Urinary Tract Disorders in Cats

Apple Cider Vinegar

35 User Reviews
5 star (34) 
  97%
1 star (1) 
  3%

Posted by Amilayn (Il) on 11/30/2013

We just rescued a cat a month ago, and her history is unknown. She's had a few accidents, and we were giving her special treats for UTI health, and special food that says it's good for that too, although it seems to have the same ingredients as generic food (the special food is made by 9 Lives, but it does say it's good for UT health??)

Last night however, makes me think that she definitely has a UTI. She was curled up next to me in bed, and in the middle of the night, jumped up and ran off of the bed. She's older and rather large, so she usually doesn't run around like that. I rolled over, and there was a puddle in the bed! I think that the urge came on her so quickly, she couldn't get down fast enough.

I've had cats before, and had one with recurring UTIs. I took her to the vet for antibiotics every time, and it just got to be too expensive for what seems like the same results I could get with home remedies. It's been 15 years since I had a cat, so I have a lot to learn about their health again!

Replied by Om
(Hope Bc Canada)
11/30/2013

Please read Theresa's suggestions re ACV.

In addition, homeopathic remedies also work and can be used in addition by pouring a few globules of the remedy into a very small dish, stirring 21 times with a toothpick and give a few drops by syringe. This solution can be used for about two days hourly or whenever convenient.

One is Causticum for old broken down conditions for older weak animals. Also, according to Traditional Chinese Medicine, there runs an energy line on the under side where cats get spayed. When there is an incision this can cause later in the life of a cat or dog incontinence. However in addition to ACV I would research online homeopathic remedies that fit your cat's profile . Since this is affordable it may be worthwhile to try some remedies. I wish you and your kitty good luck. Namaste, Om


Apple Cider Vinegar
Posted by Valerie (Nashville, Tn) on 09/05/2012

My poor sweet Leo (3 year old neutered male) has had a urinary blockage almost more times than I can remember now. It started in March 2012, he blocked (on a Sunday, of course) by Monday morning at about 3 or 4 he began vomiting and looked like he was about to die, which in fact, he was. I sat in the vets parking lot with him screaming in his crate for an hour until they opened at 6. That afternoon, they called and said they had unblocked him and then he re-blocked so they were going to keep him overnight. They called the next morning and said I could pick him up. The cost?? $957.00!! I almost fainted. He was good for a few weeks and then it happened again, and on a Sunday, again! We took him to the emergency vet. They told us $1,700 just to catharsizes him. When we balked they suggested that we might consider euthanasia! We got him through the night and took him to a different vet the next morning. We have used this vet many times. He is VERY unconventional and uses a lot of homeopathic and holistic approaches, which we like, but sometimes he gets a little too unconventional. For instance, his office does not have an x-ray machine!! Anyway, he made him very sleepy and put a catheter in. Leo pulled it out the next day or even that very night we are not exactly sure, and blocked again. Another catheter in, he pulled in out in two days, then the vet flushed him out really well and sent him home, he was good for a few weeks, I think, (really this has been going on for so long and so often that's it's really hard to keep up with each emergency. I could check all the bills, but the thought of that just sickens me, it's well over $2,000 in the past two months alone) He blocked again, got really sick again, almost died, re-cauterized him and sent him home. The vet wanted to keep the catheter in for seven days!! We bought not one, but two lampshade collars, kept him very drugged an in his small carrier. What a horrible nightmare for him, for me, for my life!! I couldn't go to work the entire week. Aside from giving him all his meds every three hours and forcing tons of water down his throat, I had to take him out every few hours and clean him, and the crate. He would be soaked in urine. But if I left him out even for a few moments he would attempt to run to the basement and would then immediately throw himself on his back and begin trying to pull the catheter out with his paws! It was really extraordinary. A day or two into this entire ordeal he began screaming all night long, seriously, all night long. I finally figured out that the valium I was giving him, that the vet gave me for him, was working and then having the opposite effect on him (agitation, awake, insane) when I gave him the second dose.. Evidently this is not uncommon in cats. Long story, a bit shorter, he did amazingly well for almost three weeks and then three days ago he started to lick his genitals and cry.. this is how it begins with him.

