Cat with urinary issues, alternative to prescription food?

[Draftmare]

Last November - December my cat got pretty sick with crystal blockages, to the point where he had to be cathed to help clear them out. Since then he has been on Sceince Diet’s prescription urinary food. A few months ago I also started him on Science Diet’s OTC urinary wet food. This is what he primarily eats, and then just nibbles at the dry prescription food that I feed free choice throughout the day. We haven’t had any issues since the episode last year. My vet maintains that he needs the medicine that is in the prescription food, but I am not so convinced since he doesn’t eat very much of it. I, personally, think part of the reason that he got sick is that his “best friend” got very, very sick, and ended up passing away. I have never seen a cat depressed before, but he was 100% miserable and was likely also feeding off of the fact that I was 100% miserable as well.

I am thinking about switching him to the OTC Science Diet urinary dry food. Has anybody successfully managed their cat at risk for urinary issues on just OTC foods? If so, what brand?

[Marshfield]

I wouldn’t try it. I have seen far too many cats in the ER for a second urinary obstruction after going off their prescription food.

[Justmyluck]

The OTC urinary diet is super delicious to animals because the way that diet works is through ungodly amounts of salt. Salt is added to the diet to increase water consumption, and increased water consumption in urinary disease is always a good thing but it does not address the actual reason the crystals formed in the first place. The crystals are usually a result of things like bacteria(dogs) or a change in urinary pH (cats). The prescription food is used to promote proper urine pH thus preventing the formation of new crystals and helping the urine dissolve existing crystals.

Simply increasing water content helps flush out the urine more frequently from the bladder and thus small crystals the can pass with it but you will still run into problems if crystals get to big to be flushed out. The best combination for treating this issue is a prescription urinary diet and finding a way to increase water consumption in your cat. Such as a cat water fountain or placing clean fresh water out multiple times a day. Wet food with added water can also be used to increase water consumption in cats.

As far as why this happened to your cat in the first place it is likely that your cat already had crystals in his urine combined with stress and decreased water consumption led to a blockage. It could also be that the events coincided together simply out of chance

[WNT]

After my cat blocked again on a mixed wet diet of prescription and regular “fancy” wet food, he gets 95% prescription. The only snack he gets that is “normal” canned food is a late night 1/4 can of pheasant or fish-based food, his two other meals are Royal Canin S/O with added water, salmon oil, and Cosequin (am only). Knock on wood, it’s kept him out of the vet’s for urinary issues for over a year. He’s really lucky I like him.

PS: I went the added water route after trying still water, fountain water, water on the floor, water on the counter, water in another room, filtered water, etc and he would. not. drink.

[SquishTheBunny]

Wet food is ideal for sure. It’s up to you, some people say prescription diet is garbage - but then again your cat hasn’t reblockaged while on it.

I really do like prescription diets for what they are intended to do especially when dealing with stones and crystals but that’s just my own opinion. Everyone is entitled to their own.

[Draftmare]

He gets really bad poops when he is just on the prescription food. It is mostly liquid and comes out the same bring orange color of the food. With the prescription and the non-prescription wet food his poop is better. This is part of the reason that I would like to switch him.

We have two water fountains in the house, though his favorite place to drink is out of the toilet. :lol:

[WildandWickedWarmblo]

There’s an operation which will provide male cats with the ability to eat any foods for the rest of their lives. And it is worth it if drugs and/or cosequin does not allow the sand/stones to move through the urinary tract.

[c0608524]

Ok, so take this with a grain of salt, because this is coming from a friend of mine so it’s not a first hand account. Also, please don’t shoot me COTHers for giving advice against the vet prescription food.

A good friend of mine works at a pet food store that only sells higher end healthier food. She’s done this for 20 years and is fairly knowledgable in feline and canine diets. She says that the food geared towards urinary problems that vets sell are mostly just extremely salty food. More salt, they drink more, flush the system, etc. So it might be worth going to a pet store to discuss other options. Switching food worked for my parents cat - vet said feed “this” brand, turns out it was just salty food that we could get at a regular non-chain pet food store.

Just my two cents.

[Justmyluck]

[QUOTE=c0608524;8731387]
Ok, so take this with a grain of salt, because this is coming from a friend of mine so it’s not a first hand account. Also, please don’t shoot me COTHers for giving advice against the vet prescription food.

