My cat has had 2 urine infections within the last 2 months. The first one came on after she was attacked by the cat next door and the second after I had been away for a couple of days (she has always been ok with me going away before though).
I have just seen the vet and she thinks it may be stress-induced cystitis, but said if it flares up again they will start investigating further as other things must be ruled out first.
She suggested trying some things to help her feel more calm in general, as she is quite a nervous cat. She mentioned some Royal Canin Calm food to try, also some tablets called Zylkene, which I will look in to. But I wondered if anyone had any recommendations or personal experiences.
Thank you!

Not hugely experienced in this but do you feed wet or dry food to your cat?

If you feel mostly dry I would consider changing over gradually to a mostly or solely wet diet.

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She has dry food. But I did ask the vet about this and she said that feeding her a dry diet would not impact on the stress cystitis.

Hmm like I said this is not my area of expertise but dry food can cause urinary infections in cats, so it could certainly be exacerbated.

Does she only have dry food, as that is not a very healthy diet for a cat.

This is a handy thing to read on the impact of a dry only diet: Feeding cats for beginners (and more seasoned cat owners alike)

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Yes, agree with GM about increasing fluid intake as this helps to flush out the bladder. Inflammation ( bladder ) can be caused when cats retain urine for too long, thus irritating the bladder lining. In a cat with a nervous disposition like yours idiopathic cystitis sounds very likely. Also a switch from dry to wet if not already on wet food. Reducing stress, of couse as well. You could also mention Cystaid to the vet which helps bladder lining.

Have the vet run a urine test yet?

My cat has in the past suffered with this (she is a highly strung cat so I worry that she will get them again but I know most of the triggers now and manage it)

I keep my cat on a mainly wet diet she has a few biscuits in with her lunch, but I add an extra tablespoon of water to all her wet meals to keep her bladder flushed through, she has a daily maintenance dose of Cystaid and if she has a stressful day then I will up it to two a day for a couple of days and she is on a daily Zyklene too which seems to take the edge off her timid/stressyness.

I am surprised that your vet recommended a dry diet as the first thing my vet told me was to feed her a wet diet which I did/do anyway.

Fabcat have a good piece on stress uti's Feline lower urinary tract disease (FLUTD)

Thank you for your comments. I have read the pages about dry food - it is worrying that vets do say dry food alone is the best diet for a cat. I was told that it was better for their teeth and have been feeding dry alone since. I think I will start introducing a mix of wet and dry from now on.
I have a feliway plug in to use, which hopefully might help. Does anyone know of any calming food or meds I could use as a supplement?

As others have said, do switch to wet food.

A mostly dry diet is a classic cause of cystitis and UTIs. The high grain and low moisture content of dry biscuits leads to very concentrated urine, which then leads to discomfort, infection, and stones. Other serious health problems are also implicated. Yet your vet says that 'dry food alone is the best diet for a cat'. This is patently untrue, and has more to do with the racks of dry food for sale in the waiting room than with the health of the animal.

Dry food is marginally better for their teeth than mushy wet food, but it is still about as good for their teeth as biscuits and pretzels are for our teeth. Even on a dry diet, a cat's teeth will still build up tartar and decay.

This is the 3rd post in as many days where a concerned pet parent has reported this kind of nonsense from their vet. It is a sales pitch. Never, ever go to a vet for nutrition advice. It's like your GP advising you to eat MacDonalds every day, for the rest of your life. And having a Maccy D's kiosk in the waiting room. Really.

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Rescue cats for many years, currently one moggie and 3 young Maine Coons.