I discovered this site two weeks ago and started giving him 1/4 tsp. ACV on his food, I put it in his water bowl and the water bowl dogs too. I really thought we may have solved the problem.. But two days ago, here we go again.!! He was blocked yesterday. I began giving him 1/4 tsp. ACV 1/4 tsp. Aloe, in one tablespoon of water about every four hours. Like so many others here have mentioned I shot it down his throat from a small syringe, he really doesn't protest it too much.. And the yesterday morning we took him back to the first vet.. The really expensive one, and when we took him out of his carrier his was soaked with pee. So maybe the ACV was working?? The vet gave us some pain meds for him, a valium family relaxer to keep his bladder relaxed and told us we needed to switch him over to Royal Canine OT. He has been eating Wellness canned chicken, and turkey with a sprinkling of Calf. Natural dried on top. All looked pretty good last night, but this morning he began the licking and crying. I gave him more ACV, but then (I keep reading, keep trying to figure out the best course of action with him. We really love him. He is a wonderful, loving funny, animal. Anyway, now I'm finding all this sites with warnings about not 'over' acidifying a cat's food because it can lead to kidney failure and other awful things. He peed a little today, but screamed like hell after.

So here is my question.. And I am so really hoping someone out there can help me and poor Leo.. How can I be sure now that I am not giving him too much and making the situation worse?? I don't know what to do to help him. Can someone please help me?

Replied by Gemini Dreamweapon
(Chicago, Il)
09/12/2012

Felines can get kidney stones just as humans do from excess minerals in the system. In felines this usually stems from high carb, processed, enzymatically dead pet food that they have not evolved to digest. Don't be fooled by your veterinarian approved kibble (I will refrain from names).

The ACV is too alkaline for your feline. Although ACV is a weak acid, when ingested in it becomes alkaline. It is okay diluted and in moderation for dogs and humans but cats internally are more acidic and need to maintain that slight acidity for favorable health - their stomachs produce more acid in order to properly break down and assimilate their ancestral diet. ACV will not only alkalinize their pH but will dampen their digestive fire and hinder proper digestion, nutrient utilization, and weaken their immune systems through pH imbalance.

ACV can also cause severe burns both internally and externally if not properly diluted and if given too much - this holds true for humans and dogs too. The dose you are giving is too high for your very light feline. That dose is human appropriate - consider a 125 pound human vs a 5-10 pound kitty.

Look into kidney stone breaker liquid tinctures. A stone breaker formula containing many of the same herbs used in holistic human stone breaker compounds. They make the formulas species safe and weight specific. You can drop the tincture into their food.

Replied by Gemini Dreamweapon
(Chicago, Il)
09/12/2012

http://holisticat.com/no-kibble.html

'The grains and plant matter in dry foods can cause cats' urine to be too alkaline. Based on research in vet journals, the ideal urinary pH is between 6. 0 and 6. 5 The more alkalizing cats' diets are, the higher the risk of struvite crystal (and Bast forbid, stone/urolith) formation'

Just say no to ACV for cats. It's too alkaline and may be contributing to the problem.

Also - if your cat is on wet or dry commercial kibble it may very high in carbs and ultimately contributing to this crisis.

Try a raw meat/ancestral diet. Holisticat discusses this under the well-fed section of their site. There is ample info on transitioning and feeding a complete raw meat diet for both cats and dogs (differing protein needs and food tolerances). You don't have to go out of your way to grind down whole game bones and all, there are myriad boutique commercial raw diet manufactures.

Replied by Kadsmidt
(Hutchinson, Ks, USA)
04/11/2013

No. I had taken our 8 year old male in for what was assumed to be a UTI. Until then, he was a happy, healthy, playful cat with a beautiful coat. He was on antibiotics and pain killers. Low and behind within 2 weeks, it started all over again. So I started reading up on home remedies. I tried the ACV. I had to end up taking him to a vet that was going to charge us 770 dollars to cath him and have an overnight stay. I went to a different vet for a second opinion, and she did the same prodecure for half that cost. But he never got to enjoy anything from the treatment. When she thought he was ready to be un cathed, and come home, he would not urinate. So in a desperate move, we told her to go ahead and open him up to see if she could get his bladder unblocked through his abdomen. When she opened him up, she found cancer masses all over the lining of his bladder, and he had to be euthanized.

