Feline bacterial urinary tract infections: An update on an evolving clinical problem

Although feline urine is increasingly submitted for bacterial culture and susceptibility testing as part of a more general diagnostic work-up for a range of presentations in veterinary practice, bacterial urinary tract infections (UTIs) are relatively uncommon due to a variety of physical and immunological barriers to infection. Culture positive urine is most often obtained from older female cats and the clinical history may include hematuria, dysuria and pollakiuria, or the infection may be occult. Urinalysis usually reveals hematuria and pyuria, and Escherichia coli and Gram-positive cocci are cultured most frequently. Most feline UTIs can be successfully treated using oral amoxicillin or amoxicillin/clavulanic acid administered for at least 14 days, but the prevalence of antimicrobial resistance amongst infecting bacterial species is a growing concern. There is currently no conclusive information on the safety and efficacy of alternative therapeutic agents for the treatment of feline UTIs.