D-Mannose & Your Cat's Urinary Tract Health

One morning a few weeks ago I was rushing around getting ready for work when I realized Mudpie had made several trips into the bathroom. In checking out her litter pan I discovered a couple little squirts of diarrhea. A few minutes later she meowed, and it was different than her usual tortie chatter. It sounded like something was causing her pain. Then she headed to the bathroom again and this time there was a tiny pee clump and an itty bitty spot of blood in it.

Immediately noticing the signs of a urinary tract infection, my mind went into overdrive. Should I call the vet right away or keep an eye on her for a while longer? Since she subsequently chowed down on her breakfast and acted like nothing had happened, I decided to take the wait and see approach and asked my mom to stay with her while I was at work. Happily her next trip to the potty several hours later was perfectly normal, and continued to be so. Still, not knowing if she might have a slight infection I decided to start giving her D-Mannose for a number of days.

D-Mannose is one of the many holistic alternatives I discovered through Angel Tara's various health issues. Diabetic cats are prone to urinary tract infections because the sugar in their urine is a breeding ground for infection. In the first 6 months after her diagnosis she had 3 infections and I was desperate to find something to prevent yet another round of antibiotics. When I stumbled upon information about D-Mannose I was skeptical, but I became a fan for life when over the next 18 months taking the powder in her food twice a day Tara had only one very minor infection!

Interested in learning more? Here's what you need to know:

1) D-Mannose is a naturally occurring, entirely absorbable sugar that is extracted from cranberries and other fruits, but is reported to be up to 50 times stronger than cranberry, non-toxic and completely safe, with no adverse side effects.

2) Most of the D-Mannose is filtered through the kidneys and routed to the bladder, then quickly excreted into the urine. Once it's is in your cat's urine, the bacteria clings to it and is then flushed out when the cat urinates.

3) D-Mannose is safe for even diabetic cats. Although it's a simple sugar, very little of it is metabolized and therefore doesn't interfere with blood sugar regulation.

4) It comes in both pill and powder form. The best cat food for urinary health is wet food, so the recommended dosage can easily be mixed into your cat's regular meals. Since I can't depend on Mudpie eating all of her wet food each day, I mixed it into her daily yogurt treat.

5) It's effective for both short and long-term use, so you can administer it only when symptoms of an infection appear, or on a daily basis as a method of prevention if you cat suffers from frequent infections.

6) Use of D-Mannose originated in the large animal veterinary industry! As the daughter of a former dairy farmer I know that nursing dairy cows are predisposed to urinary tract infections. When these cows are receiving antibiotics their milk must be thrown away, resulting in a loss of income. With D-Mannose there's no wasted milk! D-Mannose has subsequently been found to be helpful for women with recurrent urinary tract infections and now it's being used to treat our household pets!

Antibiotics are highly overused both in humans and in our pets, so an alternative for such a common medical issue is definitely worth discussing with your vet, especially as a preventive supplement. I know my home will never be without it!

Have you or your cats ever had a urinary tract infection? 

Have you heard of D-Mannose or used it?

I am not a veterinarian. We are sharing information we've learned about a product that we use and believe in. If your vet recommends that your cat's UTI should be treated with antibiotics, you can use D-Mannose as well, but it should not take the place of prescribed medication.