This was all within a 2 week period. The last bout being we took him in on a Saturday morning and him was gone on the following Tuesday afternoon. We are beyond devastated. We did the right thing by taking him to the vet's. One never knows what is causing the blockage. Please do not hesitate to care for your pets. ACV was never going to cure our beloved cat. Neither were the antibiotics. On the last day of his life, his coat finally turned dull and he would not walk with us. He never did that before. Even during the round of antibiotics, he still played and had a sleek coat. It will be a month on the 12th of April that we lost him. I know in my mind, that I did everything I could in my power to help him. I won't have to beat myself up over not taking him to the vet. I still question if I took him to the right one. But cancer is cancer, and it took him. He was so advanced that there was no option, no chemo, no surgery. I admonish those that can afford to do so, please get them checked right away. If it works for your cat, great. Do not wait if it doesn't. I would have donated an organ to save my cat.

Replied by Tina
(Indiana)
04/30/2013

I had a male cat that had a blockage I slipped a Kleenex underneath him and it was a mucus looking for plug. I took him to the vet - the vet put him on glucosamine, it's called dasuquin for cats. I sprinkle one capsule on his wet food in the morning and one at night. That was a year ago and I haven't had a problem since. Hope this helps.


Apple Cider Vinegar
Posted by Leah (Melbourne, Australia) on 08/03/2012

Hi guys, this website has been so informative. I have a blue oriental called Lilly. She lives in a high rise so doesn't go outside apart from our private balcony. She is coming up to her eighth birthday. She has had two prior uti's which I resolved with anti-b's and a stay at the vets that she hated. She has no interaction with other animals so I do not understand where she picks this up. My fiancé and I are kitty litter fanatics as we want her toilet to be constantly clean as she sleeps in the bed with us. At the moment she has another UTI and there is blood involved. Ever time I go to the bathroom, she comes with me and tries to use her kitty tray. She is also trying to urinate on my clothes if the are on the floor. She is obviously trying to communicate her pain but seems affectionate as always. When I have taken her to the vet she flips out and I do not like her being near other sick animals as I haven't had her fully vaccinated - I don't believe in it as it is not natural. I will try the vinegar treatment as it is the best info I have had - thanks kindly.


Apple Cider Vinegar
Posted by Marina (Honolulu, Hawaii) on 06/01/2011
★★★★★

My cat was only urinating a few drops and even then it was bloody. I found this forum and took the advice of many of you. I switched her to can food (with a splash of apple cider vinegar) and used a medicine dropper to give her some water mixed with apple cider vinegar. Within 8 hours she peed a large puddle! Within 24 hours she was urinating normal and within 36 hours she seemed better then before. Apple cider vinegar (organic) is amazing. Thank you all for the advice. The canned cat food cost me like 25 cents a can and the apple cider vinegar (organic) only cost $2.24. A doctors visit would have cost me hundreds and that's not even counting the medicine cost!

Replied by Christy
(Knoxville, Tn)
06/01/2011

I had a question about the ACV for cats. My cat has been diagnosed with bladder issues and has had crystals in her urine. She was given antibiotics and a prescription cat food (dry). She has had urinary issues since. Tonight I put 1/4 tsp in some wet food and 1/2 tsp in 2 cups of water. She is an absolute beast to medicate. Will this work without giving it to her in a syringe with water?

Replied by Cristin
(Independence, Ky)
12/05/2011

My vet did the same thing for my cat and I am just discovering this treatment since I believe she is not cured and suffering again. Did it work for you with just putting it in her food bc my cat is difficult like yours to get syringes in her. I am hopeful this will work for her. Any other advice would be wonderful!!!


Apple Cider Vinegar
Posted by Sdstlouis (St. Louis, Missouri) on 03/12/2011
★★★★★

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

This stuff works! Lizzy my female cat was having problems going to the litter box and was only able to do a few drops at a time. After introducing the Apple Cider Vinegar into canned food as well as giving her 1/4tsp of Apple Cider Vinegar to 2tsp of water with a syringe twice a day, she was slowly getting back to normal. It took about 5 days for it to take full effect. Sure saved me big $ from taking her to the vet. I'm now mixing the Apple Cider Vinegar into the canned food for both cats as part of their diet. You guys are brilliant!

