Natural Remedies for Cat UTIs: Safe, Holistic Treatments

| Modified on Aug 26, 2024
The comments below reflect the personal experiences and opinions of readers and do not represent medical advice or the views of this website. The information shared has not been evaluated by the FDA and is not intended to diagnose, treat, or prevent any disease or health condition. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional for medical concerns.
Apple Cider Vinegar, L-Lysine
Posted by Cat (Austin) on 02/01/2018
★★★★★

Could not afford a $300.00 vet bill for possible feline-flu, UTI and respiratory infection that led to one miserable, 11 year old kittycat. After much research, I did the following and healed my cat 80% in 24 hours:

rubbed neck, chest, body with 1-1 ratio Organic ACV & water (cotton ball);

dipped front paws in ACV/water mixture;

Put a 1/2 bottle cap of ACV in drinking water bowl (holds 3 cups water);

Mixed crushed 500mg cap L-Lysine and 1/3 small dropper of silver hydrosol in wet (grain free/milk free) food.

I will continue the procedure daily until he is 100%. Then, I will cut the silver hydrosol and L-Lysine down to once monthly. I was also told that putting a tsp. of VCO on his back (weekly) and allowing it to melt down, then massage it in helps with flea control. Our 11yr old tabby-baby is cuddling once again. Also, I caught the flu myself and fast-tracked my recovery by taking 500mg L-Lysine twice daily.

Test Cat for Mycoplasma Haemofelis
Posted by Theresa (Mpls., Mn) on 08/18/2017

Thank you for sharing this information. A link for more info: https://www.vetary.com/cat/condition/mycoplasma-infection


Test Cat for Mycoplasma Haemofelis
Posted by Deb (Miami) on 08/17/2017
★★★★★

Are any of you familiar with Mycoplasma Haemofelis? Constant UTI could be a result that you cat has this. And although the cider helps it does not cure. It is a simple blood test smear. Google it and read about it. My cat has it. There are different levels and some can be cured. Other can have it their whole life. The only proper med is Doxicilina 50mg once a day for 3 to 4 weeks. Many Vets will not even think to test for this, but it is a worldwide problem.

Double Helix Water
Posted by Carol (Fl) on 06/01/2017

Can the double helix water be given on a daily basis as preventative measure once cat has recovered from UTI? Where can I get double helix water?


Cod Liver Oil
Posted by Adrienne (Idaho) on 05/22/2017

Wow!! That's incredible! You could be a bit psychic. I'll try it.


Multiple Remedies
Posted by Roz (Nj) on 04/21/2017

I have successfully used diluted ACV on my cats with a UTI. IM HAVING TROUBLE BELIEVING the person who said they used ACV and didnt work and cats died. Unless cat had something else wrong with it also.


Multiple Remedies
Posted by Mama26kids (Farmington Maine) on 01/26/2017
★☆☆☆☆

Apple cider vinegar for cat's uti - I wanted this remedy to work for my cat, but unfortunately he died. I tried the emergency amount and also tried cod liver oil. I'm glad this worked for others, and we didn't have the money for the vet so we tried out best, but our boy didn't make it.


Multiple Remedies
Posted by Ct (Senc) on 01/26/2017

I just joined and had to comment on your poor kitties demise...I went through the same thing with my Muppet, a 6-year old male cat. Flew to the vet and he told me that Muppet couldn't pee and was basically poisoning himself. Muppet stayed at the vet 3 days, he's on the Hills C/D urinary diet and has been doing great. Vet said he sees cats coming in like this usually on Monday b/c symptoms start on Thursday and by Monday the cat is on death's doorstep. I also realized that a previous cat I owned with similar symptoms died unnecessarily due to a misdiagnosis by a vet I no longer use.


Multiple Remedies
Posted by Mama26kids (Farmington, Maine) on 01/23/2017
★☆☆☆☆

I really wanted these natural remedies to work for us, but unfortunately they didn't and my cat died last night. We noticed on Saturday morning that our barn cat was having trouble peeing, so we brought him in and tried each remedy here...the emergency ACV and the cranberry, also cod liver oil. Sadly none seemed to help at all. He vomited after every dose even just water made him puke. By Sunday evening he was not as active and then suddenly moments after vomiting he let our a couple of cries and died. =( We sadly couldn't afford to go to the vet on the weekend which is 2 hours away. Not to be off topic, but the real problem here for our cats is VETS over charging for services and not accepting payments. Its unethical and immoral and all VETS who do this should be ashamed. Caring for animals is about caring....not cash.

