At 13 years old, my cat has fought urinary tract crystals and won! However, he now has to eat a special food that I buy directly from the vet. It's expensive, but I don't care about that I'd pay anything in the world for this guy. What I am worried about is the fact that he gets sick and vomits after every meal. I've talked to the vet and the cat has been in for a check up. Nothing seems to be wrong health wise, so we narrowed it down to the food causing the problem. There are other brand names (Iams, Purina (sp) One) that make a food just for Urinary Tract problems. Should I try these other brands to see if he stops getting sick? Or should I stick with the vet's food and hope for the best?
2007-03-17 10:20:18 · 10 answers · asked by Anonymous in Pets ➔ Cats
Commercial cat foods do nothing to benefit your cat. Your cat is a natural carnivore and needs to be put on a raw meat diet. Cats do not eat vegetation of any sort and have difficulty gaining enough nutrition from a carbohydrate diet. It is definitely your food. Cats also have a very low thirst drive. Even when they are dehydrated (especially if they are on a dry kibble diet) they will not drink enough- thereby leading to an inability to filter out toxins in their bodies- leading to urinary tract infections. High carbohydrate diets also lead to diabetes in cats. Get him on a raw chicken and bone diet (no cooked bones-they splinter). The vet's food is still a commercial brand and will not provide what your cat needs. Wild felines eat meat and meat only. Take them as an example.
2007-03-17 10:27:24 · answer #1 · answered by not too creative 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Yes, try the other brands! Sometimes certain foods will have a specific ingredient or formula that your cat just has a hard time digesting. This is actually quite common for cats. However, make sure it is okay with your vet to take the over-the-counter urinary health foods as they may not be as effective.
There are also several manufacturers of prescription foods for cats with urinary problems, such as Hills and Purina. If your cat is eating Hills, have your vet order the Purina prescription diet for you.
2007-03-17 10:28:13 · answer #2 · answered by Biz 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I had a cat with renal (kidney) failure. It would be good to find out, but if that's the case, you need to consider what kind of pet owner you are capable of being. They wanted me to give my outdoor cat a 20 minute fluid IV every day. That was after a week's stay in the vet hospital. It was a very expensive lesson for when to put my very loved pet to sleep. I think a vet visit isn't a bad idea, but if it's not an option, let her live out her days until she's no longer comfortable, and then.... do the right thing. Good luck... I know your worry and I really wish the best for you.
2016-03-29 03:26:30 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
If you will feed your cat a diet of quality canned foods he will not have problems with too alkaline urine and will not need a "special food". Methionine is added to commercial dry foods to acidify the urine. You can add that to canned food yourself and you must have the urine checked if you do to see that it does not become too acid.
You should go to www.littlebigcat.com and read Dr. Jean Hovfe's article "Urinary Tract Disorders in Cats", "Why Cats Need Canned Food" and "Selecting a Good Commercial Pet Food".
Cats almost universally HATE the veterinary diets for this condition so give him something worthwhile and good to eat.
2007-03-17 10:41:55 · answer #4 · answered by old cat lady 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
OMG...did U hear about the Canned cat food RECALL??
"IAMS" is one of the BRANDS!
STOP feeding canned foods immediately if they are on the list of recalls and get your cat to the VET!
Your cat may have severe kidney problem caused by the food. Vomiting is a symptom.
About 40 Brands are on the list, check these sites:
menufoods.com
CNN.com
NWCN.com
I hope your cat is ok!!
2007-03-17 17:37:53 · answer #5 · answered by froggie 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
As cats get older they start to need specialized food as they are more prone to UTI infections and get more sensitive stomachs.... Our cats eat PURINA SENIOR CAT CHOW and i reccomend it for you! One of our cats has had many UTIs and bladder problems and this has really helped =) A lot of times the vet will proscribe special food that is very expensive when there are a lot of other alternatives out there, that is what he did with our dogs who are allergic to meat... however we found a perfect cheaper subsitittion for almost 50% less!!!
GOOD LUCK
2007-03-17 10:26:41 · answer #6 · answered by Sarah C- Equine Help 101 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Did you switch the foods graduallly when you changed him to the food you got from the vet? switching the food cold turkey is a drastic shock to their system and will cause them to vomitt and diarreah everywhere. If you did change it gradually then I would consult the vet and maybe you can go on a different flavor of the good cat food.
2007-03-17 12:03:12 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
had cat with same problem. they become sensitive to food. Could be food has to much iron. unfortunately the food from vet is not as tasty to them as the previous food. I tried adding flavor to food (the kind that you dribble on top) and that help my cat. She lived 18 years ,last two with bad health problems.
2007-03-17 11:52:55 · answer #8 · answered by sandrota 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
i would buy a small bag of the iams or the purina one and try it. it can't hurt. plus, if your kitty stops vomiting it would be better for him. i hope you figure something out before he does get sick.
2007-03-17 10:26:51 · answer #9 · answered by awolves74 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
is he bulemic?
2007-03-17 11:58:04 · answer #10 · answered by NONAME 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