Replied by Diamond
(Salisbury, Mass.)
03/12/2011

I hope we are careful with the amounts of apple cider vinegar given to our little pets. Their organs are very small and can be easily compromised, I used it once or twice and noticed blood in my kittens urin so I stopped the use, an no more blood in vomit or urin....... keeping my fingers crossed.
:o)


Apple Cider Vinegar
Posted by Diane Small (Cambridge, Ma) on 02/28/2011
★★★★★

My male cat, age 7, began straining to urinate. I gave him ACV, but it didn't help him. I took him to his veterinarian, who diagnosed him with a urinary tract infection and prescribed antibiotics and pain medications. But the UTI returned in a few days and I had to bring my cat back to the vet who prescribed stronger antibiotics and pain meds. Once again the problem returned in a few days and the vet prescribed still stronger antibiotics and pain meds. The bill came to just under $700. The vet didn't mention food to me at all, until I asked whether my cat should still eat dry food. He didn't answer and just told me to cook a chicken and put the juice in my cat's wet food. He also told me to put wet pads on my cat's rear end. The UTI returned very quickly.

This time I reached for a book on my shelf, Rodale's Encyclopedia of Natural Home Remedies, c1982. On page 69, someone had written to Prevention with a remedy for her neutered male cat's cystitis (bladder infection). She added tomato juice (one tablespoon) and water (one tablespoon) to her cat's wet food. Since another person used a remedy with no salt, I bought a bottle of Bionaturae Organic Strained Tomatoes, no salt, at my local food co-op. Since it is so concentrated, I just add one and a half teaspoons of the strained tomatoes along with a tablespoon and a half of water in the my cat's wet food twice a day. I also add three drops of olive oil in the wet food. This worked immediately.

It's been about seven weeks now and my cat is fine. He loves the strained tomatoes and water mixed in with his food. I even give him about a quarter a cup of Innova Evo dry cat food daily and he's doing fine. Since I've reduced the amount of dry food he gets, I worried about his bowel regularity, so I give him a wet cat food with chunks of food; I use Nature's Variety Homestyle canned, by Prairie, mornings and then in the evening I give him Wellness canned, which doesn't have chunks.

A few months before my cat's problems began, I had decreased his wet food and increased his dry food (I had also stopped giving him Evo dry and switched to another dry food), because I wanted to keep his weight down. I suspect this may have caused the problem. So now I give him wet food twice a day with the strained tomatoes and water, and about a quarter of a cup of Innova Evo dry daily. It has worked for my neutered male cat.

Replied by Diane Small
(Cambridge, Ma)
03/26/2011

I need to follow up on my comment regarding my male cat with UTI, because I did have further problems, mostly maybe due to me.

Brought my male cat, age 7 ½ years old, to veterinarian when he kept going back and forth to the litter box, stayed in there, and kept meowing. Vet diagnosed the problem as a serious UTI and gave him antibiotics and pain meds. I gave him meds when cat returned also. Problem came back again. Returned to vet for stronger antibiotics and pain meds. Once again problem returned. Brought him back again for even stronger antibiotics and pain meds. Bill came to just under $700. Problem returned. I looked at Rodale's Encyclopedia of Natural Home Remedies, 1982. Recommended was tomato juice and water in canned food. Worked; I used a bottle of strained organic tomatoes, a tablespoon of the tomatoes with a tablespoon and a half of distilled water in canned cat food twice a day. When I gave my cat one morning just cooked chicken and some dry food, his UTI returned. When I resumed the strained tomato/water routine, he squatted and urinated everywhere. I panicked and panicked and got him Cranactin capsules; I opened the capsules gave him half a capsule of the powder in wet food twice a day.

When he gagged after a day or two, I looked at another book: Veterinarians' Guide to Natural Remedies for Cats, by Martin Zucker, 1999. One veterinarian recommended just giving your UTI prone cat canned food mixed with water. I started giving my cat a half can of canned food twice a day with about a tablespoon and a half of distilled water twice a day. Because one vet in that book or another found that fish could trigger the problem, I don't use fish flavored food. I get Nature's Variety Home Style by Prairie, because it has chunks of food—I thought it might help keep him regular. In the evening I give him either Wellness canned or Pet Guard canned with the water. In the morning, I throw in about a tablespoon of dry food (Innova EVO). I also put 3 drops of high quality olive oil in the canned food twice a day.

My cat seems fine so far; it's been about six weeks. I am very disappointed with my vet, who didn't mention food to me; when I mentioned it, he said nothing, except to boil a chicken and put the juice in it. And he charged me $700. I recommend both books highly. The latter book, by Martin Zucker, especially for your cats.


Apple Cider Vinegar
Posted by Dila (New York, Ny) on 10/06/2010
★☆☆☆☆

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!

Replied by Dila
(New York, Ny, Us)
10/07/2010

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

Replied by Beach Bum
(Ponce Inlet, Florida)
12/16/2010
★★★★★

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!


