Does My Cat Have a Urinary Tract Infection?

by Britt

Published: June 11th, 2024

Photo credit: New Africa / Shutterstock.com

Is your cat using the litterbox more frequently? Have you seen them straining or struggling to do their business? These are common signs of a urinary tract infection (UTI), a struggle faced by many aging cats.

While a UTI is not life-threatening if caught early, it can be incredibly uncomfortable for your feline friend.

This post will help you learn the signs and symptoms of a UTI in cats, understand the causes of an infection, and equip you with the information needed to decide if a trip to the vet is necessary. Most importantly, it will help you take steps to keep your cat feeling happy and healthy as quickly as possible.

What Is A Urinary Tract Infection in Cats?

Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are bacterial infections that occur in a cat’s bladder or urethra. UTIs are common in dogs but much less regularly seen in cats. However, senior cats and those with endocrine diseases, like hyperthyroidism or diabetes, are at a much higher risk. Luckily, these infections areas easily treated in most cases if caught and addressed early. This is why it’s so crucial for cat parents to be familiar with the warning signs.

Common Symptoms of Urinary Tract Infections in Cats

When a cat begins to experience an infection, the warning signs are subtle and may be hard to spot. This is further complicated by the fact that symptoms can mimic many other conditions that affect the urinary tract or bladder.

The most common signs to watch out for include:

Straining or struggling to urinate
Only passing small amounts of urine or failing to urinate completely
Blood in the urine
Crying or vocalizing while urinating
Increased frequency of urination
Accidents outside the litterbox
Frequent licking of the genitals

As some of the conditions associated with these warning signs can be severe or life-threatening, and a UTI left unaddressed can quickly become more serious, you shouldn’t ignore any of the red flags. If you notice any of these signs, contact your veterinarian.

Can Urinary Tract Infections in Cats Go Away on Their Own?

If the infection is mild and your cat has a strong immune system, there is a chance that their body can fight off the infection effectively. However, this only occurs in the early stages, before any noticeable symptoms. If you have noticed any of the signs I listed above, the infection has likely progressed to the point that it requires treatment and veterinary care.

Are Urinary Tract Infections Contagious?

If you have multiple cats in your home, you will be relieved to hear that UTIs are not contagious from cat to cat. However, the development of a UTI in one cat could indicate that lifestyle or nutritional choices are being made that could increase the risk of other cats suffering from a similar struggle.

This is a good sign to take a step back and reevaluate the decisions that have been made, including what you feed your cats, accessibility to fresh water (or encouragement to drink more water), and potential stress triggers. For more about this, keep reading to see tips to prevent a UTI in cats.

How Does a Veterinarian Diagnose a UTI?

When you first visit your vet’s office, they will conduct a physical exam and likely perform a urinalysis. This will help them better understand your cat’s physical condition and will help rule out many of the conditions associated with the warning signs. They will likely ask you several questions related to your cat’s lifestyle, water consumption, how often and how much they are urinating, and whether there have been any noticeable behavioral changes.

The urinalysis checks your cat’s urine for the presence of substances like blood, proteins, sugar, and ketones. This provides unique insight into your cat’s overall health and well-being, helping your vet better understand what is happening.

Your vet may also send a urine sample for a urine culture. This will confirm if there is a bacterial infection and the type of bacteria present. Unfortunately, a urine culture will often take several days before the results are available.

Additional testing may be needed in rare cases, depending on the results of the initial exam. This could include x-rays, blood pressure, ultrasounds, or biopsies. Your veterinarian will provide you with more detailed information about what tests are needed and why they are necessary.

Photo credit: Natasha Zakharova / Shutterstock.com

Remedies and Treatments for Your Cat’s Urinary Tract Infection

An antibiotic targeting the bacteria responsible for the infection is the most effective treatment for a UTI in its early stages. Your cat’s veterinarian may also prescribe a painkiller to address their discomfort while undergoing treatment. Most antibiotic courses will last approximately 5-7 days.

In more advanced cases, additional measures may need to be taken. This could include fluid therapy, urinary catheters, urinary acidifiers, modified diets, or surgeries for more severe cases.

Throughout the treatment process, you must keep the lines of communication open with your cat’s veterinarian. They may ask you to monitor your cat’s litterbox usage or the condition of their surgical site if surgery was required.

