Cystitis and UTI Remedies for Cats
Note: UTI remedies for dogs is here.
Otherwise known as Feline Urologic Syndrome or Cystitis, many cat owners are all too familiar with this particular problem.' Feline Lower Urinary Tract Disease (FLUTD) can affect both female and male cats, although it is more common among females.' The condition occurs as a result of an infection in the bladder and will cause tiny crystals to form within the urine, which block the normal passage of urine.' This can be very painful for your cat as it will be difficult for them to urinate as they normally would.
Your pet will need to urinate more frequently but upon attempting it, will generally only be successful in having just a few drops pass at a time. You might also notice that your cat will discontinue use of the litter box when it needs to urinate, as this condition is very irritating for them and they are more comfortable using a cold, hard surface such as your bathtub, sink or countertop. It is also likely that the consistency of the urine will be thicker than it normally would be, the scent will be strong and foul smelling, and the urine will contain traces of blood. If this sounds like it is in line with your cat's recent behavior then the chances are high that they are suffering from FLUTD.
It is not known exactly what causes this problem. The same condition in dogs or in humans would be caused by a bacterial infection, however most cats with this problem do not have bacteria in their urine. If your cat is affected by FLUTD you may want to increase the amount of canned food that you are feeding them temporarily. Canned food as opposed to dry food has higher water content, and at this time you want to increase the amount of water that the animal takes in and decrease the mineral content of the diet.
There are several homeopathic treatments that can be administered to help clear up this very painful and distressing problem for your cat, such as Nux Vomica, Chimaphila or Cantahris. Although you will want to have the exact cause of the condition diagnosed in order to choose the correct treatment.
DISCLAIMER
Our readers offer information and opinions on Earth Clinic, not as a substitute for professional medical prevention, diagnosis, or treatment. Please consult with your physician, pharmacist, or health care provider before taking any home remedies or supplements or following any treatment suggested by anyone on this site. Only your health care provider, personal physician, or pharmacist can provide you with advice on what is safe and effective for your unique needs or diagnose your particular medical history.
POPULAR REMEDIES:
| APPLE CIDER VINEGAR | 66 YEAS |
APPLE CIDER VINEGAR
Ratings:
|
[YEA] 12/19/2011: Laura from Racine, Wi-us writes: "Holy smokes- A Christmas Miracle! We were having the terrible discussion about having to put our 5 year old cat down the week of Christmas because we could not swing another $350 vet bill like we did last week for Buddy's cystitis. I read this website, went to the store at 11:00 at night to buy a $1.19 bottle of generic apple cider vinegar. I put it in canned cat food and a touch of milk- he ate a tiny bit, I tried it with just cat food, he again, just ate a bit, so I thought I was unsuccesful, but at 1 am he followed me down to the litter box and squatted and succesfully urinated. He bound up the stairs playfully and nearly knocked down the Christmas tree in his enthusiasm!"
Replies[NAY] 12/24/2011: Marina from Brooklyn, Ny replies: "I tried this cure for four days. My cat died yesterday.He started with blood in his urine, which cleared up after day one. He was urinating painfully, but seemed to be in much better spirits days 2-3. Yesterday, he clearly had a blockage and was suffering terribly. I rushed him to the vet, they voided his bladder. It seemed to go well until he had a heart attack while they were sewing the catheter in. The exact reason is unknown, but being in so much pain for so long certainly taxed his system. He could not be revived.
I believe if I had treated his problem as an emergency in the beginning instead of trying to care for him at home before taking him in, he would have had the strength to survive. I made a decision that cost him his precious life."
01/08/2012: Fae0305 from Asheville, Nc, Usa replies: "I have a 5 year old female who seems in good spirits. She is interested in food, cuddling, purring, and playing with my other cat - a male kitten. The only thing is that she keeps entering the litter box but only to scratch the walls. Her vagina also looks a little irritated. I was thinking maybe the kitten accidentally scratched the area around her vagina making it painful to pee but she doesn't seem in pain.I started giving her ACV (1/2 tsp) with water by syringe around midnight last night. I started again at 6 this morning and again at 9. She continues to only scratch at the litter box. But otherwise is behaving normally. Still no pee.
Any guidance is appreciated. I will continue with the Apple Cider Vinegar every three hours and will take her to the vet if she doesn't pee today. I don't know if she actually has a UTI tho but I certainly don't want to wait til she is in pain."
[YEA] 01/31/2012: Tyty from Mougins, France replies: "THANK YOU FOR THIS POST!!!!!!! My parents just moved country and flew their cat over for us to look after. The flight was clearly stressful and I noticed a few days after that she was straining to pee and leaving pee/blood drops in the corners of rooms. I couldn't take her to the vet and did'nt want to put her back ito the box that she is now terrified of so I began google searching what the problem is and found this site. Last night I gave her her ACV and soft food and found a big pee this morning and a happy cat! THANK YOU soooooo much!"
 Reply to this Thread |  Email |  Print |  Back to Top |
[YEA] 11/10/2011: Deborah from Charlotte, North Carolina writes: "I have 11 cats. Needless to say I cannot afford my vet all of the time. I have had to find treatments on my own for some of our feline friends. Last month our Mouche had Cystitis. How do I know you say? Well the symptoms are urinating frequently on hard surfaces. Spotting of urine in a concentrated form. Painful sounds during the urination and constant licking of his bottom. If it is bad they can start to leak blood which means to me that their kidneys are affected.
Get some ACV immediately and some Cranberry juice, some plastic syringes from your pharmacy (which are usually free) and a big towel from your bathroom. Hydrating your cat is of most importance but this will get you going. Wrap your child in the towel so that his front paws are controlled. Give him a syringe of cranberry juice. He will start to salivate so be quick. If you can follow it by another syringe of water this will clear his palate and not be so uncomfortable... Then with the other syringe half full of ACV, put this on his hind quarters. This will make your cat lick it off thus ingesting the vinegar and will help in dissapating the crystals causing your cat so much pain. Do NOT give ACV orally all by itself. It can choke your cat. I then give him 3 to 4 syringes of water in the same day at different intervals in addition to the "distilled" water that you should buy also for this illness. The bleeding stopped almost immediately and I kept this treatment up for a month even tho he appeared to be just fine. He is back in the litter box and happy as he can be...
You can do it without going to the vet. I also bought an RX of Amoxil from a British pharmacy. I didn't have to use it. But if you do... Be careful... The pills come for human adults and you should talk to your vet before giving it to your cat."
Replies11/21/2011: Karrie from Universal City, Texas, United States replies: "I am praying that this post will help my boy. He is a 11 year old male Himalayan and is my world.Last year Mercury got blocked from bad food, namely Purina brand food, the stuff you get at the grocery store. That vet bill was 1,200 US with a 5 day ICU stay with our vet. Mercury did survive but for awhile there it did not seem like it, I was so grateful for his survival. Sadly Purina knows it's the ash content in their food. Comment to me was this is why they have created a brand for urinary issues. They make your cat sick 1st then give you and upgraded food to prevent it.
I swore never again... I have stuck to that no Purina, However recently I bought a brand of dry food and you guessed it- checked the bag, it's Purina... Due to the economic down turn I can not afford a huge vet bill. He has of 2 hours ago started symptoms again after only 3 weeks on this dry food. I noticed yesterday incessant cleaning of his privy parts, and 2 hours ago squatting and unable to urinate save for dribbles, I have given him the cranberry juice, and we have put the ACV on him as the post recommend, I have also put some in wet food for him hoping he will ingest it and that it will help him.
Please pray this helps him, I am sooooo scared right now.... treatment was given 30 mins ago...
If anyone can tell me how often to administer, I would really appreciate it. If this works, all of you will be my heroes. Mercury is family to us, and I feel so responsible. After reading these posts if he pulls thru Never again will he eat dry food!!!!
Praying for the best outcome, as my daughter and I sit by his side...
Karrie"
11/23/2011: Cindy from North Las Vegas, Nevada replies: "My eyes are tearing at your story! Mercury is also in most vaccines, but I read that we can request it without the mercury? I have to wonder if we can do the same for children's vaccines? Why would it be in the pet food? Sending prayers your way!"
11/25/2011: Tracee from Rock Hill, Sc replies: "Thank you for your post about the Cranberry juice. We are trying it as we speak and I am hoping that it will work. My baby has been to the vet numerous times for the same problem and we can't afford to go everytime. I am hoping that after a couple of doses of cranberry juice he will be back to himself. Thanks for sharing your story."
