Urinary issues in cats!

[4horses]

I’ve tried 5 different brands of cat food… trying to find something that works for my male cats with a tendency to have urinary issues. Now I’m back to using purina urinary. Has anyone else found over the counter cat foods to be insufficient for cats prone to struvite crystals?

I have methionine tablets but one of my cats will refuse to eat if I put them in his food. I tried pill pockets and he turned his nose up.

Are there any non- urinary cat foods that seem to work well for these cats? Or is he going to be stuck on purina cat food?

[Simkie]

Are you feeding wet? Or dry food?

The most important thing, in my experience with cats who have urinary issues, is wet food. Add water to it to get even more into them.

[4horses]

I feed dry but always add water. They usually clean the plate so there’s no worries about it getting bad.

[Simkie]

Switching to an all wet diet is really worth a try.

[Sdel]

Do your cats drink well water?

I have three with urinary issues, and none can be off the prescription food for long without having issues come back.

I did an all wet diet for a year. Didn’t really help.

[CanadianTrotter]

@Sdel

Do your cats drink well water?

I have three with urinary issues, and none can be off the prescription food for long without having issues come back.

I did an all wet diet for a year. Didn’t really help.

I agree about the well water, there are a lot of minerals and sediment in it unless it’s been filtered.

I almost lost Rotten Ralph to a bad blockage when he was 5yrs. Iv’e had him and the other four on prescription dry urinary food for 10+ years and haven’t had any urinary issues with any of them. Just recently Ralph’s full bloodwork came back with no issues, he’s been stone and crystal free for 10+ years.

I give them prescription urinary wet food once in awhile for a treat but they lose interest in it very quickly and a few of them won’t even touch it. They do get freeze dried treats and three of them really enjoy them, two of them turn their noses up to them.

According to several vets I have spoken to they insist when feeding urinary food there shouldn’t be any other types of food fed to them at all. They did say a few freeze dried treats 1-2x’s a day would be okay.

[JB]

unless it’s a freeze-dried dry food, all commercial dry cat food is too high in carbs and too low in moisture for cats. Maybe there’s one out that that isn’t high carb, but it’s still low moisture, and I just about guarantee it’s more $$ than feeding a decent quality canned

Fancy Feast Classics is a fairly economical (for 1 cat at least) canned food that’s actually decent quality, and better than any dry food

We had a rash of crystal issues many years ago, which prompted me to switch to homemade. It’s a vet-designed recipe and has served us well for years

It’s time-consuming to make each batch, but 50lb of bone in skin on chicken thighs as the base, gives me enough food to feed 6-7 cats for a couple months. You do need a grinder which isn’t cheap, but its cost is quickly made up by how much is saved not buying commercial food. That 50lb of chicken at $1.38/lb, plus (the next most $$ part) 34 eggs, plus pennies to a few dollars for the rest of the ingredients like fish oil, vit e, b vitamins, taurine, lite salt, chicken liver, means that for < $100 I can feed 6-7 cats for at least 2 months, whereas the previous reasonable quality canned food (bought in 12-13oz cans for less $ per oz than 3-5oz cans) was around $400 for 3 cats for about 3 months

[beowulf]

Are you feeding the Purina URx RX?

One of mine developed urinary crystals on a wet diet. Extra insulting too because she was born in this house (trapped her momma as a pregnant stray) and has only ever been fed high quality wet foods.

The vets really pushed for the rx dry. I fed it for a few months and thought she was better and put her back on the wet. Instant issues. She’s now on the URx RX for life. Aggravating because I feel it’s way lower quality ( but not cheap!! $86 a bag. Guess it beats vet bills…).

While it seems expensive it does last her a long time. I soak it with water and top dress with lysine treats and her Prozac. She’s my trouble kitty but worth it!

[Obsidian_Fire]

I’ve got 4; one has crystals. Even tho I was already feeding wet food part time, I switched to 100%wet food. I could not afford to buy rx food for 4 cats! I also bought a drinking fountain, since my crystal cat likes to play in the stream while drinking.
Anyhow, it (knock wood) has worked. He’s done fine ever since.
I feed Fancy Feast, Sheba, Wellness.

[WNT]

Two of our three developed urinary issues, one started summer 2023 and was resolved with unblocking, he was about 3 years. All three were on part kibble, part wet. All went on Hills Prescription C/D kibble, and he went on Hills C/D wet (the other two were on a mid-grade wet).

Then in late March, our five year old kitty blocked badly. Within days of paying off other kitty’s CareCredit bill. We were anticipating a decent tax refund so we decided to do the PU surgery, which he recovered admirably from. All the boys went on Prescription C/D at that point.