For those with a multi-cat home, you may need to consider separating your cats during treatment. This isn’t due to concerns about infections being spread. Instead, it is to help your cat stay calm and relaxed during their recovery. It also makes it easier for you to monitor their litterbox usage.

Tips to Prevent a Urinary Tract Infection in Your Cat

There are no guaranteed ways to prevent your cat from experiencing a UTI, but preventative steps can help reduce the risk and make an infection much less likely. Here are a few options to consider:

Encourage Your Cat to Drink More Water

Cats are prone to dehydration, which can increase their risk of several conditions, including urinary blockages and diseases. If you worry your cat isn’t drinking enough water, you can take steps to encourage them. First, ensure that your cat always has access to fresh water. This means cleaning and refilling their water bowl daily.

Another option we find to be most effective in our house is to introduce a cat water fountain. Our cats use the Catit Flower Fountain with Triple Action Filter. The water is constantly being filtered, ensuring that it is always clean and fresh. The movement of the water is also enticing for many cats, encouraging them to drink more than they may have if their only option was still water in a bowl.

You can also encourage your cat to drink more by adding some flavor to their otherwise tasteless water. A few drops of salt-free chicken broth, bone broth, or tuna juice in your cat’s water may make it far more interesting.

Introduce Hydration in Your Cat’s Diet

Another way to boost your cat’s water intake is by finding ways to include hydration in their diet. If your cat is eating dry kibble, you may want to switch to wet canned food or feed a 50/50 mix of wet and dry food. There are also food toppers, like Tiki Cat Born Carnivore Broths, that can be used to add moisture to an otherwise dry meal.

You can also introduce hydration through your cat’s treats. Rather than feeding a dry, crunchy treat every time you want to spoil your cat, consider offering a creamy treat like Wellness Lickable Treats. These are great for giving your pet a treat on the go, as they come in individual tubes, and their high moisture content is a significant hydration boost. My cat Pippen loves the Tuna Recipe.

Consider Specialty Foods

If your cat has previously had issues with UTIs or is high risk due to other factors, like living with an endocrine disease, your veterinarian may recommend a specialty diet. These foods work to dissolve bladder stones, prevent urinary crystals, and prioritize urinary tract health. If your cat isn’t currently on a special diet but you are concerned about the risk of trouble, contact your veterinarian.

Keep An Eye on Your Cat’s Bathroom Habits

One of the best ways to identify a problem as early as possible is to be aware of your cat’s bathroom habits. One way to keep an eye on this is to note how much urine is in the litterbox when you clean it. However, if you have multiple cats, knowing which cat is responsible for the urine in a shared box is impossible.

Another way to monitor your cat’s urinary health is to place the litterbox in a location where you can see who is using it and how many times they are visiting it. This will also make it easier to catch if your cat is going to the litterbox but is straining and not actually able to go. Litterbox placement can be a bit of a balancing act – finding a location that is visible for you to monitor their use by also far enough away from the most trafficked areas of the home to avoid the litterbox area being stressful, causing your cat to avoid it.

Monitor and Manage Your Cat’s Weight

Keeping your cat at a healthy weight is a great way to prevent health problems affecting many different areas of the body, including their urinary tract health. Obesity is associated with many complications, including endocrine diseases, which will increase your cat’s risk of UTIs.

When trying to maintain a healthy weight, two key areas of focus are your cat’s diet and physical activity levels.

Feed your cat according to the recommended serving sizes to avoid overfeeding. If your cat is currently overweight, you may want to switch to diet food. Don’t forget to consider the calorie content of any treats you offer between meals.

The best way to improve your cat’s activity levels is through play. This includes both interactive play with you and solo play when you’re not available. We have many different styles of cat toys in our home. However, our cats Pippen and Jinx have a few favorites that never fail to get them up and moving, including:

Annual Veterinary Checkups

Of course, one of the best ways to prevent health issues (and catch them as early as possible) is to keep up with your cat’s annual veterinary checkups. This will allow your veterinarian to check for any signs of trouble and make adjustments or recommendations for treatment, addressing and eliminating problems early.

Final Thoughts: Urinary Tract Infections in Cats

While a urinary tract infection is generally easily treated, the first step to helping your cat feel happy and healthy is recognizing there is a problem. This is why you must pay careful attention to any warning signs and contact your veterinarian at the first signs of trouble.

