How do indoor cats get urinary tract infections?

My mom's cat is a female about 14 years old and my mom thinks she might have a UTI. She is an indoor cat that NEVER goes outside and does not have a history of UTI's...how could she get one?

The reason the issue arose is because Bandit peed in the bathroom of the first floor of the house. Her litter box is in the basement.

Signs of UTI:
1. Pain while urinating, frequent urination, small or no urine at all, are among the first signs to look for.
2. Excessive grooming of genitals, crying while doing it and blood in urine are almost certain symptom of urinary infection in cats and dogs.
3. If your cat has stopped using its litter box and urinates outside of it, you can suspect presence of UTI.

It's very easy for a cat to get UTI - more so if the cat is on a dry kibble diet.

There are many causes:
* Diet
* Environment
* Stress
* Gender
* Age

The most common cause of cat UTI is urolithiasis, the formation of stones in the urinary tract. The most common stone seen in feline urinary tract, struvite, is made up of minerals like magnesium, ammonium, and phosphate. The acidic and alkaline properties of these minerals disturb the pH level in cat鈥檚 urine, which in turn results in formation of struvite stones.

Urine pH is also influenced by the proteins present in diet and excessive intake of fish and meat can increase acidity. Cat foods that contain rich plant protein such as soybean meal can make urine more alkaline than required. If your cat鈥檚 diet contains more than the required quantity of magnesium, ammonium, and phosphate, it can lead to formation of urinary stones, or uroliths. When the diet contains more magnesium than is required to maintain body functions, the extra magnesium is passed on to the urine.

As cat diet is naturally rich in proteins, the frequency with which you feed your cat can have a direct impact on his developing UTI. Urine pH becomes alkaline after meals. If the cat has access to food all the time, he will keep on nibbling that does not let the urine pH become as alkaline as required.

A urine pH level of less than 6.8 means that it is less alkaline and requires a large amount of magnesium for formation of stones. If the urine pH level is more than 6.8, it will require a lower amount of magnesium for stones to form.

To minimize risk of struvite stones a cat鈥檚 diet should produce acidic urine with a pH level of less than 6.8.

A dirty litter box is generally the common reason. Treating a UTI is usually as easy as cleaning the litter box more frequently and switching the cat food to something that supports a healthy urinary system. A good product is purina one cat chow special care. If these changes are made and the cat still doesnt seem better i would contact the vet and see what they say. A UTI can become fatal if untreated. I hope the cat gets better.

Stress and diet are major factors that contribute to UTI's. Being indoors does not prevent UTI's. Any changes that have occurred in the home could have caused stress. Cats that are fed only dry food (especially poor quality dry food, such as those found in grocery stores) are more likely to develop UTI's than cats that eat wet food daily. Wet food provides necessary moisture and usually contains meat rather then grain.

What are the symptoms? Is she entering the litter box often and attempting to urinate, with little or no output? Is she attempting to urinate on the floor? Is their any blood in the urine?

Your mom should take the cat to the vet. At 14 years of age, a senior wellness check is a good idea anyway (the bloodwork is pricey, but will indicate any areas of concern such as kidney or liver problems, thryroid disease, etc. The vet can at least check for a UTI and prescribe an antibiotic to cure it.

Good luck and please post an update.

You might want to go to http://www.littlebigcat.com and read Dr. Jean Hovfe's article titled "Urinary Tract Disorders in Cats" for some helpful information.

Also your mom should realise that her cat is getting older and having the litterbox in the basement might be so good now. Older cats do get arthritic and the trip up and down the stairs to the box can be painful for her.

UTI can occur in cats due to diet, age & kidney disease, very common in older cat....has nothing to do with going outside
need to take a urine sample to vet & have it checked, seeing it's an older cat it's probly kidney disease....