12/15/2011: Me from Sacto, Ca replies: "I think Mercury was the animal's name."
01/26/2012: Dawn from Ottawa, Canada replies: "I have a female cat with urine tract infections too!! She used to get the infections often but now it has been at least 2yrs since the last one... What we did REALLY helped us was buying a small pet water fountain for drinking. Most pet stores and Wal-mart carry these and they are only about $30.00. The water in it is recycled and the cat loves it as it is always flowing water. I find my cat drinks way more water out of this small drinking fountain then before. It has really improved her infections, they aren't gone forever. But big big improvements!!"
| Reply to this Thread | Email | Print | Back to Top |
[YEA] 09/02/2011: Linda from Flemington, Nj writes: "I am hugely thankful for this site, and all the postings for helping me figure out how to help my cat! Had noticed some weight loss, more isolative behavior, alot of licking his "pee-pee" and very recently, some distressed meows in my 5yo male. It finally dawned on me, what the problem was. I hate to go to the vet because they push vacs, and I know they are more toxic than effective. So yesterday I started the ACV, mixed in fish juice, syringed orally, a small bit at a time, using guidance from other's experiences. About noon today, he had a bitty urine, tinged with blood, then not long after, he released a large amount of tinged urine in the box. I had set up a temporary litter box with white paper to better inspect it, and segregated him from another cat and the dog.
I began the ACV in soft food/water a little more than 24 hours ago, and he is back to behaving his usual self, purring, plopping on his side, expecting to be petted, looking for food. I know I need to continue the ACV at some level, feed soft food and improve his hydration in order to prevent a recurrence. I am so grateful to have found a site of such natural wisdom!"
| Reply to this Thread | Email | Print | Back to Top |
[YEA] 06/15/2011: Sharon from Hermosa Beach, 90254 writes: "ACV REALLY WORKS!! I have a 2 year old taby... Dewey. A few weeks ago my husband and I started finding slight traces of blood in our bathroom sink, we had no idea where it came from until my husband saw Dewey squat and pee in the sink. We immediately took him to the Vet to find out that he had Cystitis. I looked on this site the next day and read about ACV for cats so Dewey immediatley went on an ACV mix, 6cc x 3 times a day. Roughly one cap in a 1/4 cup water. I'm using an oral syringe and he really doesn't fight back while I'm squirting it slowly into his mouth. It's been 3 days and he is peeing normal again!! I plan on keeping him on half that dose for a few weeks, just to be sure his ph is balanced. Then maybe once per week as a precaution.
***We also have an older cat who needs 100mm of fluids eveyother day... the vet said it would be a good idea to give Dewey 100mm everyday to see if it would help flush his baldder, which I did along with the ACV.
FYI...I called the Vet to let them know and she mentioned that Cosequin is good for their bladder lining.
Thank you Earth Clinic for allowing all of us to share our stories and help one another!"
| Reply to this Thread | Email | Print | Back to Top |
[YEA] 11/28/2010: Smn from Ireland writes: "Just wanted to give some feedback on the use of apple cider vinegar in cystitis for cats. My cat was ill with cystitis (so badly that she was going to the litter box every 3 minutes and she even sprayed out couch, she had never ever done this before) we brought her to the vet and he gave her antibiotics which improved it for a while but it came back. Reluctant to get into a cycle of antibiotics, as I am with myself, I searched and found this site.
I started giving her a third of a teaspoon of ACV mixed in with tinned cat food and a teaspoon of water (she ate it as was delighted to get tinned food, normally I only give her dry) I continued this twice a day on the third day upping to half a teaspoon each time. I put a couple of drops in her water also. By day 2 she was substantially better, still trying to pee with little result, but not as often, and managing to pee slightly more in volume, by day three she appeared to be completely better, and doing big pees in the litter box, she now seems completely back to normal.
Thank you very much for all the advice here, very helpful. Just one question, how long should I continue giving the ACV to her? S"
Replies11/30/2010: Lorena Turcios from Van Nuys, California replies: "My friends Im so blessed to find this site. Tiger is 12 Years old hes is peeing everywhere but his only doing little dots, so I decide to use your ACV and his first dose was one hour ago please pray for him. I have faith this really goin to work on him. Someone told me to take for the vet but when they told me about how much it cost and it will be most of the food money at month here at my home. I have three children to feed. I said to myself not to worry about it has to be another way to cure him and I find your site and we will see if it works with him I will let you guy knows. Mean while keep him in your prayers please. Lore Turcios"
[YEA] 03/30/2011: Matwood from Carmichael, Ca, Usa replies: "First let me say that I am so happy that I found this site and this thread. About 2 weeks ago our 2 yr old male cat started peeing outside of the litter box. He's never done this before so we became concerned. We watched him for a day or two and noticed that he was straining to go but not much was coming out. I suspected UTI. We took him to the vet and they gave him an antibiotic shot that was equivalent to 14 days of antibiotics, some anti inflammatory meds and some prescription food that would make him want to drink more water to help with the UTI.He finished the meds that we were sent home with 3 days later. After 8 days we noticed that there was no improvement at all and he was still straining to go but couldn't. I'm unable to afford another visit to the vet which is how I found this site yesterday. After reading all the posts about how ACV really helped I had to try it.
Last night I gave him about 7 cc of ACV mixed with water. I also put about 1 tsp in his wet food last night & about a cap full of acv/water in his water bowl. I've competely removed all dry food from his diet. I never realized how bad dry food is for them and he really loves eating dry food.
This morning I saw him squatting in the kitchen and I thought hmm is this Apple Cider Vinegar going to work? I was so happy to see that he left a good size puddle on the floor. He hasn't peed that much in over a week so this has to be working. I'm going to continue giving him the Apple Cider Vinegar twice a day with syringe in his mouth as well as in his wet food. I'll update with is progress in a few days! Fingers crossed that he is on his way to recovering from this UTI!"
[YEA] 04/01/2011: Maria from Carmichael, Ca replies: "I'm very happy to say that my cat is doing much better after 2 1/2 days of Apple Cider Vinegar and wet food only. We found a very large puddle this morning on our bathroom floor. He goes in the litter box sometimes but this is definitely progress. I'm so grateful that I found this site."
04/07/2011: Linda from Paisley, Scotland replies: "Hi, I would like to try Apple Cider Vinegar for my poor old cat but being very fussy about what he eats, he turns his nose up at most things. After reading about the other benifits for myself and how bad it tastes how do I get him to take it since his sense of smell is so much keener than ours?"
[NAY] 04/19/2011: Chrissy from Belfast, 04915 replies: "If your cat is having a hard time urinating DO NOT WAIT! TAKE YOUR CAT TO THE VETERINARY ASAP! Cats can get blocked and apple cider vinegar is not going to work fast enough to save its life. A cat can die in 24 hrs after becoming blocked. I had a cat that became blocked and had not shown any signs of it before I saw a little blood on the back side and when I did I took him to the vets and was told he would have died within 4 hrs. Cats hide the pain."
12/12/2011: Paul from Los Angeles, Ca, Usa replies: "Just some feedback on my experience. Sat afternoon my cat who is a year and a half, showed me he was having trouble peeing. I started researching on the net, was seeing the prices involved in catheters, etc... Seemed 800.00 was a common number, and that frequently the number moved into the thousands as the operation was needed again and again. I called a 24/7 vet here in LA but they would not quote any sort of general price range for the procedure, till I came in and paid 125.00 for an exam. I think they know if they say a large number over the phone that they will scare away business. But if you are there and have already committed to 125.00 and your pet's big eyes are staring at you in front of them they can make more of a sale. But I just don't have that type of money. I love the little guy, but I don't have insurance for myself. So, I thought I'd try the apple cider vinegar since there seemed nothing to lose. He didn't like it much. It didn't seem to do anything as fas as I can tell except make him unhappy. I tried to make him as comfortable as possible on Sunday otherwise, he wanted to be with me and so I kept him near me most of the day. He became increasingly lethargic. Lots of tears. I knew I was making a rational choice but emotionally it was tough. Critters die... Cycle of life... Sometimes you have to let them go. I took him to bed with me at midnight and noticed around 3AM he had left the bed. At 4:30AM I went to check on him and he was dead on the floor in the living room.He had a good life with me and he was a good little buddy for 15 months. He had playmates with neighbor kitties, good food, and a person who loved him. He knew it. It was a very affectionate and close bond. I know it sounds terrible and heartless to some, but is it less heartless than numerous operations with strange people in strange places. He had a day and a half of increasing discomfort and I imagine was in a great deal of pain at the end- but every surgery would have left him in pain for a while too. It is easy to be frightened of death and I think we take it too far. There are times to let loved ones go. But I am also sharing my experience as a word of caution to those who are attached to their pets. The ACV might or might not work. Just be aware of that if you choose that course. My cat was fine on Friday evening and dead on Monday before sun up."
