Understanding a Cat’s Urogenital System

Have you ever had your cat treated for a urinary tract infection? You see your pet climbing in and out of the litter box, meowing (or Meow-HOWL-ing) and trying to urinate or urinating frequently.

Now, if YOU have ever had a UTI, you KNOW that does not feel good.

The urogenital system is a common system that shows up imbalanced on scans for cats. Urogenital problems can cause so much pain and stress for your cat, and even litter box aversion. This gets misinterpreted as behavior issues, and then poor kitty gets in trouble. We don’t want that! Your cat is just associating that place with pain! And he or she does not need to get to that point!

So what causes these imbalances?

Urinary tract infections fall under the category of Feline Lower Urinary Tract Disease (FLUTD) describing any disorder affecting a cat’s urinary bladder or urethra. FLUTD can be caused by things like neoplasma, urolithiasis, anatomic defects, and bacterial urinary tract infections. (1)

Using a PetMedella scan on your pet can reveal energetic imbalances in your pets system before your fur baby may need attention. Having a phone or video consultation with us, to go over the PetMedella results, can help identify areas of stress where you can provide support for your pet to keep your fluffy (or hairless) friend from litter box issues.

You can also start right away by evaluating your cat’s diet. Think about this: Are you feeding a water depleted diet? What is that? ….Dry cat food.

Those crunchy pellets, sometimes dyed funky colors, in fish shapes, is not the option your cat necessarily needs. Sorry, not sorry. We are in the business of health, and cats need a diet with moisture.

Cats are what we call Obligate Carnivores. They eat meat. Just meat. Meat has moisture. While many people have an aversion to raw food, there are plenty of high quality canned foods that are as convenient as the kibble and will be MUCH more effective at keeping your cat’s urogenital system in check. This blog post recommends that you read the labels! You want to avoid meat meal, meat byproducts, meat & bone meal, animal fat, or animal byproduct meal.

Grains are another ingredient to avoid in the cat food. Carnivores right? These smart creatures are designed to eat small prey, and that’s who they are.

If you have a cat who is resistant to making the change to canned food try different brands, as high a quality that you can. In fact rotation is optimal. Just like you, who needs diversity in diet, your cat needs diversity in proteins.

Change up your cat’s routine. Are they a grazer? Is Fred used to the kibble being out for snacking? Try feeding your pet on a schedule. Although cats should free feed, as their appetite needs change, and this is their nature, using this method to transition to wet food can help. When your cat gets hungry he WILL eat.

Some people even have a variety of food in their homes for their pets that could include high quality freeze dried food.  This freeze dried food can be crushed, rehydrated, and rotated.

It does take some time to find the food that fits your cat. It can be intimidating to feed raw, even though this could be the best fit. There are so many options to commercial kibble, and the small investment you make now in your pet’s health will save them on possible stress down the road.

AND, hopefully your kitty will be using her litter box pain free!

Disclaimer: These services are designed for educational purposes only and are not intended to serve as medical advice. The information provided on this site and in reports should not be used for diagnosing or treating any health problem or disease.  It is not a substitute for professional care.  If you have or suspect you may have a health problem or need medical attention, you should consult your healthcare provider. PetMedella is not responsible for the interpretation of results by any outside affiliates, practitioners or health coaches using this test.