Apple Cider Vinegar
Posted by Amazongirl (Nashville, Tn, Usa) on 10/21/2009
★★★★★

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

Replied by Catlovah
(Boston, Ma)
03/31/2012
★★★★★

Amazing the ACV worked! I applied a very wet paper towel soaked with the ACV to her hindquarter like someone suggested. She licked it up and in less than 30 minutes she urinated. I highly recommend this remedy! My cat (mouse) and I thank you all for suggesting this wonderful remedy!


Apple Cider Vinegar
Posted by Angela (Victoria, Bc Canada) on 10/13/2009
★★★★★

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?

Replied by Sylvia
(Frederick, Md)
12/28/2009
★★★★★

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.


Apple Cider Vinegar
Posted by Elwin (Pictou, Nova Scotia, Canada) on 08/31/2009
★★★★★

This site is awesome. we inherited Archie from our granddaughter when she went to university.That was about 8 years ago. Granddaughter is about to enter medical school. Archie is 17 years old. A couple of weeks ago,his urine slowed down big time. less than once a day, and then,just a mall clump in the litter box> We took him to the vet, and after exam and blood work and prescription,and $240.00,the prognosis was thathe was in the early stages of renal failure. We gave him the pills(Baytril 15 mg. for ten days. It worked, but barely. just a small amount of urine once,and sometimes, less than once, daily. He became lethargic,and a few days ago, I held him in my arms,and had a teary momentI decided then that that I would do anything I could to keep him around for a few years longer. I got in to this site. The solution: 1/4 tsp of apple cider vinegarin 2 tsp wet cat food. Within a day his urination amount was normal, and now,within a 24 hr. period, he is urinating 3 times-and good substantial ones. He's also back to normal-he played with his catnip mouse this morning. Thank you, thank you, thank you. Cheers: Elwimn Hemphill, Pictou, N.S., Canada

Replied by James
(Orange, Us)
12/05/2010
★★★★★

What worked for me:
My healthy lean male cat of 3 years started showing signs of serious bladder blockage just a few days ago. We have fed him a mix of newman's own organic cat food half dry/ half wet, but he is a crunchy food addict so would eat mostly the dry and only the wet when really hungry. He was lean and healthy so we didn't worry much about this then. He also doesn't seem to drink from his water bowl all that often. He started acting really lethargic and then noticed him doing the litterbox dance, going in and out without peeing much if at all, this was at night and our vet was closed. I did research online and worried about the dangers of full blockage and the need to take the cat in asap, but the emergency vet charges big markups, so we decided to wait til morning for our regular vet as long as he continued to show signs of at least getting a few drops of urine out on most of his litterbox trips.

We also started giving him oral doses of diluted raw apple cider vinegar mixed with a "d-mannose" supplement every few hours using one of those plastic syringe squirter things you can get at a pharmacy. I had read many testimonials online about people having success with this issue by supplementing the vinegar, seemingly as it would help to quickly drop the urine ph. The "d-mannose" is the main ingredient in cranberry juice that helps with uti, and thought that if he had any bacterial uti issues this would help and couldn't hurt.

So to be safe I stayed up all night observing him and giving him the doses every few hours and in the morning just before we were to take him into the vet we noticed he went to the litterbox and had a noticeably larger urine amount which was a relief so we decided to hold off on the vet and keep up the doses. We also cut out dry food and gave him wet food with broth or distilled water and microwaved it a little so it was a little warm, he lapped up the broth and ate a little, towards the of the evening he started peeing larger and larger amounts and started to regain his energy and playfulness and didn't seem to be in discomfort anymore.

The next day he seemed fully back to normal, though we are continuing to give him one dose of Apple Cider Vinegar and d-mannose and will continue to give him only wet food with added water or broth heating it up slightly as he seems to prefer. If most of these bladder blockage problems are caused by dry food and grain causing higher pH than ideal in the urine it makes sense that the apple cider vinegar supplement would help by quickly lowering the pH in the urine. Plus it is super cheap, and so far has worked a miracle for us. You can google this remedy to find out more.

Our dose was 1/4 teaspoon acv(vinegar) mixed with 1 teaspoon distilled water with 1/8 teaspoon "d-mannose" powder per dose. To give it orally my gf or myself would hold the cat and lift his scruff so he couldn't move his head much while the other person would squirt the liquid in the back of his mouth. Now that he is back to full energy this is getting harder as he resists more so I decided to squirt it and lightly rub it in on his side when he was laying down cleaning himself and he happily lapped it up. Worth a try especially for those who are worried about huge vet bills.