[YEA] 01/07/2012: Paul from Rock Island, Il replies: "The apple cider vinegar remedy worked great for our cat!We added one teaspoonful to a small can of catfood. She ate half of that the first day. Gave her the other half the second day. By the evening of Day 2, she was fine.
(Her prior symptoms were frequent attempts to urinate not just in the litter box, but also other places around the house, which is not like her. This had gone on for over a week.)"
| Reply to this Thread | Email | Print | Back to Top |
10/06/2010: Dila from New York, Ny writes: "My persian cat got started acting odd today and I didnt know what it was. He would go the litter box much more often than usual and stay there longer than usual. When he comes out he has this look on his face tht made me suspicious. He would also lick his bottom ll the time. I decided to research in order to find out what it may be due to. I first thought he was constipated and gave him some hairball treatment that has petrollium in it, which is also a laxative. But then I researched more and found out that he may have a UTI. I watched him more closely and realized that its probably a urinary infection, he would come out screaming nd crying and he looked like he was in pain. Unfortunatelly I had a class to go to, so when I came back from school he looked worse. I bought cranberry pills and gave him in a syrrenge.
Then I found this website and found out about the ACV. I gave it to him in a syrringe and also mixed it in his wet food. Its been about 3.5 hours since I first gave it to him. He still goes to the litter box and tries to pee but not as often as before (every 20-30 mins as opposed to every 5-10 mins). He is resting now and im keeping my fingers crossed that this stuff works for him, as it worked for many other cats. I felt so horrible because I had to leave him in pain and go to a class, luckily it was only 1 class and 4 hours later I was home again and was able to give him the ACV. Im so happy I found this site, I was freaking out before because he would scream and cry and its just sounds like he is in so muvh pain. Also the look on his face says everything, he would look at me like he is asking me to help him, and I was ready to take him to the emergency, if I havent found this site God knows what they would have done to him there and how much they would charge me. (it was 10 pm when I got home). So I will keep everyone posted, he looks a little better now, I think its working for him, I've had UTI myself and I know how much it hurts and that the pain gets worse and worse with time. Its 2:30 am here in New York, and I will post again when I wake up. I hope it will be a positive result and my poor boy will be in less pain and able to pee. Thanks everyone for posting their stories, it helped me a lot reading all these things and gave me more cnfidence that we can fight this! "
Replies10/07/2010: Dila from New York, Ny, Us replies: "I want to give an update on my cat. The ACV didnt seem to work much, he would still try to pee and nothing came out. I woke up around 9 am to find him squatting on my bed trying to pee. I decided not to wait any longer and take him to the vet. He told me that my cat had a blockage and they kept him overnight, they inserted catheter in him to get the urine out and gave him antibiotics for the pain. I brought him home today and the first thing he did was running to the litter box and trying to pee - unsuccessfully : ( it got me upset again, as I thought he is all better and the vet said he should pee normally. I will wait a little longer and call the vet again if he cant pee. I also gave hm turkey with some ACV in it, in hopes that the ACV will dissolve the crystals and allow him to pee again. I WANT TO STRONGLY RECOMMEND FOR ALL CAT OWNERS NOT TO WAIT IF YOUR MALE CAT HAS THE SYNDROMES OF UTI AND BLOCKAGE!!!!! YOU HAVE TO TAKE HIM TO THE VET IMMEDIATELY!!! They need to be unblocked first because if they dont, many things can go wrong!!!!A) Your cat will have all that urine sitting inside which can rupture his bladder
B) the urine, if not taken out will release toxins which can kill your cat
C) the kidneys will stop producing urine because of all that excess urine that is sitting there, therefore he might get kidney complications. I certainly hope that all the home remedies are gonna help my cat and all other cats out there, but dont let your cat have all that urine inside of him. I'm gonna call the vet now, since he's trying to pee and he can't and I will keep up with the ACV. I will post again soon"
[YEA] 12/16/2010: Beach Bum from Ponce Inlet, Florida replies: "Just wanted to say that I have a 2 year old male cat, and he was displaying all the symptoms I read about here. We are short on cash, so I tried the apple cider vinegar the other evening- put in wet food as directed. By the next morning he was looking pretty bad, like he was in pain. He was twitching and crying. I took him to the vet immediately, and he went into surgery- he was 100% blocked, and would have died within 4 hrs. If you have a boy cat, take them to the vet- they are more likely to get totally blocked, which causes death within 48 hrs. My kitty will come home tomorrow, after 4 days at vet- but he is fine- very thankful for the info here- saved his life!"
| Reply to this Thread | Email | Print | Back to Top |
[YEA] 09/20/2010: Neil from Charlotte, Nc writes: "Our 6 year old male, neutered American short hair Oscar, had started to suffer from all the typical symptoms of a UTI/Cystitis. After doing my research and finding how serious this can be for males, I was highly concerned as I really could not afford any vets bills for a week or so, and all indicators were that he would need some anti biotics and possible surgery depending on the severity. My love for my cat and my worrying nature lead me to this site, and after reading all the positive reviews I was confident in trying it. We are now in day 4 of:
No dry food. Mixing one to two table spoons of ACV in to the food. Day 1. He started to seem sprightlier and 18 hours after the first dose urinated more than he had in several days.
Day 2. Still made a few trips to the litter tray trying to urinate but unable. But passing significant amounts again.
Day 3. Seemed to be back to almost normal urination routines.
Day 4. All seems normal, happy as ever, no trips to the litter tray with no results. I can't thank everyone who posted here enough. You may well have saved my cats life and I felt compelled to tell my story. Thanks again from one inconceivably grateful cat lover."
09/26/2010: Lynda from Barrie, Ontario, Canada replies: "What are the proportions of Apple Cider Vinegar to be mixed with water and wet cat food?"
| Reply to this Thread | Email | Print | Back to Top |
[BETTER BUT WITH SIDE EFFECTS] 09/09/2010: Storms34 from Philadelphia, Pa, Usa writes: "Cystitis fixed, other probs
I have a male short haired cat of around 3 years old who is getting over suffering from cystitis. I want to thank you guys for the advice about using the acv. It did the trick, but now he is defecating far from the box. I keep the box immaculate and he shares the box with a 2-3yo female. The feces looks the same exact color as the acv. He doesn't do it all the time though. I am confused. Anyone help?"
| Reply to this Thread | Email | Print | Back to Top |
[YEA] 09/08/2010: Ccmr from Montello, Wi writes: "Patrick is one of our two rescue cats. We've had him for two years. He has skin allergies that cause him to scratch his head till he looks like a raw meatball. He also gets urinary tract infections. Because he has such a sweet personality, I suspect these two medical problems are the reasons he was tossed into an alley to fend for himself. After several vet visits, and many tests, and antibiotics and food changes his allergies would not go away. I finally asked the vet if there was an allergy pill made for cats and he gave me Chlorpheniramine 4mg-1/2 tab. He gets it once a day, disolved in 1/4 tsp of cider vinegar, 1 tbsp water, 2 tbsp Duck and Pea cat food. The cider vinegar I've been giving him every day for the past 18 months since his first attack.
This week my husband was home on vacation and I got to sleep in each morning (he fed the critters dry food instead of my vinegar wet/canned mix). By the third day I found the large wet spot, like spilled tea, on my bedroom end table. I didn't remember leaving a water glass there, and could only think it had to have been one of our three cats. All of them always use the litter boxes (we have three boxes) so this was a warning. While I was using the bathroom I noticed Patrick used the litter box in there three times in ten minutes. I then knew that missing the wet vinegar mix food in the morning had allowed his UTI infection to get out of hand. I immediatedly started him back on the vinegar, upping his dosing to three times a day. It's day four and he's playing with his 'brother' and out hiding atop the hamper in the bathroom. I've been monitoring his reststops, and his wet spots have gotten much bigger, and farther apart. All three cats are going to stay on natural vinegar in their morning wet food as maintenance for the rest of their lives. The balance of their food is high quality dry food with probiotics, cranberry, and no grains. We lost our dear cat, Chan, two years ago to liver failure caused by the cat food additive mess. A little caution saves a lot of useless vet treatments. Nature cider vinegar works wonders with cats. I'd recommend mixing it with a high quality wet cat food, plas added water, so easy you're certain they are getting that extra water they need without a daily fight."
