ANITA'S ANIMAL CORNER
Urinary Tract Infections In Cats
By Jean Sutherland

     One of the most common problems for cats to deal with is urinary tract infections or the formation of urinary mineral deposits and stones.
     Symptoms are usually the appearance of blood in the urine, frequency of urination and often going outside the litter box. Although some vets will try to treat the problem with antibiotics, rarely are bladder problems caused by bacteria. Some also believe that too much ash in the food can cause problems, but once again this is not usually the case. Usually bladder problems are caused by too much alkaline in the
urine. Some commercial foods add extra acid to the formulation, but
really all they are accomplishing is covering up the problem instead of curing it.
     The problem often starts with feeding your cats poor quality cat food that overburdens the elimination of toxicity and puts too large a load on the lining of the urinary system. It is not unusual for the first attack to follow constant feeding of dry commercial foods over a long period. If you want to increase your cat’s chances of urinary problems, feed it dry food and leave it out all the time.
     What you need to look for is a long term solution and not a temporary cure. Put your cat on a more natural diet. If you need suggestions for a natural diet please email me at jean@mexconnect.com and I will be happy to send you some, or call me at 766-1120 and I will leave some for you to pick up at the market on Wednesday with Anita.
     Your cat’s schedule should be two feedings a day, once in the morning and once in the evening. Do not leave the food out for more than 30 minutes. If your cat does not eat it, remove it and let a natural hunger develop for the evening feeding. This is really important. Frequent feeding alkalizes the urine, leading to formation of sand and stones.
     Other things to consider doing: add 250 milligrams of vitamin C twice a day. This will maintain acidic urine and prevent the formulation of crystals; and giving four drops of cod liver oil once a day will help minimize scarring of tissues that are healing.
If your cat has chronic inflammation or infections it is wise to keep it on a daily dose of 250 milligrams of vitamin C every day. This has always worked well with any of our cats that have had these problems.
     The shelter often needs to know of a mother cat. We often have small kittens dropped off that are only two to three weeks old and if we do not have a nursing mother it makes it very difficult for these little ones to survive. If you know of a nursing mother cat, please call 766 2618 or Anita at 01 387 761-0500 (ring at least 20 times) and let us know. It is
not that we will use them at that time, but it is always helpful if we do get tiny kittens who need to be put with a mother immediately. We also work with the other shelter in this regard. When little ones come in and we need a mother we all start searching.
     Recently our book ladies were given close to 150 new books. Please come and see us at the market on Wednesday and have a look at our new books and our new animals for adoption.