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Hi, my 1 year old cat currently is being treated by antibiotics for a urinary tract infection but the vet thinks he may also have crystals.
Crystals were present in his urine when they tested it but there is a chance that could be a result of the infection so we will test him again after the antibiotics.
The vet says he will have to be on prescription food for the rest of his life if he is prone to the crystals which worries me because he is so young and I know that a lot of those prescription foods are not the greatest nutritionally.
I've been trying to get him to eat various grain-free canned food but he is very picky and just wants to eat dry food and fancy feast cans.
I bought purina one urinary formula and it smells horrible. He (and my other cat who eats everything!) refuse to eat it.
Any advice would be appreciated!!
Thank you.
I know next to nothing about cats and crystals but when my 2 dogs had them (unrelated), they were on Hills c/d kibble (canned too, for a time) and did fine on it - I wasnt thrilled w/ the ingredients but they liked it and it worked - we also got them the c/d treats and they did fine w/ them. As for grain-free, it may be fine for your other cat but the one w/ the crystals should prob. have the prescription food only - she'll get used to it - maybe do it gradually and mix it w/ the grain-free over a couple of weeks - the first few days 70% old food/30% new, then 50% old/50% new and then 30% old/70% new. Our vet also advised distilled water - spring water has too many minerals and tap water wasnt recommended either. Just another thought, hope this helps
I would get him fixed as soon as you can. The crystals can block him up, he will strain and will not be able to urinate. If you get him neutered he will not have that problem. It might also help the urinary tract infection problem he is getting. If you see him straining and not going, get him to the vet right away. It's a potentially deadly problem and needs to be dealt with as soon asap. Its not something you can wait on. As far as food, Iams makes dry food that is low in magnesium, thats what you need to be looking for. Given that he is getting crystals, if it were me, as soon as his infection clears up, I would get him neutered. That way you won't have to worry about the crystals possibly getting him blocked. If your vet didn't suggest that, I would find a new vet. Good luck.
I would get him fixed as soon as you can. The crystals can block him up, he will strain and will not be able to urinate. If you get him neutered he will not have that problem. It might also help the urinary tract infection problem he is getting. If you see him straining and not going, get him to the vet right away. It's a potentially deadly problem and needs to be dealt with as soon asap. Its not something you can wait on. As far as food, Iams makes dry food that is low in magnesium, thats what you need to be looking for. Given that he is getting crystals, if it were me, as soon as his infection clears up, I would get him neutered. That way you won't have to worry about the crystals possibly getting him blocked. If your vet didn't suggest that, I would find a new vet. Good luck.
I'm not sure what you mean by this? Neutered cats can still block. Male cats block because the urethra is narrower than it is in the female...neutering doesn't change this.
OP, my boy is prone to crystals. Because I have witnessed many, many cats block, I wanted to ensure that never happened to him. He currently eats Royal Canin Urinary S/O . It is not my first choice of food by any means, but I can't take the risk that he'll block. I've tried to wean him off the food, but the crystals always return. So long as he sticks to the diet, his urine is perfect.
other poster certainly have more vet tech experience but even I know dry food is a big no no especially for a cat with urinary problems. he won't starve himself if you cut out the dry and offer him quality wet food. fancy feast is kitty crack.
Canned food only. Can't stress it enough. Canned food only! The canned 'prescription' diets are slightly better than the dry, so you could start with them. After his next urinalysis if all comes back normal you could try weaning him off onto a high quality commercial canned.
But whether you stick to 'prescription' foods or not, feed him canned foods only. Stop all dry food, including 'prescription' foods. No dry.
Canned food only. Can't stress it enough. Canned food only! The canned 'prescription' diets are slightly better than the dry, so you could start with them. After his next urinalysis if all comes back normal you could try weaning him off onto a high quality commercial canned.
But whether you stick to 'prescription' foods or not, feed him canned foods only. Stop all dry food, including 'prescription' foods. No dry.
Definitely canned. It's also good to add extra water to the food as well...anything to keep the urinary tract flushed out.
I compare it to my IBS. There are certain foods I can't eat without eating very sick, and they just happen to be 'healthy foods'. Like I can't eat whole grains, leaving me with processed carbs like white bread and rice. For most people, that isn't a healthy diet. For ME, it's what works best for my body. So even though the Royal Canin isn't what I would prefer to feed, it's what works best for JJ.
Unfortunately, mainstream vets as well as vet techs get their only "nutrition influence" from pet food conglomerates who generously fund everything from universities, to just about every award they receive. (The info is free for all to easily find).
Perhaps this imperative info from a Veterinarian -- whose expertise is backed up on facts and nothing but facts -- saves just one cat from what is excessively common, unnecessary and preventable pain ---
Quote:
It is important to note, however, that "crystals" are not the same thing as stones.* Crystals are often a normal finding in a cat's urine and it is not necessarily appropriate to put the cat on a "special urinary tract" formula when these are found in the urine.
Quote:
Important: I often see too much clinical significance placed on the identification of crystals in the urine without regard to how the urine sample was handled.* It is very important to understand that crystals will often form once outside of the body within a very short (30-60 minutes) period of time.*
Quote:
If the veterinarian does not examine the urine right away and either sends it to an outside laboratory or uses a free-catch sample that the owner brought from home, an erroneous diagnosis of crystals may be made.* This is called a "false positive" report and results in unnecessary worry on the part of the owner and often leads to the cat being placed on an inappropriate, low quality diet.
Finding a practice with no conflicts of interest and respects the fact that cats are strict (obligate) carnivores -- species with naturally LOW thirst drive and cannot process carbohydrates-- is certainly a challenge, which only confuses people more as they must sift through all kinds of erronious info, but at least people can arm themselves with information -- the same factual information regarding cats found in Encyclopedias -- before we blindly trust -- thanks to Professionals such as Dr Pierson.
Thanks for the advice everyone!
My cat was neutered as a small kitten so that is not a problem. I've bought several different types of canned food from the list on the website recommended by HOF4256 so hopefully he will like one of those.
I'll start adding a little water to the wet food and start using distilled water in the cats' water bowl.
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