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THERAPEUTIC NUTRITION

Useful information about the needs of cats and dogs with nutritionally sensitive health conditions.

Renal & Urinary Disorders

Feline Urinary Tract Infections

Urinary tract infections (UTIs) have been reported to affect 1-2% of cats over the course of their lifetimes and between 2-19% of cats exhibiting signs of lower urinary tract diseases. Although UTIs are not directly influenced by diet, they are associated with several nutritionally responsive conditions or diseases, such as low or high body condition scores, diabetes mellitus, chronic kidney disease, and urolithiasis.

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Key Messages

  • Feeding cats to maintain ideal body condition may help reduce the risk of a UTI. 
    • Research has identified low body condition score as a risk factor for UTIs. This may be due to diminished overall immune status in thin cats.  
    • Overweight cats often have difficulty reaching and grooming the urogenital region. Fecal bacteria can contaminate the urogenital area (especially in obese cats with excess skin folds in the region providing a hospitable environment for bacteria) and ascend the urethra to establish a UTI.  
  • Although data are conflicting, numerous risk factors for UTIs have been suggested, including the presence of other diseases in which nutritional management plays a role, such as diabetes mellitus or chronic kidney disease. A breakdown in the cat’s innate immune defense system appears to be a contributing factor. 
  • UTIs can occur in cats with uroliths. The most common feline uroliths are struvite and calcium oxalate. Nutrition plays an important role in the management of existing struvite urolithiasis and can help reduce the risk of recurrence for both struvite and calcium oxalate uroliths. 
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"Your cat has a urinary tract infection, or UTI. In addition to treating the infection, feeding to maintain ideal body condition is important as being overweight may increase the risk of a UTI."

Related Tools and Content:

The Purina Body Condition System

The Purina Body Condition System is an easy and practical tool for assessing a pet's body composition.​

View Brief 1 min to 5 min

How to Perform a Body Condition Assessment - Cat

Assess a cat's Body Condition Score in just 3 simple steps.​

View Video 1 min to 5 min

Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) in Cats

Nutritional management is a cornerstone of health care for cats with chronic kidney disease.

View Brief 1 min to 5 min

Feline Struvite Urolithiasis

Nutrition plays an important role in managing struvite urolithiasis and reducing the risk of recurrence in cats.

View Brief 1 min to 5 min

Feline Calcium Oxalate Urolithiasis

Nutrition plays an important role in reducing the risk of recurrence of calcium oxalate urolithiasis in cats.

View Brief 1 min to 5 min

Nutrition and Urinary Tract Health in Cats

Feline lower urinary tract diseases (FLUTDs) have a multi-factorial etiology. Diet can play an important role as part of the overall management.

View Hot Topic 6 min to 10 min

Feline Lower Urinary Tract Health: The Role of Diet

Nutrition plays a role in the maintenance of feline lower urinary tract health.

View Brief 1 min to 5 min

Feline Idiopathic Cystitis

Nutrition plays an important role in managing idiopathic cystitis and reducing the risk of recurrence.

View Brief 1 min to 5 min

To Share With Pet Owner:

Evaluating Your Cat’s Body Condition

Assess your cat's Body Condition in just 3 simple steps.​

View Video 1 min to 5 min

Additional Resource

Dorsch, R., Teichmann-Knorrn, S., & Sjetne Lund, H. (2019). Urinary tract infection and subclinical bacteriuria in cats: A clinical update. Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery, 21(11);1023–1038. doi: 10.1177/1098612X19880435​