Replied by Spice's Mom
(Cape Coral, Fl)
12/28/2010

My male cat is 11 yrs old and was recently diagnosed with Diabetes and I have been having a problem with him leaking urine for about 2 yrs. Antibiotics make him very sick and only seem to help while he is taking the antibiotics. He doesn't have a problem with the litter box when he has a recent insulin shot, but when his blood sugar rises he has issues with leaking large puddles. He also still drinks large amounts of water. He has had bad UTI's in the past, not sure if this is diabetes related. I am starting him on the ACV treatment today to see if it helps. Does anyone have advice for me regarding diabetic cats and UTI's? I would really appreciate any advice. Thank you in advance! Spice's Mom

Replied by Vinnie
(Auckland, New Zealand)
02/14/2011

Hi there, I was so happy and thankful to read this thread; some years ago I lost my first cat to the dreaded crystals. It devastated me. After many years, I was asked to take in an abandond cat (now 3yrs old) to save his life, and 2 days ago he was diagnosed with said crystals. I was so scared. The vet was really nice and helpful, but after catheterising only gave me anti inflammatories and Hills perscription as further treatment. The hills bix list brewers rice as their key ingredient, and the wet food pork by-product, neither of which thrilled me, but anything for him to get better! However, on doing a bit of research I find that dry food I. E. the biscuits are possibly part of the problem - we fed him expensive store bought bix for breakfast and snacks prior to the crystals, so I was really concerned to be feeding him these to make him better.

Did not know anything about ACV before finding this page, wasnt even sure if you could get this 'mother' stuff here in Aotearoa New Zealand, but yay, yes I can. So have just bought some and will get started now - so good luck to us, and thankyou thankyou to all the people who take the time to post here! Kia ora.


Apple Cider Vinegar
Posted by Shellye (Austin, Tx) on 08/19/2009
★★★★★

I came home from a week long vacation in the mountains to find that my Texas Ray (10 yr. old neutered indoor/outdoor male) was suffering from a UTI. Crying in pain, constantly licking himself and searching for a soft place to urinate I noticed only a few drops came out. Poor baby! I found this website and spoon fed him the recommended 1/4 teaspoon of ACV and 1 teaspoon filtered water. He took it surprisinly well. -no major fighting to resist it despite the taste. Almost immediately the crying and pacing stopped! About 2 hours later I mixed 1/4 teaspoon ACV and 2 teaspoons filtered water into some canned cat food that he ate enthusiastically. This morning (12 hours after 1st dose) I gave him a third dose of 1/4 teaspoon ACV and 1 teaspoon filtered water and 20 minutes later he was able to urinate easily with no noticeable pain. I will continue to administer this dosage to him for one more day.

Thanks for the advice!

Replied by Devon
(Dearborn Mi)
07/16/2015

I have a 5 month old kitten who when I took to the vet they gave a shot and medicine for a UTI. They tried to take a urine sample but couldn't and now he is not very happy and seems to be in pain. Is this normal for them to be sore after they tried to do this? Also can I add the ACV to his food and water along with continuing the antibiotics? We have him in our guest room right now because he was going all over the house. It wasn't a lot but he was going on soft surfaces and dribbling here and there.


Apple Cider Vinegar
Posted by Kyle (Jacksonville, Florida) on 07/19/2009
★★★★★

We have a male cat who developed urinary crystals and after a $1,000 vet bill, I was forced to look for a homeopathic, inexpensive alternative. When he developed it again, I started giving him about 1/2 teaspoon of organic apple cider vinegar (ACV) in some warm water with his dry food every morning and the urinary crystals completely disappeared in a day or two. If your cat won't eat the food, try putting less ACV in the warm water at first and gradually build up the amount. I also try to give him some wet food a few times a week (I wish I could only give him wet food, but it is far more expensive). Now I give this to each of my cats daily and they are completely healthy.


