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UTI/Stones in male cat- long term outlook/things to do to help?

I have to say, it was really disheartening to read so many similar responses and nobody steering you in the right direction (no offense to anyone here - I was one of you for a long time).

Please take some time one evening and visit catinfo.org (articles written by an accredited veterinarian, not some random schmo).

First off - cats are obligate carnivores. Their natural prey is over 70% moisture (small mammals). They naturally have a VERY LOW thirst drive, because they get almost all the moisture they need from their food. If your cat is a “good drinker”, then that’s a sign your cat is not getting the moisture they need in their diet. It’s not a good thing. Cats shouldn’t be making trips to the water bowl/fountain multiple times a day. That’s their kidneys screaming for more moisture.

Cats do not do well with lack of moisture (i.e. dry food = full of carbs = BAD), nor should they have readily available food at all times. Healthy cats are not “chonky” or “tubby”, as cute/funny as that might seem. Cats should look like lean, mean hunting machines (with slight variability depending on breed, obv). Svelte, sleek, shiny-coated hunters. And healthy, happy cats will play, hunt, pounce, and get zoomies well into their teens.

Please please consider reading up on cat nutrition at the above link. Most vets only get a token (outdated!) course or two in vet school on nutrition and that’s it. I had to switch vets twice before I finally found a phenomenal vet who continually does research and encouraged me to buy good grain-free wet food and supplement with raw. She is a gem.

good luck <3

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Hi ASBJumper- thanks for this link. I’ve actually done a bunch of reading since last week. And has stumbled along several other articles saying the same thing about dry kibble! And that wet food is better. I will certainly bring this up with my vet when we go back for our follow up. I am definitely not a cat expert, but do want to take good care of them!

Do you have a recommendation for good canned food?

I feel this way about the token course or two on nutrition as I do with horse vets doing dental work! I appreciate your thoughts!

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I am in Canada, so we have different brands here, but honestly it’s not so much about what brand (Wellness, Nulo, Merrick, Blue Buffalo, etc) as there are lots available, it’s more about finding grain-free, in soup can size (more economical) with good ingredients.

First 1-2 ingredients should be meat - not meat by-products, not bone meal, not broth, but MEAT. So turkey, chicken, duck, beef, venison, rabbit, whatever. But if it says “turkey by-product” or “chicken by-product meal”, that means it’s ground up crap parts - beaks, eyeballs, feet, wing tips, etc…

Next, look for brands with only 1-2 “filler” ingredients. Some sweet potato or blueberries is fine, for example, but if there’s a laundry list of veggies, fruits n other things then that just means there’s less of what your cat needs and more of what’s cheap/readily available.

Bottom line - even the cheapest wet food is STILL better than dry. :grimacing:

Ok thank you!!

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Case in point.

Doesn’t anyone even LOOK at the ingredients on the bag of doom nuggets they buy for their cats?? This is a screenshot of Royal Canin Feline Urinary dry food - look at the first 3-4 ingredients!! This stuff is GARBAGE!!! :sob:

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YES YES YES YES.

I have a cat with crystals. ER vet was adamant he be on Urinary Rx plan. I have FOUR cats. There is no reliable way to separate them. After reading up on things, I decided to switch everyone to all wet food, all the time. There is no more dry food (and yeah, even the Rx ones can be absolute crap). I made an appt with our regular vet, and I asked her if this was viable long term. Her answer was “maybe”. Knock on wood, so far, and it’s been about 8 mos now, we have had zero issues. I’ve observed him peeing many times. He eats well, drinks from the fountain (he loves to play in running water in the sink, so I figured a fountain would get his attention).

Does your cat have an actual stone, or just crystals?? If he has actual stones, I would use the Rx diet long enough to break them up (which they are purported to do). Then I would be feeding wet food and nothing but wet food, forever more.

He does have a stone. We’re going back in 3 weeks now for a follow up xray to check the status of the stone. I will certainly be bringing up wanting to switch him to wet food.

He’s been peeing fine in his cat box again, no straining or crying.

I’ve started browsing wet cat food and can’t decide on the best/better ones. So many of them are full of rice, potatoes, corn, etc.

And I didn’t realize when hubby came home with the RX cat food that the first ingredients aren’t even meat…

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Darn it, my barn cats did not get this memo.
They get very wet (intentionally, it is what they like best) juicy wet food 2x per day. One of them for sure eats plenty of its victims.
But they still use their water bowl. I have seen them use their water bowl.

