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♥- Cow!Cat- ♥
Diamond in the- rough
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 | | Purred: Sat Feb 7, '09 7:59am PST | |  | |  | | Lots of us are on special diets to try to prevent our getting crystals or urinary/bladder infections efur again. Let's compile a list of all the prescription or non-prescription foods (and supplements) that our vets have recommended. A list might help us learn of new options to discuss with our vets if we should have any further trouble.
Even though I had p/u surgery, the vet who performed my surgery told me that I am still susceptible to crystal formation that could irritate me, so I should mainly eat Hills C/D wet, Royal Canin SO wet or dry, and Friskies Special Diet wet. I do not like the Hills or Royal Canin wet foods, so I mostly eat Friskies Special Diet with some Royal Canin SO dry as a snack.
Sometimes I sneak food from the other cats in my house - there are 6 of us - but they eat a combination of high-quality kibble (Eagle Pack Holistic Select) and wet food (California Natural), as well as my Friskies Special Diet, so Mama and the vets think that in my circumstances that's ok. But I would not recommend the Eagle Pack or California Natural for any cat who has unresolved or recurrent UT problems, because while they're high-quality food (and even have cranberries and other urine-acidifying ingredients in their formulas) they're not specifically formulated to prevent or treat UT issues. Most importantly, they do not contain standardized therapeutic levels of methionine, the acidifying amino acid used to reduce struvite crystals in all the urinary-tract-specific diets recommended by my vets.
So to summarize, the veterinarian-recommended foods I have used for UT issues are:
- Hills dry c/d (didn't prevent crystals for me)
- Hills wet c/d (don't like it)
- Royal Canin SO wet (don't like it)
- Royal Canin SO dry (palatable and I have experienced no further problems on it)
- Friskies Special Diet (my main food, no problems since I started eating it)
What can you add to this list? |  |  | |  |
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Princess
I want to be- alone!
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 | | Purred: Sat Feb 7, '09 9:11am PST | | | | | | So far, since my diagnosis, the Hills C/D dry has controlled my crystal problem. And, I really like it, so that helps.
Princess | | | | |
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Tigger- ♥- ♥
WHOOP DE DOO!!
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| | Purred: Mon Feb 9, '09 8:09am PST | | | | | | I had a very educational conversation with the people at our specialty food store, Chuck & Don's. (rather, mom did MOL)
In weaning me off of prescription Royal Canin SO, our vet suggested Purina UD. The specialty food people AND a respected Catster mom both suggested otherwise, and to look for grain free products and high meat content products. Grain tends to make the urine acidic, which could lead to crystals and stones. The high meat products tend to make the urine more alkaline, which is GOOD. However, do not select a product that is 100% meat, as we do need some sort of fiber and vegetable nutrients in our diets.
Products recommended are as follows: Wellness, Natural Balance, Evo, Innova, Core, Go, Now and Before Grain.
You can check out the manufacturers at petcurean.com, naturapet.com and merrickpetcare.com. And, I might add, none of these products have been involved in the past pet food recalls.
Good luck and LOVES to my fellow friends with UT issues!
Love,
Tiggy & mommy | | | | |
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♥- Cow!Cat- ♥
Diamond in the- rough
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| | Purred: Mon Feb 9, '09 12:17pm PST | | | | | | Tiggy and mommy, thanks AGAIN for making your important post about acid diets not being good for all cats with urinary tract problems. From what I understand, dietary recommendations depend on what kind of crystals you have. There are 2 kinds of urinary crystals:
1) Struvite crystals, which can dissolve with an acidic diet
2) Calcium oxalate crystals (or bladder stones), which there is no specific "prescription diet" to prevent, but which, if you have a tendency to form them, acid foods will make worse. Here is a link about Calcium oxalate crystals:
http://www.marvistavet.com/html/body_feline_oxalate_bladd er_stones.html
So cats prone to calcium oxalate crystals or stones in either their bladder or lower urinary tract definitely should NOT be eating the high-acid "prescription" diets formulated for cats with struvite crystals.