Replies[YEA] 03/21/2011: Sapphos from Iami, Fl, Usa replies: "One of the biggest causes of cat uti's is feeding dry cat food! Cats are obligate carnivores which means they are meant to eat meat not dry kibble. We would always recommend a wet food diet when I worked at a holistic pet supply store. Also visit Dr. Lisa Pierson's website about feeding your cat wet food only. She talks about how it also helps to avoid diabetes which has become a major issues as well www.catinfo.org/"
| Reply to this Thread | Email | Print | Back to Top |
[BETTER BUT NOT CURED] 07/12/2010: Rfb from Amarillo, Tx writes: "Apple Cider Vinegar seems to be working for our 10 year old neutered male cat. Two days ago, we noticed that he was very lethargic and spending a great amount of time licking his bottom. He appeared to "waddle" as he walked and was clearly uncomfortable. Suspecting it might be cystitis, we called the vet, but as it was late afternoon Saturday, we had to take him to an after-hours vet service in town. They did suspect cystitis, though the bladder seemed normal in size and not rock hard, and held him overnight for observation. On Sunday they reported that he had not defecated nor urinated and asked us to come pick him up (he has a cat door at home and won't use the kitty litter provided in the house) to see if he would perform at home. They suggested reducing dry food, increasing wet food and encouraging him to drink more. They recommended taking him to our Vet on Monday. Later Sunday, it became clear that he was totally blocked. He could defecate, but there was no urine passage. Sunday afternoon I found this site, and at 5 PM we added 3/4tsp ACV (in addition to some water) to canned food, and 1/2tsp per cup of drinking water. We also used a syringe to get about another 1/4t of ACV, diluted with 1tsp water into him. There was no progress on urination, with the possible exception of a few drops on the linoleum floors around the house. By 10 PM, however, he did seem to be at bit more comfortable. On Monday, we continued the 3/4 t ACV with wet food, 1/2t per cup of drinking water, and 1/2t per 2t water in the syringe. In all, we probably got 1 t of ACV into him this morning. By noon he had urinated a small amount (1"D wet spot) twice, that we were able to witness. He is not yet back to normal, but it is clear that he is on the mend. It is surprising and disturbing that vets seem to be unaware of this solution to what appears to be a very common, debilitating, and sometimes lethal, problem. Caution: In our first attempt to put the syringe in his mouth, he bit through my wife's finger and finger nail. This cat doesn't even expose his claws when fighting with us, normally, but the syringe was more than he could tolerate. Now, as suggested elsewhere on this site, we lay him on his back, between our legs, and just put the syringe inside his lips, and slowly dribble the ACV in. He doesn't like it, but there is no more biting."
| Reply to this Thread | Email | Print | Back to Top |
04/27/2010: Tammy from Edmonton, Ab, Canada writes: "Apple Cider Vinegar - Feline Urinary Syndrome
Crossing my fingers here - but so far so good.
My cat Ripper (7 year old, neutered male domestic short hair cat) had just had a 400.00 vet bill for a blockage about two weeks ago.
With that bill, I don't have the money for another go around (not to mention 400.00 gelding for two horses and a 1000.00 bill for other problems in my rescue horses earlier in the year).
So I came looking for another solution. I found your site. My mom and I are both big believers in natural remedies for problems. Ripper isn't in huge distress but was wandering around crying occasionally and I saw him straining and only producing a drop or two of urine. I gave him the ACV (organic from Health Food Store - mixed 1/2 tsp to 2 tbsp spring water) from a plastic syringe. He didn't like it and I have a couple of big scratches *but* I got it all down him.
I've got some more diluted in his water bowl and some added to some nummy wet cat food. Right now I can hear him scratching in his litter box and there's no crying going on.
Cross your fingers for me - but I think you may have saved me another 400.00 bill."
04/28/2010: Tammy from Edmonton, Ab, Canada replies: "It's been 12 hours give or take later since Ripper's first dose and in that time he's had two more. (Once in wet food and once in another syringe of water). First off he's stopped crying, he's sleeping comfortably on my bed (not lethargic - just his normal lazy kitty self), and lastly and most importantly - he's used his litter box to pee.
The only thing I'm not sure of is how much he pee'd. That is because I use a silica crystal cat litter and the moisture is pretty much immediately sucked up (especially when the crystals are brand new - which they are since I changed it last night when all this started). However there is a good amount of the crystals that are discolored to a bright-ish yellow with no trace of blood. And he's not going in and out of the box continuously and he's not hiding under my bed - so it looks like *tentatively* that the ACV has done the trick.
Thank you so much... I am going to continue to update. Cross your fingers for me and Ripper."
04/28/2010: Tammy from Edmonton, Ab, Canada replies: "Ripper is completely normal now.
I am astounded at how *fast* he was given relief by the ACV (organic complete with mother). He's right now sleeping comfortably beside his 'girlfriend' Hecate after Elishiva gave him a bath.
He's been eating, dreaming and doing all sorts of good stuff quite happily since his his last dose in his wet food. I am going to be switching him and his companions to a wet food/raw food diet complete with ACV to keep the urinary issues away. Also going to keep a little ACV in the water they drink (Ripper's not sold on that, but Hecate and Elishiva are. Not sure on Indy's verdict. Gus the pug and Flea and Gwin the ferrets are good with it.)
Vet bill - 460.00 dollars
Apple Cider Vinegar - 10.00 for the big jug
Ripper's health - Priceless.
Thanks Earth Clinic! I'll be back for more info when I need it again."
05/20/2010: J from Oviedo, Fl. replies: "I'm so glad you all have had good results with this as of right now my Daughter is out hunting for this natural acv in hopes of saving my 3yr old cats life after 700.00 in vet bill he comes home the same night and has problems I hope this works we are grabbing at straws right now as we have no more money for vet bills, he is not eating or drinking, so wondering how ofter are you giving the doses of 1/2tsp acv and water?"
| Reply to this Thread | Email | Print | Back to Top |
[YEA] 04/18/2010: Elaineinohio from Athens County, Ohio writes: "Cystitis and UTI Remedies for Cats
Apple cider vinegar saved the day for my 3 year old neutered male kitty. He was going to the litter box every 5 minutes and producing only a few drops of urine. I called my vet who said to take away his dry food, and just give him wet food to increase the amount of water he is talking in. Later that evening, kitty was producing NO urine.
I used the suggestions on this site - 1/4 tsp. of ACV added to 2 tsp.of canned food - he ate it right up ! Then I gave him a few syringes of 1/4 tsp. ACV and 1 tsp. water. He took it without much fuss. And then I added ACV to the cats' drinking bowls ( I have two cats.) - 1/2 tsp ACV added to 2 cups of water. I was pleasantly surprised that he ate the food and drank the water that contained ACV. Actually BOTH cats liked it ! This morning - THREE normal pee-pees ! Tomorrow, a vet visit to make sure he is OK. Thanks for the advice - it is much appreciated. It got us safely through the weekend."
Replies01/09/2011: Sylvia from Frederick, Md., Usa replies: "Warning... Do not give them daily ACV in their drinking water because you need to avoid bladder infection from too much. 3x a week is enough I'm told. My cat was cured in 3 days from cystitis with ACV. Good luck!"
| Reply to this Thread | Email | Print | Back to Top |
03/25/2010: Nicole from Toronto, Canada writes: "WOW...I'm just so thankful to have found this website!
I am generally not someone who posts, however in this case I wanted to to say thank you to all who have posted before me and hopefully to be of help to others.
I came upon this website earlier today after trying desperatly to find more information to help my cat Boomer, who is a(much loved) 9 year old male indoor cat. Over the last days I had recognized that he appeared to have cystitus again. It started first with him urinating in the bathtub, then I noticed some blood and over the last few days he has been trying to pee continously, clearly very uncomfortable and only managing a few drops at a time. He's been drinking allot more than usual and thus trying to pee just as much. Because of this he has been very restless and uncomfortable and not even able to take a nap. Last year he had the same issue and I took him into the vet, they tested him for a bacterial infection and did other testing as well. The test came back negative for any bacteria, but they still recomeneded a course of antibiotics to be on the safe side. This really didn't seem to do much. At that time I researched natural remodies and came up with my own concoction of cranberry juice, garlic, vitamin c and some greens mixed with raw food...after some time I was very thankful that his infection cleared up.