Avoid Dry Cat Food
Posted by Liane (Texas) on 09/26/2016

The ACV needs to be diluted more than 1:1. It's very strong, and your kitty will probably tolerate it better if you add a little more water.


D-Mannose
Posted by Evie P. (Riverside, Ri) on 08/11/2016
★★★★★

My poor Rosie had been yowling for three days and nights before I got her to the vet (two days ago). Once there, he confirmed my suspicions - a bladder infection (a $200 bladder infection at that point). I wanted to start D-mannose but didn't have any in the house but had ordered it. In the meantime, the vet gave her a shot and prescribed two antibiotics which I was to crush up and put in her food. Trouble was, she wouldn't eat the food with the medication in it and trying to catch her and give them to her would be a two man job and even then it was impossible (I tried and failed). I was frantic to help her. As luck would have it, the D-mannose came in yesterday morning. I dissolved 1/4 tsp. in 1 tbsp. of water and put it in her food and the same dose in her water. Today was the first day I haven't heard her crying in pain. I did the same thing with her food and water today but increased the dose and she's now resting comfortably (or as comfortable as she can get in 95 degree heat). I still can't believe it. I'll never be without this stuff.


Cod Liver Oil
Posted by Rod (Aventura, Fl) on 07/16/2016
★★★★★

About 9 or 10 years ago, my cat developed a bad bladder infection (very strong smell urine). The Vet took 2 X-rays of her and found that she had ‘stone' in her bladder the size of about a quarter. He prescribed some antibiotics, but said that he would probably need to operate (which he said would cost about $1000). Well, the antibiotics helped but the infection (smell) came back about 3 weeks later. The doctor gave me more antibiotics once again and they did seem to work for a little while, but on a whim, I started adding cod liver oil drops(4) per ‘Meow Mix' wet food container ( I feed her about 1/3 of that container twice a day).

Well, that was about 9 or 10 years ago, and I haven't had to take her back to the vet and she hasn't had a smelly urine again since then, which I assume means the stone went away, and there has been no further bladder infection.

I hope this can work for you if you have an animal with a bladder infection.

Sincerely,

Rod Appleton

Avoid Dry Cat Food
Posted by Ranger23 (Oh) on 01/11/2016

What great advice! I completely agree with you about cats needing wet food. I had similar reoccurring issues with 1 of my cats. They've all been switched to wet food now but they would not touch anything with ACV in it - no matter how diluted.


Avoid Dry Cat Food
Posted by Ivy (Minneapolis) on 01/04/2016
★★★★★

Editor's Choice

Last summer, my 2 yo male cat Sonny was straining to urinate. I have had cats in the past, but had not seen this behavior, and wasn't sure what it was, so I probably let it go on a few days longer than I should have, before taking him to the vet. $700 "surgery" later, I was sent home from my vets office with a new bag of "specialty" dry cat food designed to help with crystals in his urinary tract. Within 24 hours, Sonny was back to straining in his box. I was so scared and so frustrated. Then I found this site. Within 24 hours of switching to wet cat food, and giving Apple Cider Vinegar 4 times per day into his mouth with a dropper, he was no longer struggling to urinate. So happy.

Fast forward about 1 year. I had just gotten a new kitten, and he came from the rescue with a bag of dry kitten food. Kitty does fine with the dry food, although I have been switching him to wet. Sonny had been eating dry kitten food instead of his wet food. Something I probably should have anticipated. Another urinary blockage!! No urine output at all. It was very scary. This time I decided to give it 12 hours, ACV every 2 hours, lots of wet food, and if not better, I would call the vet. No need! Within 6- 8 hours or so, he was going like a champ!