Several steps can be taken to lower your cat’s risk of infection. This is especially important if your cat is entering their senior years or living with an endocrine disease, which puts them at a higher risk level. However, even with all precautions in place, your cat may still encounter trouble. Early treatment with antibiotics can clear up the infection and give your cat the relief they need.

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Britt

Britt Kascjak is a proud pet mom, sharing her heart (and her home) with her “pack” which includes her husband John, their 2 dogs – Lucifer and Willow – and their 2 cats – Pippen and Jinx. She has been active in the animal rescue community for over 15 years, volunteering, fostering and advocating for organizations across Canada and the US. In her free time, she enjoys traveling around the country camping, hiking, and canoeing with her pets.

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Chubby kitties might be as cute as it gets, but that doesn’t mean that their extra fluff isn’t leaving a mark on their health. Coincidentally, it seems that the effect obesity has on feline health can be compared to humans dealing with the same condition – a recent scientific study claims that fat cats can help researchers better understand the way gut bacteria influence conditions like obesity and type 2 diabetes.The study focused on food-related changes in the gut microbiome of chubby cats. The results showed that there are striking similarities in the way diet affects the gut of humans. The study’s results were published in the journal Scientific Reports, and are revolutionary in many ways. In fact, the researchers say that it is cats that could be the ideal source of information about the human microbiome, and whether changes in gut bacteria can help fight obesity.“Being able to see changes in cats that come up in the context of obesity and type 2 diabetes in people makes them a really good model to start looking at more microbiome-directed therapeutics for obesity in humans if we’re seeing a similar shift,” said lead researcher Dr. Jenessa Weston, an assistant professor of veterinary clinical sciences at Ohio State University.“Animals share our beds. They share our ice cream. There are all these things that people do with their pets that highlight they are a naturally occurring disease model with similar environmental exposures as humans,” she added.During the course of the study, the scientific team fed seven obese cats a specially crafted diet for 16 weeks. Gradually, the diet progressed: from free-feeding of commercial cat food to feeding a special weight-loss diet, and finally to a calorie-restricted feeding on the special weight-loss food. It was subsequently discovered that a short-chain fatty acid, called propionic, increased significantly in fecal samples of cats who were losing weight on the calorie-restricted diet. It was shown that propionic acid can help regulate appetite in other mammals, and reduce fat accumulation, as well as protect against obesity and diabetes. The team concluded that the increase in propionic acid was connected to the increase in the gut bacterium Prevotella Copri. “When the cats are on the special diet formulated for weight loss, propionic acid goes up and stays high, and then goes back down when they’re put back on the maintenance diet. So, it really is a dietary change,” Winston said.“This paper highlights that when we calorie-restrict cats that are obese, we can alter their microbial ecosystem - and those community shifts that we see likely correlate with some metabolic outcomes,” she added.What these results show is that the observed changes in the gut bacteria of fat cats can provide important insights into how diet affects the human gut microbiome. “Microbes we saw in this study also come up again and again in human studies - and clearly, people aren’t eating cat chow, right?” she said.

Can Dogs Suffer From Asthma?

We often associate asthma with humans, but have you ever considered whether our dogs can also experience this respiratory struggle? Can dogs suffer from asthma?While less common than in people, canine asthma can occur. If it does, it can significantly impact your dog’s quality of life. Luckily, with effective management strategies and approaches, you can reduce the symptoms and help your dog breathe easily.This post will explore the symptoms, causes, and best approach to managing this often-overlooked condition. Understanding the basics of asthma in dogs is the first step towards providing the necessary care and support to ensure your asthmatic dog lives the best possible quality of life.Can Dogs Have Asthma?Yes! It is possible for dogs to suffer from asthma attacks. This condition can vary significantly from a mild inconvenience to potentially life-threatening breathing problems like it does in humans. However, it is far less common for our canine companions to experience these problems (luckily).The condition is much more common in middle-aged dogs but can occur at any age. It’s also more common in smaller dogs than large or extra-large breeds. Many experts believe this is simply due to the fact that smaller dogs are lower to the ground, meaning they are closer to the allergens and environmental triggers that irritate the airways when inhaled.There are some notable differences between human asthma and canine asthma, which we will discuss in more detail throughout the article. But to answer the question in the most basic sense, yes, dogs can have asthma.What Causes Asthma in Dogs?This is one area where we see a difference between human and canine asthma. Humans may experience asthma due to a genetic predisposition. This means that while their activities or environmental factors may irritate their airways and trigger an asthma attack, their experience with the condition may originate from their genes.Experts don’t believe there is a genetic component to canine asthma. Instead, it is a condition that develops due to exposure to environmental factors that irritate and damage the airways.The most common causes of asthma in dogs include:Pollen and other environmental allergensExposure to mold spores Cleaning productsSecond-hand cigarette smokeAir pollutionHeavy perfumes or air fresheners Candles, wax melts, or incenseDust from cat litter (especially clay litters)Airborne pesticides or fertilizersSmoke from fireplaces and wood stovesLimiting exposure to these elements is critical if you suspect your dog may be suffering from asthma. While this likely won’t reverse the damage and “cure” their condition, you can avoid making it worse.