A good friend of mine works at a pet food store that only sells higher end healthier food. She’s done this for 20 years and is fairly knowledgable in feline and canine diets. She says that the food geared towards urinary problems that vets sell are mostly just extremely salty food. More salt, they drink more, flush the system, etc. So it might be worth going to a pet store to discuss other options. Switching food worked for my parents cat - vet said feed “this” brand, turns out it was just salty food that we could get at a regular non-chain pet food store.

Just my two cents.[/QUOTE]

A boutique pet food store owner is going to tell you that whatever you can’t buy in their store is garbage. Its the nature of the beast. Prescription diets are formulated with years and years of research to help address disease states in animals. Prescription foods are not just a salt added formula.

[Justmyluck]

[QUOTE=WildandWickedWarmbloods;8731374]
There’s an operation which will provide male cats with the ability to eat any foods for the rest of their lives. And it is worth it if drugs and/or cosequin does not allow the sand/stones to move through the urinary tract.[/QUOTE]

This surgery is a major surgery and is not recommended just so that male cats can eat whatever they want for the rest of their lives. It is typically recommended as the last resort. It is also recommended that after these surgeries that animals stay on prescription urinary diets for the life of the animal as they can still block with crystals even after the surgery, though it is much less likely.

[Draftmare]

Yeah we discussed tha surgery and it was for a surgery of last resort.

[PintoPony]

I had a cat that had the surgery many years ago as a last resort and he was fine. Lived many healthy years after that with no more episodes but ate prescription food for rest of his life.

Current cat had one episode, got treatment and is now on prescription food. He WILL NOT eat wet food(what cat does this???)of any kind so he eats dry only. Has had no episodes in 3 years.

I thought about trying to find an alternative to the food since its $$$ but then I did the math and I can buy a lot of food for what I spent on treatment the first time(~$1000)not to mention the pain and anguish I spare my cat.

So now I shop online for the best deals and call it a day.

Just curious OP- what color is your cat? Asking because both my boys are/were tuxies.

[WNT]

[QUOTE=PintoPony;8731770]
I thought about trying to find an alternative to the food since its $$$ but then I did the math and I can buy a lot of food for what I spent on treatment the first time(~$1000)not to mention the pain and anguish I spare my cat.

Just curious OP- what color is your cat? Asking because both my boys are/were tuxies.[/QUOTE]

Ditto the math of spending the money on prescription food vs. veterinary intervention. Also, he’d been on fairly high end canned food anyway, like Natural Balance, Merrick, and Wellness, so the Royal Canin wasn’t too painful a switch.

Interesting you ask about color: Neville is a tuxedo lilac point shorthair of VERY mixed parentage.

[danceronice]

My cat went back to ordinary/indoor formula dry food (and his usual wet food, which never changed) with cranberry extract additive once he came off the stone-dissolving formula. He never had an issue with crystals again.

[PintoPony]

WNT, I’ve always wondered just a bit if there is some sort of connection between tuxies and a predisposition to urinary issues. Or if it was just a major coincidence/bad luck for both of mine to have issues. Both mine were found as strays when very young so lord only knows about their parentage, lol!

[saje]

I feed Pro-Plan’s Urinary diet mixed with Publix’s brand in the black bag which, believe it or not, has pretty good ingredients, including cranberry.

I also feed everyone a dollop of canned food in the morning and the boys with urinary issues get their made into soup. I (fingers crossed and knocking on everything) haven’t had an issue in years.

I also have water bowls everywhere, including a wide mug in the bathroom sink because bathroom water seems to be better than kitchen water

[Hulk]

Give cats only distilled water to drink.

[Justmyluck]

[QUOTE=PintoPony;8731978]
WNT, I’ve always wondered just a bit if there is some sort of connection between tuxies and a predisposition to urinary issues. Or if it was just a major coincidence/bad luck for both of mine to have issues. Both mine were found as strays when very young so lord only knows about their parentage, lol![/QUOTE]

The connection is cats in general. I worked as an ECC veterinary technician and we saw every kind of cat come in for this problem. Young, old, indoor, outdoor, black and white, orange, tabbies ect. Im almost entirely sure that its just a cat thing.

[DressageChic2]

my 4yo neutered male cat suffered UTI after UTI on dry food…switched to raw and he has never looked back. its a complete raw with added taurine and i buy in bulk and freeze then defrost 3 days worth at a time.

is that an option?