Apple Cider Vinegar
Posted by Rosy (Orlando, Fl) on 01/07/2009

Female kitty peed on herself:

I am concerned about my female kitty Mora, she is about two years old. We are in the middle of switching her to a more natural diet. She was on Solid Gold's Indigo Moon formula, which it grain free, but I had wanted to switch her and my male to a raw diet. The male seems to have switched fine. It has been about a week with the raw only. Right now we are struggling, as she only wants to eat the kibbles. I have it put up in a spare bedroom. I have been feeding her a freeze dried Venison formula, and when I think they may eat it, some raw chicken that was frozen in a tube. I feed them both about an ounce, at first and if they are still hungry I will warm up more. I do not heat in the microwave. Well now that I have gotten through the current situation, my main concern. This morning they were hungry and I was defrosting some raw and it would be a while before I could feed them. So I gave both of them a treat. It was a cranberry treat that they have both eaten for over a year. Shortly after that I saw her walking around the house with a wet bottom. I went to dry her off and noticed it was urine. I cleaned her with a damp washcloth, she wasn't too happy, but not as upset as when I cleaned her bottom when she got poo on it. So I don't think she is feeling to spunky. I went to look up on line females peeing on themselves and noticed a really rancid cat pee smell. I went to the littler box, and it wasn't there, she had peed in a tent that I had put up for them in the corner. It was thicker than normal and very yellow. It had also got part on the carpet. So now I think she had been going to hid in her tent cause she didn't feel good and ended up peeing with out knowing it. What makes this more upsetting is yesterday she was great, and we played all day! The urine smell isn't normal, it is very stinky, I am not sure how to describe it but it isn't like a strong pee smell, it is just strong and stinky, but still pee like. Has any one else had this same thing happen? I don't have a regular vet, and I don't want to deal with finding one that won't think I am a nut case with the raw food.

Replied by Mary
(Regina, Canada)
01/07/2009

Hi: I don't have cats but 2 small dogs. I have been told to fast them for 1 day anytime i switch over to raw. If for example we go on holidays and have to drive. I do not pack raw, they eat dry for that time. Regarding your female cat, I have a trick that I use. I have 2 miniature pinchers that have been on raw most of their lives. When I have an issue, I feed them live yogurt that I have cultured myself with milk and acidophilis. They get this until problem resolves itself.

Hope this helps,
Mary

Replied by Rosy
(Orlando, Fl)
01/09/2009
★★★★★

Update on my fur baby Mora,

I mixed together 1 tablespoon of organic ACV with 1/3 cup filtered tap water. I gave my kitty 2 tsp by syringe 2 times a day. At first she was ok with it, which isn't my kitty, She then slept for a couple of hours and ate. She peed in the litter box one more stinky pee before bed. So bad I had to empty it for the second time that day. In the morning she put up some fight with the ACV mix, but I got it in her :)~ She ate some no grain canned food and was frisky for a while then slept most the day. That night I gave her one more dose and I had to chase her and got part of it on the wall, so she must be feeling better. I haven't noticed the stink, and she is much friskier. I will try the fast when I start her on raw again, see if that keeps her from getting too dehydrated in her protest!


Apple Cider Vinegar
Posted by KG (South Brunswick, NJ) on 12/02/2008
★★★★★

Hi all.Our 3 yr.old cat Tum was lethargic when we came home on thanksgiving night,after seeming to have problems peeing for a few hours earlier.I took him to a 24 hour emergency hospital at 11pm,being the only place open at that time,especially on a holiday.I was told upon entering there was a $120 "cover charge" just for walking in.Fine.Ijust want my cat to live,I thought.Well when the vet called me in to discuss the problem,I found out he had a urinary blockage and they wanted to unblock him and do testing to find out exactly why,due to the tune of $1200,also while telling me he may need surgery on top of that.Being pretty strapped for money,like anyone else nowadays,I couldn't afford their testing.I started crying hysterically,not wanting to have to watch my cat suffer infront of us helplessly,and watch him die.The vet told me she'd unblock him,thankfully,but then we were sent on our way.He seemed ok for a few hours afterwards,but then started going in and out of the litterbox every 2 minutes or so.We knew we couldn't afford to take a trip to the vet or hospital,just because we already knew what it was and what it would cost.That's when I started frantically searching the net for a home remedy type solution,and the apple cider vinegar treatment was the 1st I came across.I was EXTREMELY weary and hopeless,but thought,hey I have nothing to lose.My husband immediately ran to the food store and bought a bottle.I gave Tum some WET food mixed with about 1.5 tsp of acv immediately,and the same amount at every feeding.I am so happy to report that out baby is almost completely better.He is not only making less than half the trips the the litter box than before,but it active again after only 3 days now.Sure he didn't like it at 1st,but mix it with food and if they're hungry,they'll eat it!We didn't force it down his throat(we've tried before with other meds and it was just us getting scratched and bit by him)but administer it by any means if you have a fussy cat!It is SO worth it.I just want to speak on behalf of all the loving animal owners who can't afford expensive treatment...please give it a try!There's NOTHING to lose.It has kept one of our family's best friends around!