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Chewy is your new best friend. Visit the website. You can search by Cat, Wet Food, then there are filters for grain free, etc.
FWIW, the foods I use are: Sheba, Fancy Feast, Wellness (gravies), Tiki Cat… among others. You may have a trial and error where you figure out what your cats eat best. If you order something and they flat refuse it, contact Chewy - their customer service is the best, and they will refund you.
They also sell Rx foods.
Your vet will likely tell you he must stay on Rx food even if it’s the wet form. In all honesty, if this was my cat, I would feed the Rx food (wet version) until the stone was dissolved. Then I would introduce “ordinary” wet food. I’d keep an eye on my cat and I’d probably go back in say, 6 mos, for another check of the bladder. I would not tell my vet what I’ve done, unless I feel I have a good enough relationship that we could talk candidly about it. Assuming a follow up appt showed no more or new stones, I’d just continue with an all wet food diet.
BUT. Some cats, no matter what, are prone to developing stones/crystals. Those are the cats who need to be on a lifelong Rx diet. I would not take a chance on those. However, you won’t know unless you try.
Whatever you decide, pay attention to your cat. They are masters at hiding discomfort until it’s too late.

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https://www.chewy.com/f/urinary-tract-health-veterinary-diet_c460_f50v9079

Thank you! We have a follow up in 3 weeks now for another X ray to see if this stone has dissolved or if it’s the other kind that won’t. I’ll definitely be bringing this up! I have a good relationship with this vet.

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The Royal Canin Urinary SO that I buy is the veterinarian diet, it’s not for sale online or in stores in Canada and is only available at vets. In Ontario you need a prescription to buy it, but here in Nova Scotia it’s available at a vet office without a prescription.

Ingredients Royal Canin Urinary S/O

Rice, wheat gluten, dehydrated poultry meat, maize flour, animal fats, maize gluten, minerals, vegetable fibres, hydrolysed animal proteins, fish oil, soya oil, fructo-oligo-saccharides, egg powder, hydrolysed crustaceans (source of glucosamine), marigold extract (source of lutein). ADDITIVES (per kg): Nutritional additives: Vitamin A: 22200 IU, Vitamin D3: 500 IU, E1 (Iron): 45 mg, E2 (Iodine): 3 mg, E4 (Copper): 7 mg, E5 (Manganese): 59 mg, E6 (Zinc): 192 mg - Preservatives - Antioxidants. ANALYTICAL CONSTITUENTS: Protein: 34.5% - Fat content: 15% - Crude ash: 9.4% - Crude fibres: 2.8% - Calcium: 0.9% - Phosphorus: 0.9% - Sodium: 1.3% - Chloride: 2.38% - Potassium: 1% - Magnesium: 0.05% - Sulphur: 0.5% - Total taurine: 0.21% - Urine acidifying substances: calcium sulphate (0.74%), DL-methionine. L.I.P.: protein selected for its very high assimilation.

Description
Royal Canin Urinary S/O
URINARY S/O HIGH DILUTION is a complete dietetic feed for cats. Its urine acidifying properties and its low level of magnesium make it suitable for dissolving struvite stones and reducing their recurrence. It is also formulated for the nutritional management of cats with lower urinary tract disease
STRUVITE DISSOLUTION :
Helps dissolve all types of struvite stones.
URINE DILUTION :
Urine dilution makes the urine less liable to form struvite and calcium oxalate stones.
LOW RSS :
Helps lower the concentration of ions contributing to crystal formation.
LOW MAGNESIUM :
Reduced level of magnesium, a natural component of struvite crystals.

Interesting yours has different ingredients than the one I get here in the US…

Ingredients

Chicken By-Product Meal, Brewers Rice, Corn, Corn Gluten Meal, Chicken Fat, Wheat Gluten, Natural Flavors, Wheat, Salt, Powdered Cellulose, Fish Oil, Potassium Chloride, Sodium Bisulfate, Calcium Sulfate, Sodium Pyrophosphate, Vegetable Oil, Fructooligosaccharides, Choline Chloride, Vitamins [Dl-Alpha Tocopherol Acetate (Source Of Vitamin E), Niacin Supplement, Biotin, Riboflavin Supplement, D-Calcium Pantothenate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (Vitamin B6), Vitamin A Acetate, Thiamine Mononitrate (Vitamin B1), Vitamin B12 Supplement, Folic Acid, Vitamin D3 Supplement], Dl-Methionine, Taurine, Monocalcium Phosphate, Trace Minerals [Zinc Proteinate, Zinc Oxide, Manganese Proteinate, Ferrous Sulfate, Manganous Oxide, Copper Sulfate, Calcium Iodate, Sodium Selenite, Copper Proteinate], Marigold Extract (Tagetes Erecta L.), Rosemary Extract, Preserved With Mixed Tocopherols And Citric Acid.