So yesterday I went out and picked up a few things like the cranberry juice to try to help him. In looking for more natural remedies for cystitus I came across this website and all of the posts about Apple cider vinegar, I was quite skeptical that it would really be of help to boomer because it just seems that his condition is more serious this time around, but I thought that it couldn't hurt to try before making the decision to take him to an emergency vet. Well that was this afternoon....I went to pickup the apple cider vinegar...although I'm not going to say that boomer is entirely out of the woods...I am amazed!! within a five hour period he is already signifigantly different. I started by giving him 1/2 teaspoon ACV with water in a dropper. It was a bit of a challenge to get him to take it at first this way, but did manage to get him to take about half and then I put the rest into some wet food and fed it to him that way, which he tolerated quite well. A few hours later I did the same thing and added more to his wet food and hand fed him which he seemed to like. I am very happy to say that he is now resting! and over the past few hours has stopped his pacing and peeing in spots outside of the litter box and the last few times he has gone to the washroom, it has been in his litter box. He is clearly calmed right down and much more comfortable.
So I am very hopeful that he is going to be ok. I am going to continue this for several days and most likely continue it in small amounts as a preventative measure Thanks again! and good luck to everyone else. "
| Reply to this Thread | Email | Print | Back to Top |
[YEA] 03/15/2010: Diana from Boston, Massachusetts, United States writes: "I found this site when I posted to facebook to a friend that my cat was sick. She immediately recommended earthclinic. Of course, it was the weekend and the vets were closed. My boy cat has not been peeing much and that day I noticed that he was only peeing a few drops at a time. Once or twice he got out of the littler box without peeing at all. I knew what it was immediately, he had urinary crystals. Last year I spent over $2500 taking my cats to the vets for this problem! I read here that everyone gave their cats AVC with the mothers in it .. so I mixed 1/2 teaspoon to 2 tablespoons of water. I gave it to him in a syringe for medication for pets. I gave him 3 syringes over the course of the first day. He peed the very same night, the size of a quarter. The next day I gave it to him 3 times again and he peed the size of a golfball! He is no longer crying all day. He is feeling much better.
I recommend if you give this to your pets, not to give them a strong mix or too much at once. A few drops at a time only. Otherwise they cough and foam at the mouth. I dont know why this happens but it can be very scary for you and your pet. That happened once when I tried to give him a whole syringe at once. Be patient and administer it a little at a time. It may take 20 minutes to get them to take the while syringe but its well worth it. Also if its too strong they will have the same reaction.
Thank you everyone for posting how you used it.. I couldnt find a precription on the site on how to administer it.. it only said AVC. It didnt even mention it was the natural kind (I used organic raw Apple cider vinegar.)"
Replies09/11/2010: Amy from Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, Canada replies: "Thank you so much for posting the "foaming at the mouth and coughing" part. I was still concerned because she howled once too, but had I not read this on your blog, I would have totally freaked out!"
09/11/2010: Amy from Dartmouth, Ns, Canada replies: "I've been feeding my little one the Apple Cider Vinegar in crushed up tablet form that seems to do the trick. Especially after the first attempt led to foaming, coughing, gagging and howling. Ever since I've been feeding it to her, however, she's been making this snorting purring sound. She also has been making a snorting snoring sound when she sleeps... She did not do this before- a little trace of a snore, but nothing like this? Could I have damaged her ears/eyes/nose/throat when I gave her the liquid vinegar too quickly? These sounds began immediately after I gave her the liquid..... ? Has this happened to anyone else?"
09/11/2010: Joan from Cos Cob, Connecticut replies: "Hi Amy,
I've read on several websites (including this one, I think) that apple cider vinegar tablets are not very effective and can cause extreme acid conditions, so I would be especially careful giving them to pets! Let us know how your kitty is doing."
10/17/2010: Amy from Dartmouth, Nova Scotia replies: "So my little one had clear urine, and normal sized urinations for a while, after I'd been watering down her food (wet food) but as soon as I stopped this, she has blood in her urine again. She also has been urinating in the bathtub and on my leather couch this whole time even though it is clear and has been of regular size/amount. Could she still have had the infection this whole time???"
[YEA] 10/19/2010: Lita209 from Sanford, Fl, Usa replies: "Hi Amy! When my cat had UTI I looked up for a natural cure and that is how I found EC. I followed somebodys advise in here to dilute ACV 50/50 with water and I would give it to him with a dropper. He didn't like it. But it worked!!! I also changed him from dry food to wet food. It has been approx 2 years since and haven't had UTI since. Good luck to you and your kitty!! "
| Reply to this Thread | Email | Print | Back to Top |
[YEA] 02/19/2010: Mary from Vassalboro, Maine, Usa writes: "Almost two weeks ago one of my two female Ragdoll cats stopped being able to urinate. Sashi visited the litter box frequently, never having any results, and appeared to be in distress. She also stopped drinking her usual amount of water (which, however, is not that much). The other cat was fine (and drinks a good amount of water).
I must pause here to say that we do not bring our cats to the vet other than when they were young to have them spayed. (We do not believe in vaccinating -- and medicating, if at all possible -- and we do not have money in our budget for vets.) At the time of their spaying, we brought Sasha and Sophie to a vet who was a cat specialist. He strongly instructed us to always feed the cats ONLY dry food, never any wet at all. He felt that wet food would rot their teeth. And so we never had fed our two cats (ages 3 1/2 and 4 1/2) wet food [except for a brief spell when we were treating them for chronic diarrhea and needing to get fresh squeezed garlic into them, but that is another (successful!) story....!]
At any rate, when Sashi was not able to urinate, I consulted a friend of mine who has owned many cats. She immediately suspected "cystitis", and explained the causes (only a dry food diet, the cat did not drink enough water, etc.). She recommended apple cider vinegar and adding wet food to the cat's diet. After getting off the phone with her, I googled for more info., and came across your most excellent site -- in particular, information about this condition.
We immediately began the cat on a "wet food only" diet for the first 2-3 days, mixing in apple cider vinegar. The cat loved being able to have wet food (an inexpensive brand, by the way, with only a generic brand of acv). Sashi could handle pretty good sized portions of vinegar without any objections at all. I am not sure how much I used, but certainly she was getting AT LEAST 2 tsp. per day those first few days in a few feedings of wet food per day. For perhaps 3 or 4 days, however, she still would not drink her usual amount of water, including drinking from the tap, which normally she loves.
The long and the short of this story is, like many others have noted on this site, that her cure was almost immediate. She urinated a little shortly after the first treatment(s), and the next day began frisking about in high spirits -- and urinating small amounts regularly. As stated by others, the coats of both cats shine now and they have much more energy. On the third day her urinating was totally normal.
I would say the maintenance dose we have recently been administering is almost 1 tsp. per day for Sasha, and perhaps 1/2 tsp. for Sophie (who drinks a lot of water already, and who gets less wet food because of a weight problem). We now give wet food for both breakfast and supper, as well as dry food at noon and to supplement. I do not let Sasha "free feed" on dry food anymore. She happily drinks out of the tap once again, and also her water bowl (but not as much as she probably should).
My husband also rigged up a pump and filter (from the fish tank dept. at the dept. store) and a tub of water for the cats to drink from. We had hoped this would encourage them to drink more, but this trick has not been hugely successful in its goal.
When we first began administering the acv and feeding Sashi only wet food, she did begin to be a little constipated. Some dry food is necessary to move the bowels, apparently. Once the initial crisis of not being able to urinate had passed, we began to phase limited amounts of dry food back into Sashi's diet. Around the end of Day #3 we began to reintroduce some into her diet. FYI.
