Seeing your cat strain in the litter box or finding drops of blood outside it is terrifying. You immediately search for how to treat UTI in cats because you want to fix it, fast. I get it. I've been a feline-focused vet for over a decade, and urinary issues are one of the most common—and most mismanaged—problems I see. The internet is full of vague advice and dangerous home remedies. Let's cut through the noise. Treating a feline urinary tract infection isn't just about giving antibiotics; it's a process that starts with a correct diagnosis and extends into long-term prevention. Skip a step, and you're looking at a recurring nightmare.

What You'll Find in This Guide

Step 1: Recognizing the Signs – Is It Really a UTI?
Step 2: The Non-Negotiable Vet Diagnosis Process
Step 3: Antibiotic Treatment – Doing It Right
Step 4: Home Support & Care While Your Cat Heals
Step 5: Long-Term Prevention Strategies
Your Urgent Questions Answered

Step 1: Recognizing the Signs – Is It Really a UTI?

First, let's clarify terminology. People say "UTI," but vets often think in terms of Feline Lower Urinary Tract Disease (FLUTD). FLUTD is an umbrella term. A bacterial infection (a true UTI) is one cause, but others include sterile cystitis (inflammation without infection), bladder stones, or even a plug blocking the urethra.

Your cat can't tell you where it hurts. You have to be a detective. The classic signs are:

Frequent, unproductive trips to the litter box. You'll see them going in and out, maybe just squatting for a second.
Straining to urinate. This is often confused with constipation. Watch their posture. A cat straining to poop will have a hunched back. A cat straining to pee will be more tense in the hindquarters, sometimes crying out.
Blood in the urine (hematuria). This can look pink, red, or just cloudy.
Urinating outside the litter box. This isn't spite. It's pain. They associate the box with the burning sensation, so they try the cool tile of the bathtub or a rug.
Excessive licking of the genital area.

EMERGENCY ALERT – Especially for Male Cats: If your male cat is straining and producing no urine at all for more than a few hours, this is a life-threatening urinary blockage. His urethra is tiny and can easily become obstructed by crystals or mucus. Toxins will build up in his bloodstream, leading to kidney failure and death within 24-48 hours. This is not a "wait and see" situation. Go to the emergency vet immediately.

Here's the subtle mistake many owners make: assuming it's a simple infection and delaying the vet. In younger cats, especially under 10, sterile cystitis (linked to stress) is actually more common than bacterial UTIs. Giving antibiotics for that is useless and contributes to resistance. You need a professional to tell the difference.

Step 2: The Non-Negotiable Vet Diagnosis Process

You've booked the appointment. Now, what actually happens? A proper diagnosis for a suspected cat UTI isn't a guess. It's a investigation. Here's what you should expect—and what to ask for.

The Diagnostic Pathway

1. The Physical Exam: The vet will palpate your cat's bladder (a small, tense bladder suggests blockage or inability to urinate; a large, floppy one suggests inability to empty properly). They'll check for dehydration and abdominal pain.

2. Urinalysis – The Cornerstone: This is mandatory. The vet needs a fresh urine sample, ideally obtained via cystocentesis (a needle through the belly wall into the bladder). I know that sounds scary, but it's quick, relatively painless, and most importantly, it gives a sterile sample uncontaminated by litter or bacteria from the lower urethra. A free-catch sample from the litter box is often useless for culture.

The urinalysis checks for:

Specific Gravity: Is the urine concentrated? Dilute urine can be a sign of other issues.
pH: Acidic or alkaline? This influences crystal formation.
Blood, Protein, Glucose.
Cells: White blood cells (indicating inflammation/infection), red blood cells, and epithelial cells.
Crystals: Struvite or calcium oxalate crystals under the microscope can point to stone risk.
Bacteria: Seeing bacteria confirms an infection is likely present.

3. Urine Culture & Sensitivity (The Game-Changer): This is the step most owners skip due to cost, and it's the #1 reason for treatment failure. The urine sample is sent to a lab to grow any bacteria present and, crucially, test which antibiotics actually kill it. Guesswork is over. You get a targeted weapon. According to guidelines from the American Animal Hospital Association, culture and sensitivity is considered the gold standard for diagnosing UTIs, especially in recurrent cases.

4. Imaging (If Needed): For recurrent issues, an X-ray or ultrasound rules out bladder stones, tumors, or anatomical abnormalities.

Step 3: Antibiotic Treatment – Doing It Right

Okay, the culture is back. It's a confirmed bacterial infection, and you have the right antibiotic. Now, the real work begins at home.

The cardinal rule: Finish the entire course. Every single pill. Even if your cat seems perfectly normal after three days, the bacteria may not be fully eradicated. Stopping early breeds superbugs and guarantees a relapse, often with a harder-to-treat strain.

Commonly prescribed antibiotics for feline UTIs include amoxicillin-clavulanate (Clavamox), cefovecin (Convenia, a long-acting injection), or enrofloxacin (Baytril) for tougher cases. Which one? It depends 100% on your cat's culture results. Convenia is popular because it's one injection that lasts two weeks—no pilling struggles. But it's not right for every infection type.

Administration tips from the trenches:

Hide pills in a Pill Pocket, a small ball of canned food, or a tiny piece of cheese.
If pilling, be quick and confident. Tilt the head back, drop the pill as far back on the tongue as possible, close the mouth, and gently stroke the throat until you see a swallow.
Never crush an antibiotic meant to be swallowed whole (like a time-release capsule) unless your vet says it's okay.