Thanks a MILLION ten fold for those who have made testimonials and who have informed us on the use of avc for urinary problems for our cat,as it has saved his life and gave us such great hope,as well as returning our Tum to his lively,crazy young self!Please,please try it-if not now,as a last option.We did and we are so thankful.Thank you all so much.


Apple Cider Vinegar
Posted by Anne S-K (Innisfil, Canada) on 11/29/2008
★★★★★

Editor's Choice

First of all, I would like to thank the owner/founder and independent contributor for this wonderful site, along with all those those who have provided valuable feedback concerning folk remedies.

Our senior cat Pepper who is about 15 years old developed problems over a year ago, which started with listlessness, loss of appetite/drinking and vomiting. We took her to a Vet and was informed that she was not drinking enough and needed to be rehydrated, so she was kept overnight at the clinic for tests and was rehydrated by IV. The Vet later informed us that because of her age her kidneys were failing and tests showed they were in poor shape, he also said she would need to be on medication and a low protein diet which could only be purchased at the clinic.

After the awful ordeal of having to pop a pill down her throat every day, she showed no improvement and her symtoms actually got worse and she was deteriorating faster and was looking like a bone rack. I tried every kind of food to try to tempt her to eat but she would only eat about a teaspoon of food. It was very upsetting to see her so ill and thin so I returned to the Vet who told me that the kindest thing I could do was to put her to sleep. :( My family and I decided not to go that route and brought her back home.

After extensive researching on the net I found that others pets had gotten worse from this medication so I stopped giving it to her.

I also learned online that dandelion leaves were great for flushing the kidneys and body of toxins, so I started giving her a fresh one from the garden and chopping and mixing some through her soft food.

With the help of organic baby food and a fresh dandelion leaf daily, she slowly regained her appetite and stopped vomiting and was drinking lots of water.

A year later she has now fully regained her weight and is eating her regular crunchies and soft food and has a healthy appetite. The only thing now is she drinks huge amounts of water which I was told was the bodies way of flushing toxins out of the system which is due to her age and failing kidneys.

Two weeks ago she got a bladder infection and was straining to uninate but was only passing small drops, so I reseached the net and found EARTH CLINIC, after one day of giving her organic apple cider vinegar in her soft food and drinking bowl she started to unrinate and has been fine since.

"Another one of mother earths natural remedies"

We are now keeping Pepper on the apple cider vinegar perminately and our new kitten also.

Quess what? she is now also starting to drink normal amounts of water. :D

Thank you again for this wonderful site.
I hope my feedback also helps others.

P.S In winter I add dried dandelion root to Peppers soft food which I purchase in my health food store.

We add 1/2 teaspoon of apple cider vinegar to her soft food and 1/2 a teaspoon to two cups of her drinking water every day.

fresh dandelion half of one small leaf from my garden chopped up fine and added to soft food three times a week, in winter 1/2 a capsule of dried dandelion root.

If you can't get your cat to eat the fresh leaf, try putting about 5 drops of dandelion liquid tinture in a full bowl of drinking water.

IMPORTANT!!!!
Don't ever administer full strenth cider vinegar or dandelion root directly into your pets mouth.
This would choke them.

Replied by Donna
(Bc Canada)
03/20/2015

Thank you for the information. I run an animal rescue shelter, more for seniors and cats with behavior issues. one of my cats was squatting to pee every few minutes. He was drinking a lot of water, but still seemed to be straining. He has lost a lot of weight and my Vet feels he may have kidney disease. I have not done blood work as I have seen this many, many times. I will try the Apple Cider Vinegar and post again.

Replied by Donna
(Bc Canada)
03/20/2015

Thank you for the information. I run an animal rescue shelter, more for seniors and cats with behavior issues. one of my cats was squatting to pee every few minutes. He was drinking a lot of water, but still seemed to be straining. He has lost a lot of weight and my Vet feels he may have kidney disease. I have not done blood work as I have seen this many, many times. I will try the Apple Cider Vinegar and post again.



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