I give prayer and a big YEA on acv as having been a huge success for us re: cystitis in cats! Unlike my husband, I hate the taste and smell of all vinegars. Nevertheless, I'm beginning to think everyone in our household should go on acv! I'll have to hold my nose, though! :)"
05/24/2010: Kimberly from Whidbey Island, Wa replies: "I am replying to the post by Mary from Maine. I will be starting my cats on the ACV diet due to their crystal problems. Unfortunately for me I have already had to have one of my beloved cats put down due to the problem and him being blocked and in pain. Hopefully this works. But what I wanted to say is that I started the ACV diet myself a few days ago along with doing some other things and have noticed a major difference in my skin alone. I can do certain vinegariattes on salads, but am not a huge fan of the smell of vinegar. Trying to choke it down in green tea with honey did not work. I tried it with orange juice, and it was bearable to drink. But what I have found to taste the best and actually be quite good is mixing the ACV with nothing other than APPLE JUICE! Tastes good and will get you to stay on the ACV diet. You can also add a little water to the ACV and apple juice mixture to make it a little less sweet and healthier depending on the apple juice you buy. It is good enough that my 5year old daughter drinks it and thinks it is good even while knowing it has vinegar in it! Hope this helps some of you out there looking to incorporate ACV into your lifestyle."
| Reply to this Thread | Email | Print | Back to Top |
[YEA] 02/06/2010: Morgaine from Atlantic Beach, New York writes: "i have been using acv 6 months. the vet couldn't find anything wrong with mystic short hair black 7 years old. she was spraying urine in the litter box and the only thing that is working is acv.
she also has feline herpes in remmission. so please use l lysine for upper respiratory infections. anyone who is having problems please let me know what you use."
| Reply to this Thread | Email | Print | Back to Top |
[YEA] 01/22/2010: Jenny from Tulsa, Ok, Usa writes: "I am a huge fan of this site now! My 3 year old male cat has been having UTI problems for the past 2 months and after 3 vet visits and 2 rounds of strong antibiotics nothing worked! He was in obvious (and loud!) pain, going outside the box, constantly licking his privates, and our normally very active cat wouldn't do anything expect hide under the bed.
Finally I came across this website and decided to give ACV a shot. The first day I gave him 1/2 teaspoon of AVC to 2 teaspoons of filtered water with a oral syringe (this is a very strong dosage from what I can tell). He Hated it and I had to give it to him in several small doses over the course of the day. I didn't notice to much difference the first day. The second day (following advice from this site) I put 1/2 teaspoon to 2 CUPS of Filtered water in his normall water dish to allow him to drink it as he would. Doesn't seem to notice the taste. This is the third day and he is running all over the house like a kitten again! I also gave him Cantahris pelts for the pain (find in a natural food store)and those all seemed to help for the first two days. The first day I gave him 3 doses of 2 pelts each. I have been told to give him only filitered water so that the he gets the cleanest water, which means that there are fewer chemicals entering his system that can block him back up.
I recommend reading as many posts as possible, they each offer different ideas, information, and remedies that fit different cats.
I plan on continuing to put ACV in my cats water dish for a long while."
| Reply to this Thread | Email | Print | Back to Top |
[YEA] 01/22/2010: Bo from Seattle, Washington writes: "My 5-year-old female cat was suffering from what I believed to be a urinary tract infection on the 19th. We noticed since midnight, she visited the litter box frequently. Earlier at night, she wasn't as playful as she normally would be with running around the house in our game. As time went on, she was practically homesteading in the litter box. And she would just squat there, with her body quivering a bit. One time, her nose was dripping. When she wasn't in the box, she squatted over newspapers laid down in other spots.
Later in morning, I decided to take her in to the vet as a precaution. I was worried about the potential of blockage being fatal, not knowing blockage was a problem mainly for the male cats. The vet wanted me to leave her to get a urine sample. I was okay with that, as long as I could pick her up before the end of the day. Well, the urinalysis didn't come in, so the vet wanted me to keep her overnight so they could administer the medication after the test results. They told me, otherwise, I would have to bring her in.
I don't like to keep my cat away from home, so I picked her up. Plus, the clinic would be unattended during off hours. At home, I could monitor her constantly.
I knew about cranberry juice as a home remedy for people with urinary tract infection. But I didn't have any cranberry juice around. Then I had this idea of apple cider vinegar as a possible remedy since it was acidic and many people attested to its curative powers.
After deciding I would try out apple cider vinegar (cause if it didn't work, I would have taken my cat in the next day for her medication), I researched online for personal testimonies. I was more convinced after reading the personal anecdotes on this site. And I learned the exact dosage used. (Initially, I just poured less than a capful into the cat's water bowl.)
I did decide already upon noticing the urinary problems to switch from the dry food to canned food. So, with the first dosage of ACV, I added 1/2 teaspoon to little bit of tuna, along with some water from her water bowl. Because she had a bit of diarrhea, I sprinkled some oat bran to the mix.
I wasn't supposed to feed her so soon after coming home, as she was sedated for the urine sample. But she was hungry and sat in protest by her food bowl. I caved in and served her just a bit.
Over the next 12 hours, the improvements were subtle. She didn't frequent the litter box as much. But she was still hanging out underneath the dining table (which my previous cat did when her health was deteriorating in her last days). And she was sensitive to being touched or held up. Several hours later, she was still squatting in the litter box longer than usual. But her urine output was slightly more. That was a good sign.
Other improvement was her sleeping more the next morning rather than trying to pee. By the next day, she became more playful (though still not running around). I continued to feed her the same food mix with the 1/4 teaspoon of ACV and additional water. And I also included sardines packed in water to blend with the canned tuna for cats. I wanted a source of omega 3 acids as an anti-inflammatory to help reduce any internal inflammation.
Long story short, she got progressively better, becoming more playful and frisky with normal bathroom habits. By Thursday night, she started running around and moving about with a bounce in her step. Meanwhile, she was spared of any antibiotics (which they had predicted she might need) or urine acidifier.
Also, I've noticed there have been discussions of using organic, unprocessed ACV. I bought regular ACV sold under the store label.
This is a great forum!!"
| Reply to this Thread | Email | Print | Back to Top |
[YEA] 01/18/2010: Pamela from Nashville, Tn writes: "Apple Cider Vinegar cured my cat! My kitty almost died over Christmas due to a UTI. She had a high fever (105 degrees) and required IV antibiotics for 2 days then another 10 days on oral antibiotics. While we are thankful for the vets who saved her life, she started having symptoms again once off the antibiotics which including peeing on the bed and being lethargic. I immediately took her temperature which was normal. I located your web site and found the ACV treatment. We gave her 1/2 teaspoon mixed with spring water, which we added a tiny amount of tuna to flavor...she drank it all and by the next morning, she was 100% better. We now mix 1/4 teaspoon into both of our cat's wet food, mixed with some organic canned pumpkin (1 Tablespoon) to add fiber to their diet as we also had some constipation issues with Sophie. Both my cats love this mixture and cry for it each morning and evening! Sophie is a much happier kitty than ever before! Thank you so much! It's nice to have my 8 year old kitty acting like a kitten again!"
| Reply to this Thread | Email | Print | Back to Top |
[YEA] 12/21/2009: Susan from Oakville, Ontario, Canada writes: "On a long weekend my female cat 8 years old started to live in the litter tray, but it was always dry. She'd wander around looking anxious and meowing, then go back and try again, but nothing happened. I didnt know what to do, as the emergency clinic charges a fortune just for walking in the door. I somehow found this site, and after reading what everyone said about apple cider vinegar, thought I might as well try it, as I couldnt leave her in distress all weekend. I found in my fridge a bottle of organic ACV, which was at least four years old. I already had a syringe, so put half a teaspoon of it in there with a teaspoon of filtered water and gave it to her. In less than 10 minutes, she was walking around the apartment instead of hiding under the bed, and the meowing had stopped. That night I heard her scratching around in the litter tray again, and couldnt believe the long pee she did. I gave her some more today, and she seems absolutely normal again, even playing. Thank God for this site, and thank you to everyone for the information. She was an abandoned kitten, almost starved when found, I feel like she had had enough misery in her life without this. Thanks."
Replies12/27/2009: Pyretta from Whitney, Ontario, Canada replies: "So glad I found this site. I have two female cats, a mother (Pumpkin age 5.5) & daughter (Dottie age 4.5) I have had a hard time with Dottie. 2.5 years ago she had blood in her urine ( she peed on the floor, beds, clothes and our backpacks) The vet & I figured she didnt drink enough water and I only fed them kibble so her kidneys were strained and she had an infection. Over a year it returned twice, treated both times with antiboitics and increases in watered down wet food (like gravy). I thought all was well. However near the end of October I discovered two large blotches of blood in my tub and my poor Dottie crying and pacing trying to use her box and only dribbling. The vet suggested to save me money to treat her again with the antibiotics and increased fluids and blood & urine work. I was so upset that I insisted on an xray, she was full of kidney & bladder stones and a nasty long term bladder infection. After a few weeks on a different anitbiotic she was like a kitten again, she had surgery to remove her stones 2 weeks ago and is doing great. I plan on buying acv as a preventive for both cats. Funny I landed on this site looking for a natural flea cure (another present from the vet clinic) and found acv as something that can help so many problems. Cant wait to try it.Thanks for the great site."
| Reply to this Thread | Email | Print | Back to Top |
12/18/2009: Polly H from London, United Kingdom writes: "Feline Cystitis
I tried using organic cider vinegar on the suggestion of this site. My female cat Harry gets cystitis once or twice a year, usually when it's cold. She's very lazy and I think the cause may be related to the fact she doesn't like to go out for a wee in bad weather, holds it in and therefore gets cystitis.