Step 4: Home Support & Care While Your Cat Heals

Medication fights the bug, but your home environment helps heal the bladder lining. Think of it as creating the ideal internal spa for your cat's urinary tract.

Goal	How-To Action	Why It Works
Increase Water Intake	Switch to a 100% canned/wet food diet. Add water or low-sodium chicken broth to food. Provide multiple clean water bowls in quiet locations. Consider a cat water fountain (the moving water entices them to drink).	Dilutes the urine, making it less irritating to the bladder wall and flushing out bacteria and inflammatory substances more frequently.
Reduce Stress	Use Feliway diffusers (synthetic calming pheromones). Ensure you have n+1 litter boxes (one per cat, plus one extra). Keep routines predictable. Provide vertical space (cat trees) and hiding spots.	Stress is a massive trigger for bladder inflammation (sterile cystitis). A calm cat has a calmer bladder. The Cornell Feline Health Center highlights the profound link between stress and urinary health.
Pain Management	Your vet may prescribe an anti-inflammatory pain reliever like robenacoxib (Onsior) for a few days. Never give human pain meds (NSAIDs like ibuprofen or acetaminophen are toxic to cats).	Relieves the pain and spasm of the inflamed bladder, allowing your cat to urinate more comfortably and return to normal litter box habits.
Litter Box Perfection	Use unscented, fine-grained clumping litter. Scoop at least once daily. Clean boxes weekly with mild soap and water (avoid harsh chemicals).	Eliminates aversions that could cause your cat to hold their urine, which concentrates it and worsens irritation.

Step 5: Long-Term Prevention Strategies

Your cat finished antibiotics and is back to normal. Great! Now, how do you keep it that way? Preventing a recurrence is the true mark of successful treatment.

For cats prone to Feline Lower Urinary Tract Disease, whether from infection or sterile inflammation, a multi-modal approach is key.

Diet is Your Foundation: Talk to your vet about a urinary care diet. These are veterinary-prescription foods (like Hill's c/d, Royal Canin Urinary SO, or Purina Pro Plan UR). They aren't just "low ash"—that's an outdated concept. They work by:

Controlling urinary pH to discourage crystal formation.
Containing controlled levels of key minerals (magnesium, phosphorus, calcium).
Often including supplements like glucosamine to help repair the bladder's protective lining (the glycosaminoglycan layer).

Hydration is Non-Negotiable: The wet food habit you started during treatment? Make it permanent. The extra water intake is the single best thing you can do for long-term urinary health.

Monitor Like a Hawk: Keep an eye on litter box habits. Any regression is a red flag. For cats with multiple recurrences, your vet might suggest periodic check-up urinalyses to catch problems before symptoms appear.

My Personal Take on Supplements: The market is flooded with cranberry, D-Mannose, and other urinary supplements for cats. The evidence is mixed. Cranberry is for preventing E. coli adhesion in human bladders; its efficacy in cats isn't proven. Some supplements like cosequin (for the bladder lining) or probiotics may have a supporting role, but they are not a substitute for veterinary diagnosis, prescription diet, or antibiotics. Always run supplements by your vet first.

Your Urgent Questions Answered

Can a cat UTI go away on its own without antibiotics?

No, a bacterial urinary tract infection will not resolve without appropriate antibiotic treatment. Attempting to wait it out can allow the infection to ascend to the kidneys, causing a much more serious and painful condition called pyelonephritis. While some instances of feline lower urinary tract disease (FLUTD) with sterile inflammation may improve with environmental and dietary management, a true infection requires targeted medication prescribed by a vet after a urine culture.

How much does it cost to treat a UTI in a cat?

Costs vary widely by location and severity, but expect an initial vet visit, urinalysis, and a course of generic antibiotics to range from $150 to $400. If complications arise, like a urinary blockage in a male cat requiring emergency unblocking and hospitalization, costs can skyrocket to $1,500 to $3,000 or more. Investing in the initial urine culture ($100-$250) is often cheaper long-term than repeated rounds of ineffective antibiotics.

Are cat UTIs contagious to humans or other pets?

The bacteria causing most cat UTIs, like E. coli, are not typically contagious in a household setting like a virus would be. However, these bacteria originate from the cat's own gut or environment. You don't "catch" the UTI from your cat. It's still good practice to wash your hands after cleaning the litter box, but you're not at direct risk of developing a UTI from your sick cat. Other cats in the household are also not at direct risk of "catching" it through casual contact.

My cat keeps getting UTIs. What's wrong?

Recurrent UTIs are a sign of an underlying problem. The most common reasons are: 1) An incomplete initial treatment (wrong antibiotic, dose, or duration). 2) An underlying anatomical issue (like a recessed vulva in female cats that traps moisture and bacteria). 3) Bladder stones, which act as a reservoir for bacteria. 4) A co-morbid disease like diabetes or kidney disease that weakens the immune system. 5) Persistent sterile cystitis that's being misdiagnosed as infection. A full workup with imaging (X-ray/ultrasound) and a urine culture during an active episode is crucial to break the cycle.

Treating a cat UTI successfully isn't a mystery. It's a method. It requires partnering with your vet, committing to the diagnostic steps, administering medication faithfully, and making lasting changes to your cat's environment and diet. The goal isn't just to stop today's pain, but to ensure your cat's litter box trips are uneventful for years to come. Skip the shortcuts. Follow the plan. Your cat's health is worth the diligence.

How to Treat UTI in Cats: A Veterinarian's Action Plan