My best advice is to get rid of your dry cat food. It's terrible for kitty. They need water.. Even the worst wet cat food is 10x better than the most expensive dry food. If you feed wet food exclusively, hopefully you won't need the ACV, but if you do, it should do the trick! After diluting with water 1:1, I use a dropper to get it into the corner of his mouth. He hates the taste, and foams at the mouth. It's not pretty, but it works. And he gets treats after, so he gets over it. 😀

Coconut Oil
Posted by Ren (Sydney) on 06/01/2015
★★★★★

Last weekend I witnessed almost a miracle using Organic Coconut Oil for cats UTI. Being a Sunday only the emergency vets available and I have already paid extremely for his last episode with UTI 2yrs ago. With his pain (& hissing, growling as he tried to urinate) starting in a.m I put a 1/4 teaspn oco in his mouth a little at time so he didn't gag, 2hrs later another 1/4 teaspn, an hr later another 1/4 - just as I was about to give up & take him to the vet he fell asleep. 3hrs later he woke & went to the litter tray and started eating again in no pain.

I've given him approximately 1/4 teaspn every second day since as maintenance. Oco is anti bacterial anti fungal and many other benefits & this is still early days but the result was so startling and he seems cured. I would also never feed cats the cheaper biscuits as they're full of grains which contribute to uti problems, they need mostly wet foods.

No sooner was the boy cured than our female started rushing too often to her tray with little result, I gave her a little oil & it worked within a few hours, she actually loves the taste& eats it without me having to administer it - so I now give it regularly to both cats. It also must be very soothing to the whole urethral, bladder lining and theirfur looks wonderful. Wish I'd discovered this yrs ago for their health

EC: Cross-posted from Earth Clinic's cystitis page here.

D-Mannose
Posted by Susan (Toledo, Oh) on 04/08/2015
★★★★★

I use D-Mannose Powder for my cat's UTI that I learned about from Karen Becker, Holistic Vet. I have always guessed at the dose for my cat. She hasn't had any bladder infections since - and we almost lost her from a severe one that came back a month later.


Dietary Changes
Posted by Donna (Derby, Ct) on 01/25/2015

My cat Simon is 12 yrs. old. He's had UTI three different times - when he was 2 yrs. old, 4 and 5 yrs. old. He was eating Iams dry food when he was a kitten until he had his first UTI and I took him to the vet. Then he was eating prescription science diet wet food and AGAIN got it! After the third time I decided to switch to an all natural wet food. He's a fussy eater but I finally found one that he likes, the Wellness brand. I give him half a can in the morning and I add filtered water and the other half later in the day, again with the added filtered water. It is a mixture in between stew and soup. I was told not to feed him any seafood ingredients because that increases the chances of getting the UTI, so I only give him chicken and turkey flavors. He loves it and I do too!!! I know he is getting the best ingredients along with his water intake. He hasn't had an issue in 7 years and he eats better than I do.


Multiple Remedies
Posted by Carolyn (Perth, Western Australia, Australia) on 09/17/2012
★★★★★

Hello, thank you to all the contributors to this website about this particular problem.

I went on holiday for two months leaving both of my male cats in a cattery. From the moment I picked them up from cattery and got home, my 'Fraidie' cat started spending huge amounts of time on the kitty litter and I took him straight away to the vet. He was diagnosed with UTI brought on by the stress of going to cattery and being away from home. Two sets of anti-inflamatories later (which worked great for about 4 days then back to blood in the urine and him squatting everywhere and being in pain and unhappy) and the third time he got dehydrated and went floppy and I raced him to vet and $600 later for a day at the vet, blood test, drip, medicine etc, she just gave him painkillers and sent him home. So I have spent over $1000 US in the last 8 weeks.

At this time I found this site and I was so grateful. It's been almost 3 weeks and he is back to normal, healthy with no further problems.

What I did:

- I changed his water to filtered water.
- I fee him normal wet food BUT with chicken mince (which holds a lot of water in it) mixed in.
- Only feed hard biscuits as a treat and they are special ones for UTI.
- Each morning I make up a small mixture of 1/4 tsp ACVinegar with 2 tsp of water. I give him about a tea spoon of it in a mouth syringe and then mix the rest in with the chicken wet food mixuture.
- ALSO mixed in wet food once a day is 250mg crushed vitamin c and 250 mg crushed cranberry tablets.
- And he is looking wonderful and happy with no further problems.
- I will stop giving him some by mouth in the next week and just put a little bit of that ACV and water mixure in his food.

