Cats With Urinary Ailments

[oh my gabi]

I have a cat who just turned a year old on the 6th of May. Last January he began peeing outside the litter box which was very unusual. He's not de-clawed so I immediately suspected something was wrong with him health wise. Long story short, my cat Zorro has been eating prescription science diet for urinary crystals. Before that I fed my cats Blue Buffalo, which I know isn't the best food out there but it isn't loaded with by-products or preservatives. I voiced my concerns about feeding my cat any food loaded with by-products and other yucky stuff but my vet told me he could die with out the science diet.

Well it's been 4 months and Zorro urine is back to normal and I have decided I want to take him off the science diet. I went out and purchased Wysong's Uretic cat food and a case of Nature's Variety Instinct Chicken canned food. I am hoping I will see positive results with this new diet. I am also considering incorporating some raw into his diet also.

I am just curious to know if there are others out there with cats who suffer from Feline Urinary Tract Disorder and have seen results from food other than prescription diets. If you tried switching from a prescription diet but had negative results I'd be interested in hearing about that also.


And so this isn't just a wall of text heres a picture of my kitty Zorro



Yes, he is in a sweater smile

[Eizoryu]

I haven't done a ton of research into this personally, but if I remember correctly the posts of those who have, cats don't drink much water by nature, which leads to things like UTI and FUTD. Cats on solely dry foods are at higher risk.

A way to help prevent it, if I recall, is to use canned foods more than dry foods. Ideally, raw diets. But since not everyone has that option, the canned food will certainly help get more water into his system. Expensive, but prescription stuff adds up much more quickly.

I applaud you for getting him back off Science Diet and into better foods. Most vets are sponsored by them and so they have to promote it by making it the only choice. Shitty world we live in.

I wish I had a cat story to share with you, but I do not own a cat and I have never had one with any urinary tract issues. So really all I can do is wish you and Zorro (He's a cutie, by the way! Looks kind of irritated about the sweater, but still adorable!) the best with this diet. Sorry I'm not of much help. ^^;

[oh my gabi]

Eizoryu

I haven't done a ton of research into this personally, but if I remember correctly the posts of those who have, cats don't drink much water by nature, which leads to things like UTI and FUTD. Cats on solely dry foods are at higher risk.

A way to help prevent it, if I recall, is to use canned foods more than dry foods. Ideally, raw diets. But since not everyone has that option, the canned food will certainly help get more water into his system. Expensive, but prescription stuff adds up much more quickly.

I applaud you for getting him back off Science Diet and into better foods. Most vets are sponsored by them and so they have to promote it by making it the only choice. Shitty world we live in.

I wish I had a cat story to share with you, but I do not own a cat and I have never had one with any urinary tract issues. So really all I can do is wish you and Zorro (He's a cutie, by the way! Looks kind of irritated about the sweater, but still adorable!) the best with this diet. Sorry I'm not of much help. ^^;

Yes, I've been doing research on it too and have heard the same about the fluid intake. I've been adding water to his dry and even a little bit when I feed wet. So I think he is getting enough fluids.

Cost isn't a huge issue since you are correct about the prescription diets adding up. At my vet's office a 4 pound bag of the C/D food is 16 bucks and cans are 1.83 a piece. The 4 pound bag of dry was 11.60 and the I bought the case for 41.50 so each can cost 1.66. What astounds me is that the ingredients are so much higher in quality but are still cheaper than the science diet.

Do you know a lot about raw diets? I am thinking I trying Nature's Variety Instinct Raw Medallions, but I've heard most people make their own raw. It isn't exactly practical for me to make my own raw since I don't have much freezer space.

[Moth Feathers]

You can buy premade raw if you wish- there are brands like Nature's Variety (like you mentioned), Primal, Stella and Chewie's, etc. They work well.

I prefer homemade raw myself, but premade raw is, at least, a much better option than canned or dry.
Feeding raw, whether premade or homemade, has a LOT of benefits, including superior dental health, hydration, and overall raw has the best quality of ingredients you can get.

[Eizoryu]

sup GABS

Do you know a lot about raw diets? I am thinking I trying Nature's Variety Instinct Raw Medallions, but I've heard most people make their own raw. It isn't exactly practical for me to make my own raw since I don't have much freezer space.

I unfortunately do not know a lot about raw, myself, but I did a little digging with Google and found this lovely little thing. And I also dug up this site. Both look to be good resources to getting started on raw diets, and there are other regs here who will know more on the subject of raw foods. I just wish there were more-easily-found cat-centered sites, like there are for dogs. x_x
The first one I linked does in fact praise Nature's Variety, so it's probably a good decision if making it at home isn't an option. They say they prefer the brand Feline's Pride, but that NV isn't too shabby, with a 95% meat makeup.

And speaking of other regs with more knowledge on the subject, there's Moth. xD