The usual symptoms are grumpiness, sleepiness, lack of appetite, peeing in corners of rooms or in unusual places such as my bed or pillows, and being very very vocal.
So, I went and got some organic cider vinegar from a health food shop, and used at first 1/2 teaspoon diluted with 1/2 teaspoon water mixed in with her wet food to make a gravy. I feed her high quality biscuits but stopped these at first to give her a chance to rehydrate.
The vinegar seemd to work within 12 hrs or so. I made sure she had food available constantly with this soluton mixed in, as well as fresh water with 1/2 teaspoon cider vinegar mixed in too.
After about 12hrs she seemed much more comfortable and fell asleep for a long time. After 24hrs she was back to her perky, silly self and asking to pee outside again. No more squatting for ages, no more moaning and general discomfort. Cider vinegar is a miracle cure.
I intend to use the cider vinegar solution in her food every few days, cut down her biscuit intake and see how things go. But so far so good. Thanks for the advice."
Replies[YEA] 01/29/2012: Dahlia1 from Athens, Ga, United States replies: "I have 2 cats and a dog. Ezzie has been with me when she showed up at my doorstep screaming her head off, at 5 weeks old... Should have known then that any feral kitty that wasn't afraid of humans and would actually "knock" on my door because the whole outside thing just wasn't working for her I was going to have a hand full. Well, 6 years later, let me just say, no one is safe... Especially the dog. Anyways, I rescued an abused barn cat when I lived in North Carolina about 2 and a half years ago. It took 6 months for her to allow me near her but I kept putting out food and water and she crept closer and closer eventually I was able to make her a heated kitty house and pick her up.She showed up one day with a huge gaping wound on her neck and by this time I had broken my neck, had surgery, and then was fired from my job... Long story, needless to say I had no money, let alone for the vet so I called my vet's office and they knew my situation so they only charged me $40 for the visit (she was a new patient) along with the antibotics to give her. It was an interesing game of take the pill for a week. But she healed up and that is how I found out she was a she and that she was estimated to be around 16 years old. So she went from Chairman Meow to Ingrid Birdman. Well, I now live in GA and she now lives inside... She spends most of her time in her "room", the utility room where I put her litter box, food on an elavated platform my step-dad made her, with her kitty bed underneath. Ezzie is a snot so Ingrid likes to be in her safe place. Yesterday, she started going to the cat box and back to the platform (which is white and the floor is white also), like she was doing wind sprints. She was leaving little droplets of peepee tinged with blood once in a while. I freaked, I have no money left of my own and am living off of my mom and she is retired... Vet bills aren't in the cards, and I don't have a vet here that will do me any favors like the nice vet in NC. I found this website and forum, after having read other stuff here and there about the ACV, but nothing specific enough, so I immediately put on socks and shoes and went to the grocery in my jammies (sweatpants and a long ugly t-shirt) and bought the ACV.
Ingrid stopped doing the wind sprints almost instantly after eating the soft food with the ACV in it, last night I put it in her water bowl and she drank that all up. No peepee droplets this morning, I am so thrilled! I hate stressing her out and car rides, vets, etc. Scare her... She's been abused horribly in her lifetime and now she is finally happy and comfortable and because of this forum she is already better and soon will be ALL better. Thanks so much everybody, you are lifesavers! "
| Reply to this Thread | Email | Print | Back to Top |
[NAY] 11/20/2009: Robin from San Diego, Ca writes: "I was very excited to try this treatment as like so many posts I have read we're at our wits end trying to stop my poor 1 1/2 year old male kitty from getting another expensive and painful bladder blockage. He's had 2 in 6 months. FYI we've always fed him a high quality wheat, grain corn free diet. We supplement with cranberry extract. For this most recent blockage we again decreased his dry food (which contains beneficial bacteria) to about 1/4 cup a day instead of the 2/3 he usually eats and he's been mostly eating only canned food mixed with water for the last couple of weeks.
I made sure to buy the mother Apple Cider Vinegar and proceeded to give him 1/4 tsp twice a day mixed with his wet food. (I measured the amount of "a cap full" and it comes out to a little more than a 1/4 tsp.) He had no problems eating it. I'm very sorry to say that after several days to a week he urinated on my bed for the first time in weeks. I increased his ACV to a little more than 1/4 tsp. that night and the next morning. The next evening he urinated on my bed again. The next afternoon I got home and noticed that he had a discharge coming out of his rectal area, more like the glands around it. I smelled it (I know, it sounds strange, but if I felt it was necessary to help with diagnosis) and noticed it smelled familiar (ladies would be more apt to recognize this scent) but I couldn't place it. I had a very difficult time finding information. Knowing the only thing I'd added recently was the ACV I performed a very time consuming search and finally came up with a reference not to give a cat with yeast sensitivities ACV because it could cause an internal yeast infection. Now this seems contradictory because most everything I read says just the opposite, that you can TREAT yeast with ACV. But how else can I explain that familiar (aha! it was a yeasty smell) emanating from his rear end? Of course, I had no idea he was sensitive to yeast. Since the yeast smell/discharge was coming out of his rear end, not his penis it makes sense that this is an INTESTINAL yeast infection. Just doing a search for intestinal yeast infection yields little information, since most of them are EXTERNAL.
Please note that I have not taken him to the vet to have this "officially" diagnosed as (like so many people) I've lost faith in a vet's ability to treat him effectively. (All he does is unblock him and send him home, telling me I could have "the surgery" for widening his urethra).
That very night I went out and bought an "intestinal blend" of acidophilus and other bacteria (one article said dairy free, because the yeast will feed on the sugars in the milk) that I picked up at my local farmer's grocery. I gave it to him right away, as well as stopped the ACV. We're opening and giving him 1 capsule 3 times a day. The next day (after receiving a total of 3 doses) he didn't urinate out of the box. This is day 4 and so far so good.
I post this not to bad mouth the ACV treatment in any way, since it's obviously very helpful to many, many kitties who I'm sure are very thankful to their mommys and daddys who care so much for them. This is only to let others know that if they have a similar reaction, this may be why. I also feel that because we had decreased his dry food with acidophilus in it to very little he wasn't getting enough beneficial bacteria, which could have possibly staved off (what I believe to be) a yeast infection to begin with. In my search I found that potentially because he's been battling with these blockages he could possibly have a compromised immune system (as well as a lot of stress), which could lead to his inability to fight the yeast growth as well.
I'd like to try this remedy again, but maybe with a reduced dosage, only 1/4 per day instead of twice a day, and then only after a month or more of good bacteria being in his system.
One more thing, I found a product, cranberry and papaya digestive supplement with beneficial bacteria. It's also pretty inexpensive (less than $10 for a 16oz bottle) when compared to vet visits, etc. After we're done with what we bought at the grocery we'll be giving this a try, as it's considerably cheaper."