This Unusual Aussie Love Story Has a Happy Ending

Staffordshire Terrier and Australian Magpie turn fans into fanatics when separation looms.

Veterinarians Warn About Rise in Deadly Parvo Cases

As loving pet parents, we do everything we can to keep our pets safe. From buying the best food we can afford to keeping their vaccinations up to date – we understand that our furry family members rely on us to care for them. Unfortunately, some illnesses make this more challenging. One example is the risk of deadly canine parvovirus (also known as parvo) in puppies. While there is a vaccine to protect dogs from the disease, there is a window of time before your puppy has received the complete series of vaccinations needed to be effective. It is highly contagious and spread through direct contact with contaminated surfaces, further increasing the risk during the curious stage of a puppy’s life. The disease was first discovered in 1978. It quickly spread, causing concern among veterinary professionals and dog lovers. During the pandemic, another concerning increase in cases was seen. Now, in 2024, veterinarians in several locations are sounding the alarm. In April, vets in Kansas City released a statement after The Pet Resource Center of Kansas City faced 20 cases in a week. At the same time, San Antonio Animal Care Services warned dog parents in the city that they, too, were seeing a rise in cases. Since that time, the areas of concern have continued to grow.What is Parvo? You may be wondering what parvo is and why veterinarians are so worried about the increase in cases. Canine Parvovirus is a disease that impacts a dog’s stomach and small intestines, disrupting their ability to digest food and absorb much-needed nutrients. It can also impact the lymphatic system, bone marrow, and heart. It is highly contagious and, when contracted, often severe or fatal. “Without treatment, up to 90% of animals will die,” explained Chief Veterinarian Melia Washington of The Pet Resource Center of Kansas City. “Even with treatment, we only tell people it’s a 50/50 shot.” Traditionally, treatment focuses almost entirely on supportive care, relying on the puppy’s ability to fight the virus naturally. However, in May 2023, the USDA granted a conditional license for the first-ever canine parvovirus treatment, which experts hope will change the outcome for many dogs. What are the Warning Signs? If your puppy does contract parvo, time is of the essence. The sooner you see a veterinarian and start treatment, the better their chance of survival. Watch out for these common warning signs: Vomiting Diarrhea (including bloody diarrhea)Loss of appetite Sudden high feverLethargyDepressionYou should seek veterinary care if you notice signs that something is “off” in a young puppy, especially if it occurs before the puppy has completed all recommended puppy vaccines. Puppies are vulnerable, and a minor illness can turn life-threatening very quickly when left unaddressed. How Can You Keep Your Puppy Safe? The most important step in keeping your puppy safe from canine parvovirus is to ensure that you stick to the recommended vaccination schedule. Puppies should receive vaccines at 8, 12, and 16 weeks of age, and the vaccine will not be fully effective until all three rounds have been administered. Socialization is crucial for puppies, but you must take extra care before they are fully vaccinated. Avoid high-risk locations like dog parks, kennels, and doggy daycares. If your puppy is being introduced to other dogs, ensure the other dog is fully vaccinated. The best way to socialize a young puppy with other dogs is to do so with dogs you know, like those owned by family and friends. Talk to your veterinarian if you have questions or are unsure if a situation will be safe for your puppy. Join the PetGuide community. Get the latest pet news and product recommendations by subscribing to our newsletter here.

Should My Dog Warm Up Before Playtime?

