Can I take my cat off his prescription food now that he has had surgery?

Question

My 6 year old male cat was getting crystal blockages in his urethra. We put him on special food but it didn't work so we had the surgery done that snips off the narrow part of the urethra to stop the blockages. The vet reccommended that we keep him on the food but it is rather expensive. Will he continue to block up if we take him off or will the surgery alone do the trick?

Answer 1

It sounds like he already told you the answer. He needs to keep on the special food. However, there may be more than one variety that is acceptable. Compare prices or buy in bulk. Really, if you think about it, a cat is a member of your family. Can you make a little sacrifice for him? Perhaps skip one meal out for you and your family a month?

Answer 2

My 6 yr old male tabby had the same problem. After about 650.00 in vet bills, we kept him on the prescribed food for almost a year. It got to be very expensive. One Saturday, I took an empty bag to pet Co and started comparing ingredients, bag per bag. With help from a friend , who is a vet tech, we found that Purina One Special Care, Advanced Hairball and Weight Control bagged food has the exact needed ingredients ( matched up ) and some extra nutrients and ingredients that made it even a better food. The vets get a "kick back" for stocking and selling the "prescription" foods.

It is safe an very effective for keeping your male cat healthy. My tabby ( Piglet ) , has been living healthy and happy for 2 years now on the Purina. It is 1/3rd the cost..

I hope this heps you out some, I have been through this problem and know its scary..

Answer 3

If the vet said to keep the cat on the food, then I think you should.
He can still get crystals. Maybe he could get bladder stones from the crystals, even though they cannot block the urethra anymore.
Call the vet and ask these specific questions. They really should be able to tell you the whole story.

Answer 4

I have a cat with the exact same problem. He had surgery & seems so much better now. However, I have 3 other healthy kitties (all on a self-feeder). Feeding 4 cats a prescription diet was very expensive. I have begun mixing the prescription food (I use hard food) with a premium cat food. I have been using Nutro, but Purina Pro Plan also makes a great food designed for urinary tract health. My vet said this should be ok.

I am keeping an eye on my cat. Its been a few weeks & he seems to be doing great. I plan on slowly weeding out the prescription food.

Good luck to you & kitty!

Answer 5

Why are you asking this question? You have the answer from your vet. He needs to stay on it.

Also, most vets don't prescribe a unnecessary food...they may incourage you to use foods such as Iams or Science Diet because they have stricter company regulations for quality food... One more thing the kick backs are not that big... get real...

If you don't want to continue because of price... discuss it with your Vet so HE can help you with other choices.

Don't mess around with your cats health and quality of life. You've already spent a good amount of money on the surgery.

Answer 6

I bet the vet just happens to sell the food he reccommended....
funny thing - vets actually receive very little or no training on food brands and ingredients- so when a rep offers them a food to sell they usually do -
my guess is the food is either HILLS PRESCRIPTION or SCIENCE DIET - both of these foods use vet trickery to sell themselves BUT if you read the lable you will see both foods are crap - over priced for their quality... you can get better food for the same proce, a better food means you feed less - will have less poops and in the long run becuase the cat eats less it will be cheaper

if you are in Canada - I suggest NUTRAM (which will be less expensive than either above brand and better quality than both)
if you are in USA - I suggest Wellness, Felidae, Innova, or at the very least Nutro Natural Choice

also you should try to increase his drinking by keeping his water fresh (no plastic bowls and refresh it often durring the day) and if you feed a small amount of canned you can add water to it to make soup which will get him to intake more water

NO FISH NO MILK - both have calcium which contribute to urinary tract problems

Answer 7

I would definitely keep him on the medication for a while to see how he reacts to it. After a month or two I would take him to the vet for a follow up visit and ask the vet if he should stay on the medicine or if he can come off. I totally understand how medicine can be expensive but you have a lot of love and time invested in this animal and I would have to have something to happen to him if you take him off the music too soon. Either away I wish you all the best of luck.

Answer 8

I would think that the best option would be to keep him on the diet, it will help prevent other blockages and save you further problems in the future. The most common prescribed are Hill's c/d of s/d. These prevent crystals from forming. The vet knows best your pet's situation so I personally would follow his professional advice.

Answer 9

Since your cat has a tendency toward crystals, the vet probably wants you to keep him on that food for maintenance. If your vet says keep him on it, keep him on it!!! You don't want the poor baby to go through this again!!!

Answer 10

What is the ph of the cat's urine? If it is at 6 that is fine and he doesn't need special food.

I think the suggestion of the person who went to the store and compated ingredients is an excellent one.