If I get a recurrence, I will up the mixture again. I hope you also have some success with this as it was very traumatic to see my little guy in so much pain.


D-Mannose
Posted by Kiki (Lehi, Ut) on 08/06/2012
★★★★★

I have used both colloidal silver and mannose (d-mannose) with great success to treat cat UTI's. They have worked better for me than the ACV. The mannose can be purchased at health food stores or online. It is much cheaper online--about $20 for a 3oz. Bottle of powder. You mix it either into the liquid colloidal silver or into a small amount of water and feed with a syringe. It works best if given on an empty stomach. I try to give it every 3-4 hours if the UTI is acute. The colloidal silver is a natural antibiotic and the d-mannose makes it so that the microorganisms causing the UTI can't stick to the bladder wall and so are flushed out. For cats prone to recurrent UTI problems, I would try a cat food formulated for UTI issues like Wysong "Uretic" dry food. Putting a little bit of pure ascorbic acid powder (vitamin C) into their food works good for maintenance as well if they'll put up with the taste. (Only use a TINY bit. ) This combo has worked wonders for my kitties!


Dietary Changes
Posted by Meg (Murfreesboro, Tennessee, U.s.) on 08/06/2012
★★★★★

I found this website while I was looking for flea prevention for my dogs and cats and CANNOT wait to get to the store In the morning to pick up some ACV. While I was reading through many posts I noticed a lot of people having trouble with their male cats getting frequent UTI's or blockage problems. I have 4 cats and only one is male. We've had the male for a out 2 years with no problems until one day I noticed him in the litter box for like 30 min. at a time just staring at me and straining and when he'd finally come out of the litter. I'd about 5 min. later he would be right back in there. After about a day and a half he stopped eating so I took him to the vet. He told me that my cat was partially blocked and had sand built up in his urethra. He said that for some reason some male cats develop sand in their urine when fed your normal everyday cat foods even the ones that are suppose to be the best. He gave me the option of a costly penis amputation, catheterize ( also costly) him and clear the remainder of the block or he said if he was me that he would just start feeding him a brand of food that you can only get at a vets office it's a c/d multicare formula for feline bladder health and see if that clears the block on its own.... After a week or two I noticed him spending less and less time in the litter box and actually producing urine. The vet says he has to stay on this food the rest of his life and as soon as I feed him regular food he will block. It's about $18 for a 4 lb. bag which isn't cheap so he told me not to feed the other cats (all female) this food bc females dont have the same problem so there was no need to buy the expensive food for all of them. Now I feed the male in another room and it's been 6 months and I haven't had any other all day litter box sessions from Tiddle Bittle (my kitty) :) hope this helps someone!


Dietary Changes
Posted by Alan (Greensboro, Nc) on 02/17/2012
★★★★★

My older male cat Demetry was having the classic symptoms for a UTI and I researched information online and this was one site that I used. He had gotten to the point of trying to pee about every 30 min and the urine looked like straight blood about a quarter size to half dollar and I knew I had to do something. I also spoke to a vet and he suggested using food only labeled as specific to helping prevent UTI's.

Combining the information I found here and at other sites I began by using a oral syringe with a diluted solution of apple cider vinegar as well as trying to add a small amount to his food. He was not taking well to these treatments and he reduced his consumption greatly even if I just dipped my finger in the vinegar and swirled it into his wet food. So I changed my tactic and started feeding him wet food 3 times a day when I could and adding a decent amount of water, up to 3 tablespoons per third of a can of food and mixed it well with a fork.

I saw an improvement by the first day and by day 5 he seems to be back to normal. I do not see any blood in his urine, he is using the litter box again, and he is not constantly getting up to pee. I am still feeding him more wet food than I used to and adding water and he has a bowl of dry food (both are UTI foods) but does not eat much of that anymore, where that used to be his main diet.

Although the vinegar treatment did not seem to work for me, I believe that I was able increase his water consumption along with the proper foods and had success. I believe I will continue this treatment for another 3 weeks or so, but maybe I should continue to add water to his food from now on. He is a large cat, about 13 pounds, and I do not want to cause him to become unhealthy by gaining weight.