Our dogs are always up for a good time, whether it’s a game of fetch or a hike on a local trail. But before you unleash your dog’s inner athlete, you may want to consider the importance of a proper warm-up. Physical activity is an essential factor in setting your dog up for a happy, healthy life. However, just like humans, dogs need to prepare their muscles to avoid injuries during exercise. Even a casual game of fetch in the backyard could lead to an unwanted mishap. Let’s discuss the importance of a warm-up routine for your dog, including how to tailor it to your dog’s breed, age, and fitness level. I’ll also share ways to make the process fun and enjoyable for both you and your pup. Discover how a few simple warm-up exercises can prioritize your dog’s health. Do All Dogs Need to Warm-Up Before Exercise? One common misconception about warm-up exercises is that they are only for dogs who engage in dog sports and other high-intensity activities. While canine athletes should warm up before exercise, they aren’t the only ones who benefit from this step.Often, we include our dogs in our favorite activities like running, hiking, or biking (as your dog runs alongside you). These activities can definitely put your dog at risk for injuries if they haven’t stretched or warmed up. There’s a good chance if you regularly engage in these activities, you likely take the time to stretch yourself. Your dog’s needs are no different! What Injuries Can a Dog Suffer from Not Warming Up? If you skip the warm-up before your dog’s physical activity, you are increasing the risk that your dog will experience a variety of injuries, ranging from minor discomforts to significant injuries that could sideline them for weeks or even months to come. In the most severe cases, your dog may suffer an injury that could have a life-long impact on their ability to run around and play like normal. Here are a few of the more common injuries your dog may experience: Muscle Soreness or Cramping Have you ever experienced cramping or sore muscles after exercise? If so, you know just how uncomfortable this can be. While a warm-up isn’t going to prevent muscle pain entirely after rigorous exercise, it can help reduce the pain that develops after their play session. Luckily, these injuries are minor and will subside after encouraging your dog to rest and relax as their muscles recuperate. Sprains and StrainsSprains and strains, the next step up in severity, are injuries that occur when a ligament, muscle, or tender has been stretched too far. There is no set limit on how far is “too far,” but a proper warm-up can extend this limit slightly, reducing the risk of this happening. Like muscle soreness, the treatment is generally nothing more than taking time off and resting. However, more severe cases may require some additional care. Joint Injuries These injuries carry the highest risk for long-term complications. Joint injuries can’t all be prevented with a simple warm-up. However, tight or stiff muscles around a joint will increase the risk of injury. You should also consider doing conditioning exercises to build muscle strength in the muscles around your dog’s joints, protecting them from damage during exercise. If you have a dog that has previously experienced joint problems or is at high risk of joint issues, you may want to consult a certified professional canine fitness trainer or rehabilitation professional to design a set of exercises that will best condition your dog for their lifestyle and favorite activities. How Long Should a Warm-Up Take? One reason why many pet parents may skip the warm-up is due to time constraints. But your dog’s warm-up doesn’t have to be long and overly extensive. The most effective warm-up exercises will take only 10 to 15 minutes. You just need to get your dog moving long enough to get the blood flow effectively circulating through your muscles and increase your dog’s heart rate. Some outside factors can influence this timeframe. On a hot summer day, your dog’s warm-up can be a little shorter than it would be on a colder day in late fall or winter. You can use a sweater or jacket to help reduce that warm-up time during the cool months. I usually outfit my dog Lucifer in the Kurgo Dog Onesie Body Warmer when we’re heading out for winter activities and exercises. Unlike most dog coats and sweaters, it provides coverage to the whole body, including the legs, which is important when considering its use to reduce warm-up times.