Then previously blocked boy blocked again. Eating only Prescription C/D for eight months, he had a rock garden of stones in his bladder and a bad blockage. We had the “it’s only money” conversation, as well as he is our daughter’s cat (he chose her), and went with the PU surgery and bladder clearing. Then other life challenges occurred on top of it. Le sigh.

Vets did okay using some non-prescription wet food (using Purina Pro Plan and Hill’s C/D wet), as well as a little coffee scoop of C/D kibble. Splitting the canned food between prescription and non-prescription saves about $30 per case, but food costs are still about $165 every 24 days instead of over $200. They also get distilled water since our tap water is still pretty mineral-laden after being filtered.

ETA: we did belatedly get them insured.

[CanadianTrotter]

@Obsidian_Fire

I could not afford to buy rx food for 4 cats! I

I fed 6 on the prescription dry Royal Canin Urinary SO for 7+ years, an 8kg bag that I bought from vets for $130. That bag would last all 6 cats for a month.

[GraceLikeRain]

After having two rounds of urinary issues between two cats I put all four on royal canon urinary SO dry and then I supplement with OTC wet. A bag lasts us two months and while more expensive than over the counter, one emergency urinary bill is like a year of Rx food so we still come out ahead.

[Obsidian_Fire]

@CanadianTrotter

I fed 6 on the prescription dry Royal Canin Urinary SO for 7+ years,

I cannot wrap my head around the crap ingredients in these “special” feeds. A hundred dollars a bag for corn gluten meal, wheat, etc.?
In years past, I did have another male cat with crystals who I fed Science Diet RX to. But back then, we didn’t know better and it’s all we had.
I did discuss with my vet about whether or not an all-wet food diet would work or not. She said “maybe”, give it a try and see. Knock wood it’s going on 3 years now. Fingers crossed it continues to work okay.

I had more than one cat develop health issues very likely due to the filler ingredients used in even the “better” foods. I swore I’d do better by them going forward.

Either which way, I just keep an eye on my kitties and do the best I can for them.

[ChocoMare]

I headed off the potential for urinary issues early on with our 4 kitties:

The only dry they get to nibble on is Open Farm Turkey & Chicken: Homestead Turkey & Chicken Dry Cat Food | Open Farm

For wet: Only Weruva Chicken & Lamb Puree Weruva BFF PLAY Paté Chicken & Lamb Laugh Out Loud Wet Cat Food

I then “rinse” out the can and add it to the food, whisking it till it’s a Chicken & Lamb Kitty Smoothie .

With this diet, my 4 have had zero kidney or bladder issues. My vet was shocked when I brought in my oldest Calico for the once over: 19 years old, acting like she’s 5 years younger, and never had a crystal, infection etc. in all that time.

No, Weruva and Open Farm are not cheap, but are this dietary insurance sure is cheaper than the vet bills.

[beowulf]

@ChocoMare

For wet: Only Weruva Chicken & Lamb Puree Weruva BFF PLAY Paté Chicken & Lamb Laugh Out Loud Wet Cat Food

This is what my spoiled kitty was on when she got her urine crystals. I love Weruva and still feed it, but I think some cats are just predisposed to want to exercise the full limit of our wallet. Lol!

[ChocoMare]

It’s a feline conspiracy!

For Miss “I grow crystals,” perhaps that can of water idea might help? Hope so!!!

[beowulf]

Yes! I’ve always added water to their wet food, but I started providing this in a separate bowl:
https://www.chewy.com/purina-pro-plan-veterinary-diets/dp/282734

I was feeding it to a different kitty that has chronic kidney disease, and noticed such a positive difference that it goes to spoiled kitty too. It’s not necessarily cheap but like another poster said, it’s still cheaper than a vet bill.

That being said… you want to talk about conspiracy cats, in my house the cats and horses must talk, cause if it ain’t one it’s the other! Lol.

[Obsidian_Fire]

All my reading says ph, moisture, and certain minerals (too much of) are the most common causative factors in crystal development.
Cats are obligate carnivores. They evolved to get the majority of their moisture needs met by their prey.
Providing a diet that meets these requirements is about the best “preventative medicine” there is.

But. Always the outlier who has issues no matter what…

[beowulf]

Yes! When I took Spoiled Kitty in the first time she developed them, I asked why she would get it. We caught it very early (the Litter Robot keyed me into her visiting the bathroom more than was usual). This practice has a revolving door of vets, so this vet wasn’t familiar with me, and was kind of condescending, but she also said that proximity with other cats can be a stressor enough to develop them.

She told me I should put multiple litter boxes out, multiple feed and water stations, and have multiple segments of the house dedicated to cats only, including shelves and cat furniture. I kept my mouth shut during the whole spiel, but my SO had a hard time keeping a straight face. We have more cat shelves than furniture, 4 litter boxes (one a Litter Robot) and the cats have separate living spaces.

[Obsidian_Fire]

Snort! Giggle! I hear you!