My daughters male orange tabby gets "crystals" in his urinary tract frequently. Is eating dissolution formula

Question

Is there anything else he could be fed to prevent the crystals. It's so expensive on vet bills. There are 2 other cats in the house and I'm conserned when he gets at their food.

Answer 1

Hi there... A little background about causes of feline lower urinary tract disorders (FLUTD). It is caused by several factors, and combinations of these factors, which include obesity, stress, urinary pH, water and fibre intake in the animal's diet. Recurrence is common with FLUTD cats so preventive measures such a canned food diet to keep hydration levels high plus any other ways to encourage more water consumption is a must, easy access to multiple litter boxes in addition to regular check ups as well as supplementation with prescriptions depending on the severity of the condition.

Cats who eat dry cat foods tend to suffer from recurring episodes and this seems to be a common denominator with cats diagnosed with various types of FLUTD. The idea is to acidify the urine (like cranberry juice does for humans) because cats with FLUTD have urine pH that is more alkaline so your goal is to reverse this and canned foods have been known to achieve the results.

Additionally, it's important to schedule feed a cat so you can monitor servings taken in during the day http://www.vet.cornell.edu/fhc/news/feed.htm .

Furthermore, for cats who suffer from FLUTD the hydration in the canned products helps metabolize food better and are also completely devoid of carbohydrates, which is more optimal for the feline's body and while at the same acidifies the urine pH which is perfect for cats who have FLUTD . When cats eat raw meat in the wild they get hydration from the fresh meat juices as well as some roughage from the animals who are natural herbivores. A mixture of canned and dry are always best for cats in the long-term, which many people are unaware of. We are have been exposed to so many commercial ads regarding dry food for cats, but in reality it's the manufacturer's who benefit rather than the cats. Cats are not naturally designed to eat dry--the products were designed for convenience for the owner.

Here's an article about commercial cat food; dry vs. canned, proper nutritional needs, etc: http://www.consumersearch.com/www/family/cat-food/review.html

Answer 2

Grischat has certainly laid out all you need to know about the urinary tract problems.

You must correct the urinary pH if your cat is to be well and sometimes the special diet is necessary to do that. Methionine is what is added to the food to correct the pH and the urine needs to be monitored so that you do not "overcorrect". If the urine becomes too acid stones can form and those are more difficult to eliminate, sometimes requiring surgery to remove them.

You need to put your cat on canned food immediately so that he has sufficient moisture to keep his urine dilute. You can go to www.littlebigcat.com and read Dr. Jean Hovfe's article titled "Why Cats Need Canned Food". The articles are in alphabetical order so that one is near the end.

I switched to a raw meat diet for my cats seven years ago. My cat with urinary problems never had a recurrence. The raw diet promotes a slightly acid urine (pH 6.5) which is the natural pH for cats. Use quality canned foods - not Whiskas, Friskeies or Fancy Feast. Natural Balance has a good line of high quality canned foods. I use that along with Wellness and Lick Your Chops. Higher priced canned foods are By Nature Organics, Prairie or Innova.

Answer 3

Male cats should not eat hard cat foods that contain a lot of food colorings . . . such as Meow Mix. Iams and Science Diet are two examples of what you can feed him. You may also want to introduce more soft cat food into his diet because of the higher moisture content. Our male cat is exclusively on canned food due to his urinary tract disease. Also make sure his litter box is in a nice, quiet, private area. Avoiding clumping litter if you can.

Answer 4

Has your vet talked to you about PU surgery? You may want to discuss that. Also, all 3 cats should be switched to a meal feeding schedule, put the food down for an hour, than pick it up if not eaten, feed the orange tabby seperate from the other two.

Answer 5

I have an orange tabby and he has been going thru this for years. I took him to the vet and she kept him for a few days for treatment. There is a catfood that is specifically made for Urinary Tract Infections by Purina which I got from her. It comes in Wet and Dry. Good Luck.

Answer 6

She's 13, "2 years ago" she was a kid who didnt care for the world about boys. 11 years old is a kid, why would a kid care about boys?(well, a girl kid) She is growing up. "Attention" from boys means, she has a starting liking of boys. Its puberty, a part of puberty is this kind of change. But beleive me, as a mom, trust her. She feels the time to start dating. And having a boyxgirl relation ship. Have you gave her the "talk" about sex yet? If you didnt, do it. If you did, maybe she's having that urge. Your daughter may have a great relationship with you parents too, like i bet you MY kids won't tell me a thing that happens at school. Or there feelings, about love, sex, bully's, such and such. Goodluck.

Answer 7

My cat went through this 1 time.My vet said it was caused by salt.Do you feed them treats? Read the ingredients. There are foods out there esp. for cats w/urinary problems.My cat is now 13 years old & great as ever.

Answer 8

it is a very common thing to happen to a male cat that has been neutered.

I have worked in pet food stores,I know what I am going to say to you!

Your vet is probably going to try and get you to buy his food,but all you really need to do it find a food that has a LOW ash count in it. Read all the foods for the ash content.the lower it is the better!

Hope it helps!

Answer 9

my cat used to suffer this i fed him 'waltham' diet special food for this problem from vets. kept him on it for a year and now feed him normal dry and tinned food hes been fine since,2years on. u must make sure he has access to fresh clean water at all times.

Answer 10

Yes, Purina does make a formula for such problems. Or you could see what your vet recommends.

Good luck!