How to Make a Homemade Thundershirt

Is your dog or cat afraid of loud noises like fireworks or thunderstorms? If so, you may have come across this guide searching for a solution to help them feel calmer or more relaxed when faced with these triggers.The Thundershirt is one of the most popular products on the market. However, you may not have the time, access, or budget to purchase one when you need it most. If that is the case, you’re in luck. You can still offer the soothing effects of a Thundershirt by making a budget-friendly, DIY option.In this guide, I will walk you through the benefits of using a Thundershirt, steps to make your own homemade version and other solutions you may want to consider to help your pet feel secure and relaxed during stressful situations. Don’t leave your furry friend struggling with stress and anxiety when the solution is so easy!Signs Your Dog is Anxious or Afraid Before I break down the process of creating a DIY anti-anxiety wrap for your dog, let’s take a moment to discuss when your dog may benefit from wearing one. We often think of anxiety in terms of the ongoing mental health struggle many humans face. While it is possible for a dog to also face a similar struggle, anxiety in dogs is often triggered by a specific situation or fear. Anxiety, fear, and stress could be associated with a new or unfamiliar environment, the presence of strangers or unknown dogs, loud noises like fireworks and thunderstorms, or even a reflection of our own stress being sensed and shared by our canine companions. Some of the most common signs your dog is afraid or anxious include: Excessive panting or yawning Lip-licking Displaying their teeth Growling, barking, or nipping as a warning or form of self-protection Showing the whites of their eyes (also known as whale eyes)Cowering or trying to hide Submissive urination Tail tucked between their legs Reluctance to take food or treats Ears pulled backward or pressed forward against the head Shaking or trembling Sometimes, the signs of fear and anxiety will be obvious. However, at other times, the signs will be very subtle. As a dog parent, you must be familiar with your dog’s body language and the early signs that they may be uncomfortable. This will allow you to address their concerns, prioritize your dog’s well-being, and prevent a potentially dangerous situation. How Do Dog Anti-Anxiety Vests Work? If you have never been introduced to an anti-anxiety vest or wrap before, you may be curious about how they work. This drug-free solution uses something called “pressure therapy,” which uses gentle, consistent pressure to signal to the body to release feel-good hormones like dopamine and oxytocin. It’s the same technique behind the use of weighted blankets and swaddling. An anti-anxiety vest or wrap, like the Thundershirt, snuggly wraps around your dog’s chest and abdomen to put pressure in the right places to achieve this feeling of calmness, relaxation, and security. Where Can I Purchase an Anti-Anxiety Vest or Wrap? If you have the budget and time to shop for an anti-anxiety vest or wrap, there are many different options on the market. The brand name Thundershirt is the most commonly recognized brand, but it isn’t the only option. Whether you’re shopping at your local pet store, a big box store, or online, several are available, each with unique benefits. I recommend reading through the different features that set one product apart from another. For example, some anti-anxiety vests incorporate additional calming options like aromatherapy, while others are made from a more breathable material for hot climates or overly active dogs. Here are a few options I have tried and highly recommend: Classic Thundershirt for Dogs Thundershirt Sport for Dogs CozyVest 3-in-1 Dog Anxiety Vest Mellow Shirt Dog Anxiety Calming WrapHow to Make Your Own DIY Thundershirt for DogsEven if you have the budget to purchase an anti-anxiety vest, you may find yourself needing to address your dog’s anxiety before you have time to go shopping in person or wait for an online purchase to be delivered. For example, you may have come across this guide because you are currently trying to calm your dog during a thunderstorm. To make your DIY anti-anxiety wrap, you will need a long rectangle of fabric approximately twice the length of your dog’s body. Some options for this include: Cut up an old t-shirt, blanket, or towel A large scarf An ACE bandage or elastic bandageOnce you have your fabric strip, fold it in half to find the center. To make it easy to apply in the future, I recommend putting a tiny mark here with a pen or permanent marker. Place the marked spot at the center of your dog’s chest and bring the ends of the fabric around to the back by their shoulders. Cross the ends, bringing them back down to the stomach, where you will cross them again before bringing them up to the back and tying them off. As you go through this process, keep steady pressure and tension on the fabric so that the final wrap is snug and provides the pressure needed for the full effect. However, be careful not to tie it off too tightly. If it’s too tight, it can cause even more stress. Do you prefer this DIY approach, rather than purchasing an anti-anxiety vest? If so, you can take a couple of steps to transform your quick DIY into a longer-lasting solution that you can continue to use for weeks, months, and even years to come. First, depending on your chosen fabric, you may want to stitch the sides to prevent it from fraying or falling apart. This will also create a more polished appearance if you plan on using your homemade anxiety wrap when out in public with your dog. The second upgrade I recommend is the addition of Velcro to fasten it. Use a longer strip of the loop side (the soft, fuzzy side of the Velcro) that runs along the length of the fabric and a shorter patch of the hook side (the rough, scratchy side) on the other side. This will make it easy for you to adjust the fabric's tension and where the sides connect in the future if the fabric starts to stretch out from repeated use.