  • A veterinary-exclusive cat food for cats with urinary health concerns.
  • Helps dissolve pure struvite stones and helps prevent calcium oxalate stones.
  • Lowers the risk of crystal formation using RSS methodology for bladder health.
  • Supports urinary health with an exclusive S/O Index, and creates an environment unfavorable to crystal formation in the bladder.
  • Helps prevent struvite stones from reoccurring.

Royal Canin Urinary SO is a veterinary-exclusive dry cat food developed to nutritionally support your adult cat’s urinary tract and bladder health. This formula promotes a urinary environment unfavorable to the formation of both struvite and calcium oxalate crystals. It increases the amount of urine your cat produces to help dilute excess minerals that can cause crystals and stones. Relative Super Saturation (RSS) methodology is used to help lower ion concentration in urine, which contributes to stone formation. And this specialized nutrition, with a reduced level of magnesium, helps dissolve pure struvite stones and prevent struvite stones from forming. Lower urinary tract issues may be a recurring concern for some cats. Talk to your veterinarian about keeping your cat on this urinary cat food for long-term urinary support.

Is your bag the golden-brown and white coloured bag, with a not so attractive cat recently changed from a cute one? They changed the picture on the bag but the food is the same. Does yours get made and sent over from France?

The type I get can only be bought from a veterinarian here in Canada. Ralph hasn’t had any crystals, let alone stones since I put him on this food several years ago. The rest of the gang hasn’t had any urinary issues either, in fact the three that were a bit overweight lost those few extra pounds.

https://vcahospitals.com/shop/product/royal-canin-veterinary-diet-feline-urinary-so-dry-cat-food

Here in the States you can purchase RX diets online but you have to have a vet’s prescription on file.
That is odd that the Canadian version is different than the US one.

We can get the other version online, which is the blue bagged one that @ASBJumper posted the ingredients of. My doctor put his cats on it after I told him about it when one of them had a bad case of painful crystals. he told me he was getting it delivered by Amazon. I told him it’s not the same stuff I buy for my cats and that I heard that it’s not as good for them.

We may be able to get other RX diets online with a prescription, but not the version of Urinary SO that I buy. I think it’s also considerably more expensive than the blue bag version.

Yes, all the prescription diets are very expensive!
Just out of curiosity, I looked up Royal Canin in Canada and US. The Rx products are the same. The one that ASB posted is the non-rx version.

Anyway, my only experience with feeding an rx diet was Science Diet, and that was over 20 years ago.

Ah, I missed that.

Yes I’m sure that all veterinarians are complete idiots and want to prescribe expensive garbage that won’t help patient outcomes at all. And they LOVE being accused of being in the pocket of “big pet food” or not knowing what they are talking about. It totally helps with the mass exodus of professionals that’s occurring.

It is fair to question and have a reasonable discussion with your vet about nutrition. It’s not fair to say a diet from a reputable company for a specific condition is garbage.

@SimonSays wet food, wet food, wet food. Do everything you can to increase water intake (lots love fountains). Also since stress can be a big factor considering looking at a variety of environmental enrichment activities. We make indoor kitties lives soooo easy for them that they don’t have outlets for their natural behaviors and drive. Check out the Indoor Pet Initiative for ideas!

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Had our check up today! They checked a urine sample and did an ultrasound. The urine sample was much better than last time and they couldn’t see anything in the ultrasound. He lost a little weight too which is one of the things they wanted. So we go back again in 6 weeks for a follow up x-ray unless something should occur between now and then to warrant going back sooner.

So they’re getting the Royal Canin urinary RX dry food, which the eat fine but not as fast or as much as their old dry food. And then each night they’re splitting a can of non RX wet urinary health food- either the Purina or Science Diet ones we’ve tried so far they’ve liked all of them.

And they’re getting water out of a Brita in their 3 water bowls throughout the house and basement.

He’s had no more accidents and is using his litter box normally.

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