Is Hills Prescription Diet a high quality food for my cat?

Question

My cat recently had a suspected UTI so my vet had me give her Hills c/d.
I am very particular about what I feed her and was giving her Wellness before this.
It is all she has ever known and though she is not picky, I am and I prefer the natural ingredients of Wellness to the crud I've seen listed in Hills.
I know this particular food is good for cats with urinary problems, and I know it's a prescription diet...so it MUST be good, but is it high quality?

Any suggestions for an alternative high quality natural food for cats with urinary problems?

Thank you

I know there is a Wellness Complete Health formula for this problem, but would it be good to take her off the prescribed food?

I was feeding her dry food with wet food as snacks.
Now her wet c/d food is all she gets.

Answer 1

When you say "suspected UTI" what actually did they find with a urinalysis? Are you feeding your cat dry food only? Wellness is an excellent brand of cat food and ANY dry food is not the way to go if the urine pH is out of whack. Cats naturally and through millions of years of evolution have eaten a diet of raw prey and have a slightly acidic urine for good health (around 6.5).

So if the urine pH is not pushing 7-8-9 in alkalinity your cat would probably do very well on the Wellness canned food. The grain necessary to process any dry food tends to make the urine more alkaline.

You might get some ideas by going to: http://www.littlebigcat.com and reading Dr. Jean Hovfe's article "Urinary Tract Disorders in Cat" and "Why Cats Need Canned Food". The articles are in alphabetical order so those two are near the end of Dr. Hovfe's article library.

Answer 2

I also question what a "suspected UTI" means. Did he do a urinalysis? Hill's c/d is designed to prevent struvite crystals, and is an excellent well balanced food. I've been in the veterinary field over 20 years, and have had a lot of education regarding nutrition. I don't know where people get the idea that Science Diet is 'crap'--probably from competitor companies that are jealous and want to ruin their good name--pet food is an extremely competitive busines. ALL pet food companies do their best to make themselves look like they are the best, so you have to go with ones that have been around for a long time and have been proven to work. Anyway, it is a very good company with a wonderful reputation. We sell it PLUS other brands, such as Purinas vet diets and Royal Canins vet diets. This way people and pets have a choice. Without knowing what the urine sample showed, there's no way to know whether a prescription food is needed.

Answer 3

It is not the only prescription food out there, and it was part of the March recall of cat foods, so make sure it is not part of the recalled lots. Do an on-line search for other prescription products, although as a prescription product, it might be more convenient to stick with what you get readily from your vet. Despite what many might think, it is not a real profitable business to stock prescription cat foods by the vet.

I would not have a problem with Hills products.

You might also consider giving your cat Cosequin, which will help the bladder wall.

Answer 4

I never could get any cat to eat Science Diet or Iams. And during the last few weeks of her life, Shadow (a cat I had at the time) barely ate the Hills Prescription diet. There are a number of recipes out there for foods you can make yourself for your cat. Look at those, and keep in mind what the vet wants the special food to treat. Good luck!

Answer 5

Yes and No. After the pet food scare (when many products were recalled), I now buy pet food with a lot of trepidation. The product does sound good, though. Remember, when all the pet food was recalled, some of the products were supposedly "the best" and "made with the highest quality ingredients." But as it turned out, it was not so. Many brands contained that poisonous ingredient that allegedly came from China. To sum up, I guess no body really checks what they are buying. Perhaps it is because pet food companies look for the cheapest cost in order to make the biggest profit.

Answer 6

Hills changed some ingredients in their food. For the c/d formula, it was not affected during the recall. My cat has been on it for about 8 years now (she's 18) and she's still doing fine. Giving her other food might cause the UTI to start again.

Answer 7

My cat had bladder stones when he was about 5 yrs. old and ended up having to eat Hills C/D as well. He lived on it for about 10 years (unfortunately passed at 15yrs. old) and seemed very happy with it. If you still don't like Hills, you should really talk to your vet about other options. Dealing with urinary problems is a tricky business and they really need a specific diet to control it. Better to ask someone who really knows than to take a chance! Good luck.

Answer 8

Lots of people think that wet/canned cat food is bad for cats. And as a general rule, it's not as healthy as dry food. However, when my cat started having urinary tract problems, canned cat food put a stop to it. He never had a problem with it again. Peace.

Answer 9

Go with the Wellness, I believe they might even have a urinary health formula now? Or something that addresses urinary health, for sure. Hills is total crap, and regardless of what any vets will lie and tell you, I have known vets who told me the truth about Hills, which is that vets get paid off by the company to sell their food. It's all a money-scheme with no regard whatsoever for the health of the animals. Honestly, I've had 3 animals in my family get SICKER from eating that crap. So stick with Wellness, that's a great brand and should clear things up in no time!

Answer 10

It is a horrible diet and doesn't treat the cause. Look at the label!

As far as wellness goes the canned is a great brand. As far as dry food goes though, I would feed the lowest quality canned foods then any dry foods available. Please read about cat nutrtion
http://www.newdestiny.us/nutritionbasics.html