Double Helix Water
Posted by Jessica (Houston, Tx) on 02/03/2012
★★★★★

My cat, mina, has struggled with urinary tract infections before. I took her to the vet yesterday and they took a urine sample. When I woke up this morning she was showing the signs of another infection, she was trying to pee in corners, obviously in pain and her urine was "thicker" than normal. I've found that the best way to deal with this (way better than APV) is to put a drop or two of double helix water into her water bowl and then using a syringe to give her some of it. This literally stopped the symptoms almost immediately. Within 10 mins she was no longer showing signs of pain or trying desperatly to pee in the corners of my apartment. I continued to give her some of the water over the next 20 mins or so and made sure I gave her some wet food. She has been feeling fine ever since.

This is a safe, natural way of dealing with a urinary tract infection in animals (and probably humans too) I highly recommend it and will always use it as I cannot afford to go back to the vet right after dropping so much money on the first issue. I think that everyone should purchase some of this water. It is great for all types of issues and is completly natural. I wouldn't go the ACV route. This is an instant cure! She is rubbing up against my leg as I'm writing this. A very happy cat :)

Dietary Changes
Posted by Rachel (Adelaide, South Australia) on 01/05/2012
★★★★★

My family and I were sitting in the lounge room when we heard a scratching noise coming from the kitchen. I went into the kitchen just in time to find our 12 year old male neutered cat peeing red urine on the wall. We quickly made a vet appointment and saw him that same afternoon. The vet said that he most likely has a urinary tract infection and said that we could have the choice of either an injection or tablet of antibiotics. So we accepted the injection.

We already had ACV (with mother) in the fridge and started mixing it with his food. Zac is a total indoor cat, but during this time he was obsessed about being outside and peeing every 5 minutes, digging holes everywhere, which is very unlike him because naturally he will hold his urine for 8 hours or longer and then do a long wee.

We kept the bathroom doors open for him because he didn't want to pee in the litter tray (because they associate it with pain when they get an infection), overnight and the next morning we made the decision to ban all dry food, so I went out and bought some tuna and expensive cat food and then mixed some with ACV (diluted). All throughout the day we tried to keep his fluids up and even feeding him ACV with a dropper. I'm not sure how much went down his throat because it was frothing everywhere. You also have to make sure that you dilute it enough that it doesn't burn their throat.

Unfortunately, by Saturday night (we first noticed the blood on Thursday) Zac was still obsessed with peeing small amounts so we took him to the vet and got tablets and mixed it with food. I'd also like to say that if our cat couldn't pee at all, we would have taken him to the vet sooner instead of relying on ACV because it's very dangerous if cats are trying to pee and nothing comes out because then the toxins build up with nowhere to go.

Luckily, 24 hours later on Sunday night, he did a big long wee, like for 30 seconds, so we are guessing that it was the antibiotics, but it could have been the ACV as well.

Some changes we have made since having that scare was NO dry food for the cats at all. Dry food is NOT a natural part of cats' diets. Your cats are supposed to get their water from their meals, which is the wild would be carcasses. Dry food is too salty and not only does it take moisture out of their system, but it's a missed opportunity for them to be fed water with their meal. Which brings me to...

When giving them their two meals a day we mix about half a cup of filtered water and mix it up into a soup-like consistency so that the crystals don't have a chance to form and that their kidneys and urinary tract system gets flushed out regularly. This means that you will need to clean out your litter tray more often and/or remember to let your cat out to the toilet a few hours after their meal to empty their bladder.

I live in Australia so am able to find kangaroo meat and such from the supermarket, so we mix that with water (more on hot days and lukewarm water on cold days, your cat out in the wild would eat meat that is body temperature). And they love their meals. If you are concerned about the missing taurine in their diet, you can give them chicken hearts or liver from your butcher, just make sure to research about taurine because too much can be as dangerous as too little.

Ignore all of the commercials and your vet when they try to sell you their anti-UTI dry food. It is still dry food. Like many things, go back to basics and learn to research for yourself, because your vet is trying to earn money for their practice as well as diagnose your pet. You really can't go wrong with meat and springwater, but plenty can go wrong with dry food.

Lastly, never ever ever let your cat come into contact with Tea Tree Oil. It is safe for humans but NOT for cats, not even on their skin - it is TOXIC because the liver cannot handle it. It seeps through their skin, and shuts down their nervous system, paralyzing and even killing them.



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