a culture done, head to your vet’s office and tell the vet about your cat’s symptoms and recurrent UTIs. , Regardless of the type of antibiotic prescribed to your cat, you should get a second culture done before the antibiotic course is over.
This second culture will help to determine if the antibiotics are working.If the sample is sterile, then the antibiotic course can be completed and does not need to be extended. , If the second culture shows that the bacteria are still present, then you will need to extend the antibiotic course for two weeks.
When this second course is nearing its end, get another culture done to make sure that the bacteria has been cleared out. -
Step 3: Get a culture done to figure out what antibiotic your cat needs.
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Step 4: Complete the antibiotic course.
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Step 5: Extend the antibiotic course for two weeks if there is still bacteria in your cat’s urine.
Detailed Guide
When your cat does not actually swallow her medicine, it is called failure of compliance.
This happens if the cat is clever at spitting out the tablets, or if you accidentally forget to give your cat her medication.
Either way, the complete course of antibiotics is not given, and those bacteria remaining in your cat's bladder are more likely to be resistant to this antibiotic in the future.
The key to avoiding recurrence due to failure of compliance is to ensure that every single dose of antibiotic is given on time, and swallowed rather than spat out.
Some cats are impossible to give pills to.
If this is true for your pet, tell your veterinarian who may be able to give a long acting antibiotic injection instead, such as cefalexin (Convenia).
This antibiotic provides cover for two weeks after a single injection.
Some infections take longer to clear than others.
This is usually dependent on the number of bacteria present and whether or not the conditions in the bladder make it easy for them to reproduce.
If the course of antibiotics is too short then there is a greater chance that the bacteria in the bladder will repopulate when the treatment ends.
For example, a bacterial infection in dilute urine (that has less natural disinfectant properties) may need a longer course of antibiotics than bacteria in a hostile environment such as concentrated, acidic urine where they are less likely to reproduce. , The gold standard in antibiotic usage is to take a culture of the cat’s urine to determine the exact antibiotic most likely to kill the bacteria causing the infection.
To get a culture done, head to your vet’s office and tell the vet about your cat’s symptoms and recurrent UTIs. , Regardless of the type of antibiotic prescribed to your cat, you should get a second culture done before the antibiotic course is over.
This second culture will help to determine if the antibiotics are working.If the sample is sterile, then the antibiotic course can be completed and does not need to be extended. , If the second culture shows that the bacteria are still present, then you will need to extend the antibiotic course for two weeks.
When this second course is nearing its end, get another culture done to make sure that the bacteria has been cleared out.
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Judy Jimenez
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