Study Finds That Dogs Can Have Upsetting Reactions to Humans Crying

There is no dog owner out there who hasn’t wondered at one point in time: “Can my dog understand my emotions?” While this question has been around for ages, the latest scientific studies reveal that your pet dog can get stressed out when you are sad and cry.The study included both dogs and pet pigs, both of whom were discovered to be able to tell the difference between humans humming and vocally crying. The dogs especially were seen to get more stressed out by the crying, more so than the pigs, according to a new scientific paper in the journal Animal Behavior.This is a breakthrough study, indicating that during the early domestication process, dogs evolved specifically to have a greater understanding of human emotions. Previously, it was also found that dogs were capable of something called “emotional contagion”, meaning that they align their emotional states with that of their owners. "We were curious whether the emotional contagion observed between dogs and humans was related to the well-conserved acoustic structure of some emotional vocalizations across species, or if it was promoted by the dogs' specific selection for cooperation and dependency on humans," study author Fanni Lehoczki, an animal behavior researcher at Eötvös Loránd University in Hungary, said in a statement.To investigate if the stress responses were universal across intelligent pet animals or specific to just domesticated dogs, the research team compared the reactions of both companion pigs and pet dogs to the sounds of humans either humming or crying. The humming sounds were non-negative but still strange sounds while crying was distinctly emotionally negative."For collecting this data we used a so-called 'citizen science approach'," co-author Paula Pérez Fraga, also a researcher at Eötvös Loránd University, added. "The animals were tested remotely at their homes by their owners, facilitating the inclusion of more subjects in the study from various locations worldwide."Interestingly, it was revealed that the pigs were much more stressed when hearing the humming, while dogs reacted stressed to the sound of humans crying."Our study revealed a remarkable difference between dogs' and pigs' reactions to human sounds: dogs exhibited more stress responses and vocalizations to the crying, whereas pigs exhibited fewer stress responses and vocalizations to the crying," it was announced in the study. "To our knowledge, this is the first study comparing the behavioral reactions to human emotional vocalizations of two social domestic species kept as companion animals."The reason for this could be that dogs were domesticated over thousands of years, and there was a strong “selection pressure” for them to cooperate with humans and understand their emotions. And the fact that the dogs were stressed by the sounds of humans crying, definitely indicates that they have the so-called “emotional contagion” from humans. "While we cannot exclude that pigs also experienced emotional contagion when listening to human crying, one explanation for their reaction might be that humming is highly unusual and surprising sounds stress out pigs more than human sadness. On the other hand, one thing is clear, dogs seem to be specially keen on catching the emotional content of differently valenced human vocalizations, even of the more unusual ones," Pérez Fraga added. "Therefore, selection for cooperation with humans might be key in promoting human-sound induced emotional contagion in domestic animals. However, to confirm this suggestion further research is needed involving physiological measurements."

Can Cats Get Lyme Disease?

Lyme disease is a well-known threat to dogs and humans, but what about our feline friends? Should we take steps to prevent transmission or protect our cats when they are spending time outdoors? While cats CAN contract Lyme disease, it’s far less common than in dogs. (PheBorrw!)This begs the question: Should cat parents be concerned about this tick-borne illness? How significant is the danger to our furry friends? Let’s dive into the details to understand the risks and preventative measures to keep your cat safe. What is Lyme Disease? Let’s start at the beginning – What is Lyme Disease and why should we be concerned about the risk it poses for our cats? Lyme Disease is a bacterial infection caused by the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi (and, on rare occasions, Borrelia mayonii). This bacterium is transmitted to the animal (or human) through the bite of an infected tick. It then moves through the bloodstream, spreading the infection and leading to potentially serious health complications. Cats are capable of being infected by the bacteria responsible for the disease. Luckily, our feline friends are also highly resistant to it, making the infection highly unlikely to develop and spread. Their grooming habits also help to prevent a problem from occurring. But, if you’re like me, you recognize that highly unlikely doesn’t mean it can’t happen and would rather take steps to prevent a problem just in case. How is Lyme Disease Spread? The bacteria responsible for Lyme Disease is carried by infected black-legged ticks (deer ticks), which are commonly found in many areas of North America. When the tick bites an animal or human, it transmits the bacteria into the bloodstream, but this transmission isn’t instantaneous. As the infection spreads, it starts to impact different areas of the body, including the joints, kidneys, neurological system, and heart. The infected animal or person often feels the effects of this infection for the rest of their lives. In the most severe cases, Lyme Disease is fatal. Removing the tick in the first 24-48 hours reduces the infection risk. Of course, the best way to avoid Lyme Disease is to prevent tick bites from occurring in the first place.