Replies01/11/2010: Michelle from Saline, Michigan replies: "In response to Robin from San Diego, Ca
My cat (male 2YO, neutered) has the same smell regarding the glands on the rear, but I have never used ACV at all. I was looking for a cure for a feline UTI and ran across this site. Therefore, I wanted to mention my situation for those whose cat already has this exisiting problem pre ACV. I will try ACV, plus take Robin's suggestion and see if it helps my cat. Thanks..."
| Reply to this Thread | Email | Print | Back to Top |
[YEA] 11/15/2009: Kim from Albertville, Minnesota writes: "Hello! My cat "Otto" started acting funny today, lickng his genitials, and then he peed all over a notebook i had on my table. This was strange i thought. Then..he started peeing every 5 minutes, and i knew it must be urinary tract infection. Well its sunday, no vets are open, and we are very Broke!
so i went online (Thank god for computers) stumbled upon this site..and did what everyone else said to do, i already had some apple cider vinegar at home because i take it for its health benefits, so i thought..what the heck..anything to give him some relief. I mixed it up 1/4 teaspoon ACV with the "Mother" in 1/2 teaspoon of spring water, and put it in a syringe..gave it to him..he hated it..he foamed at the mouth..and vomited..i felt even worse! So i put some of the mixture in his wet cat food, and 5 hours later..he has completly stopped licking himself and peeing! I'm so excited to be writing this!! I will continue to watch him, and i will give it to him for a few more days..but honestly..its a god send!! I knew it was good for us humans..but he knew it can cure your cats UTI...wow! I'm truly amazed!!"
| Reply to this Thread | Email | Print | Back to Top |
[YEA] 10/21/2009: Amazongirl from Nashville, Tn, Usa writes: "Apple Cider Vinegar for cats, urinary tract infection
Dear Earth Clinic,
I would like to thank you so much for this website...it has literally saved my cat's life. We have a 17-year-old little female who for the last couple of years has gotten urinary tract infections repeatedly. She never really showed any symptoms until she was in a horrible state...our first warning is usually bloody urine somewhere in the house. After dealing with the vet and spending $200 each time she got an infection, which then would come back within two or three months, my cat was getting sicker - NOT BETTER. Each time, the vet would try and do blood work on her...being a former vet tech way back in my younger years, I know that most of the time blood work is a money-maker as well as a waste of time - because the treatment will typically be the same regardless of results (this does depend on symptoms). I refused the blood work - not only because of the previous statement, but because we simply just couldn't afford the extra cost. The vet would only dispense 7 days of antibiotics, which was not enough for a cat with bloody urine, as well as an oral painkiller, and then would tell me to bring in another urine sample so they could 'recheck' it in seven days. Upon discovering that she still had a urinary infection, they then gave another 7 days of antibiotics...with the same directions. "Bring her back in 7 days so that we can recheck her." Each time these rechecks were around $40 plus medication (if I didn't have to bring her in). The vet never once mentioned changing food, alternative cures, or anything. The vet did complain about my cat's weight loss - but again, no other suggestions other than to 'do blood work' and continue this ridiculous charade of vet care.
Out of sheer desperation, I finally looked online to see if other people had these same issues with their cats...and vets...and what they did about it. Luckily, I stumbled upon your website - and found a whole group of people who had experienced this - who also OFFERED UP A TREATMENT: Organic unfiltered unpasteurized apple cider vinegar - with the dusty mother at the bottom. Needless to say, I was very very skeptical. Even with the success stories on I read here I just thought that these people had probably did something else without knowing it. However, I can say that I am a firm believer in ACV.
I mixed 5 tablespoons of water to one tablespoon of ACV, giving her 1cc of the mixture 3 times a day - and mixing 3ccs of the mixture in her wet food. In the beginning, she was not happy about the taste, but she has totally grown accustomed to it and doesn't act like she minds it at all.
When I first began the regiment she had just finished 14 days of antibiotics and was still urinating all over the place, still had traces of blood in her urine, and overall was just miserable. She would walk around the house - just pacing and looking for a place to urinate - although not much would happen. There was also a terrible odor to her breath and her urine. She was so skinny that she was nothing more than a 4lb rack of bones and just seemed miserable. I knew that we were going to have to take her back in to the vet and let them do whatever - because otherwise we were going to lose her. In a last ditch effort - I tried the ACV - with full intentions on taking her to the vet the next day. However, after the initial doses, she immediately started to perk up within a few minutes - which shocked me - but also encouraged me. By the next day she had shown great improvement -so I decided to put the vet off for another day or so to see what happened...we have yet to have the need to return to the vet - after two weeks of doing this she is acting like a young kitty of 10. Her bad breath is gone, her stinky urine is gone (and she is using her liter box instead of the entire house), her coat has shined up and her skin irritations (which she has always had) completely went away...and she eats more than ever. She has gained weight - and you no longer feel like you are holding bones.
She was eating wet food before all of this - but now we give her more (with 3cc of mixed water and ACV)...pretty much whenever she asks for it. My other cat, sharing the food, yet not having these problems has also showed improvement in his coat - no more flakes.
I just had to share my story - I have my fingers crossed that this health streak will continue - but so far, so good. Thank you so much for giving me my cat back.
Organic unfiltered unpasteurized apple cider vinegar with mother (that has cured my cat's urinary infection) = $3
Multiple trips to the vet - with no lasting results = $700"
| Reply to this Thread | Email | Print | Back to Top |
[YEA] 10/13/2009: Angela from Victoria, Bc Canada writes: "I wanted to thank everyone who took the time to tell their stories. I was a week away from putting down my 19 year old cat. She has had a urinary tract infection on and off for three years. She is a very untreatable animal and I have never been able to cure her. She had been urinating all over my house and beds. It sounded like she was in a lot of pain with her crying all the time. I had made the appointment for a Monday but felt so unsettled by the decision. I felt like I hadn't done all I could for her and in every other way she seemed so healthy. I found this web site on the Tuesday prior to the appointment. I figured I would try the apple cider vinegar treatment as one last attempt. Within 4 days she hadn't urinated anywhere but her litter box. She still cried a lot so I still didn't know whether or not to go through with it. By that Saturday I made the decision to cancel the appointment. It has been a week now and she seems to be doing so much better. Again I just want to thank everyone and the creators of this website. The only one question I have is how long should I be feeding her the vinegar?"
Replies12/28/2009: Sylvia from Frederick, Md replies: "I used 1/2 teaspoon regular apple cider vinegar to 2 cups water for 2 years now and no more UTI. Also one half pill vitamin C 500 mg is good for shiny coat and preventing other problems. Just crush it and put in wet catfood gravy."
[YEA] 12/25/2011: Ashley from Fort Mcmurray, Alberta, Canada replies: "This post saved my cat's life. He was recently in for a urinary tract blockage, which cost me over $2500.00 to treat. He was home for two days and blocked up again - no urine what so ever. It was a holiday, nowhere was open, and I was contemplating having him put down. The vet agreed to see him without charging me the $500.00 emergency fee, and tried to catheterize him and couldn't. I was beyond hope.I found this post, and tried the apple cider vinegar, and I kid you not he peed within 20 minutes. I kept giving him small doses by mouth (in a 1 ml syringe) every 30 minutes for 2 hours. He was up peeing all night, and filled the litter box. I am so gratefull!! Thanks!"
01/11/2012: Brent from Davidson, North Carolina replies: "I just wanted to say thanks to all those who posted, I JUST SAVE MY CATS LIFE!!! Chakra had a life threatening UTI, had all of the symptoms on people are talking about on here, (staying in the litter box for several minutes with very little urine coming out, trying to pee in strange places, etc.)I took him to the emergency vet, but what they would have done I could never have afforded. I also want to be a natural doctor and figured what is the point in being into natural medicine if I can't treat myself and family in an emergency.
I took him home and put him a scaled down version of Dr. Richard Schulzes Kidney bladder Detox, scaled down meaning doses suitable for a cat. I used ACV, (1/4 cup ACV to 20oz of water). I gave him 1 or 2 teaspooms of this mixture 4 times a day, and then 15 minutes later, I gave him the Kidney bladder tea with a kidney bladder tincture, and detox tincture mixed in.
I wasn't taking any chances so I also added cranberry juice (the real stuff from the health food store, not ocean spray) 1 part juice to 3 parts water since it was 100% cranberry, not from concentrate, 2 to 3 times a day. And also fresh parsley tea 3 times a day. Parsley is a great diuretic (makes you pee)
The next day he was peeing a bit better, with not quite as many times in the box. The day after that he was peeing much better, with much less time in the box, by day three he was pretty much peeing normally, with no trouble at all.
Now he is totally back to normal, and then some!! He is playing more than he has in years, and seems happier and more content. I attribute this to the detox formula. I changed his diet to all super high quality wet food, with parsley tea added in. I just bought a cat water fountain, and will transition to raw meat diet soon.
I also threw in some colloidal silver and garlic to kill the bacteria.
I am writing this let people know that you can cure your cat, (and yourself) naturally. If anyone would like help with their cat I would be glad to share my story in more detail. I am not selling anything, and not affiliated with the company I mentioned, I just want to help people be self sufficient for their health.
Peace, Brent
| Reply to this Thread | Email | Print | Back to Top |
1 |  |