Cat pawrents definitely should ask their vets what kind of crystals their cats have before feeding any prescription diet. Sometimes vets do not know as much about feline nutrition as we would wish - they are taught only a little bit if anything about nutrition in vet school, and often their educational programs are heavily underwritten by "prescription" food companies like Hills, so that is the brand they have learned to think of as the "gold standard" for cats with special dietary needs. Talking to an animal nutritionist, or a specialty pet food shop owner as Tiggy's mommy did, about your cat's needs can help both you and your vet be aware of more, and in some cases better, diet options than those provided by the major pet food companies. | | | | |
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Tigger- ♥- ♥
WHOOP DE DOO!!
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| | Purred: Thu Feb 12, '09 10:50am PST | | | | | | Yes, Cow!Cat, you're right. I have been diganosed with struvite crystals... and sadly, my sister Odie who is in the hospital right now, has been diagnosed with struvite stones just a couple of hours ago. I'm going to invite her to the group and have her share her story. | | | | |
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Odie- ♥- ♥
BEAR'S LADY!- FUREVER!
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| | Purred: Mon Feb 16, '09 9:14am PST | | | | | | Hi everybody!
I want to share my story in hopes of helping others and to get feedback in the hope of helping me out. I was diagnosed with struvite stones last Thursday, and have been prescribed Hills S/D food. My brother Tigger (who is also in this group) had struvite stones surgically removed, and he is currently on Royal Canin SO. Mom didn't understand at first why the 2 of us are on 2 different prescriptions for the same condition. However, she later learned that although Tigger is now stone free, he needs the Royal Canin to maintain his pH balance in order to prevent future stone formation. I, however, am on food designed to dissolve my existing stones, and I'm only to be on this food for a month. Afterward, I'm sure I'll be on a different diet, although not prescription. My present dilemma is that I'm not eating my food (I don't like it!) I updated my diary today, if anybody is interested in reading it and/or offering suggestions.
Love and purrs to all of my newfound friends here! | | | | |
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♥- Cow!Cat- ♥
Diamond in the- rough
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| | Purred: Fri Feb 20, '09 8:55pm PST | | | | | | Group member Odie mentioned in the group messages and in her diary that she has found she doesn't like the Hills S/D diet that her vet wants her to eat for a month to dissolve her stones. However, WITH her vet's approval, her Mommy has been adding Tiki Cat food to the S/D in order to get her to eat it - and it's working! She's now eating all the S/D she's supposed to eat!
Adding a little "garnish" or "special ingredient" to make your prescribed diet more palatable, if you are having trouble adjusting to it, is a good trick to consider - BUT you definitely should have your purrson get your vet's approval, as Odie's Mommy did, before you do so.
I have heard of this Tiki Cat stuff from several other Catsters, and I must say it sounds delicious and I'd like to try it someday. It is an ultra-premium canned food made with human grade, "whole-food" ingredients. It is quite expensive, and is only available in some areas of the U.S. (I have no idea to what extent it is available outside the U.S., although apparently they do have Caribbean and Pacific distributors.) But it can be ordered from the manufacturer by the case if necessary. The website is: http://www.petropics.com/
One VERY IMPORTANT caveat: Tiki Cat is seafood-based, with other ingredients including non-seafood meats. The website claims it is suitable for all life stages and for many special health needs, but I have no way of assessing that claim independently. So if you have ANY special dietary needs that might be affected by a high-seafood diet, DEFINITELY check with your vet before trying this stuff, even if you already are allowed to eat something other than prescription food.
The ingredient list for each flavor of Tiki Cat food is available on the "catalog" page of the website given above, if you want to discuss it with your vet.
None of the above is intended as an endorsement of Tiki Cat food. I am just posting this information so that Odie's happy discovery becomes part of the permanent "food" discussion forum instead of eventually being lost and forgotten amid the old group messages. | | | | |
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Odie- ♥- ♥
BEAR'S LADY!- FUREVER!
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| | Purred: Sat Feb 21, '09 11:41am PST | | | | | | May I add this note; although Tiki food is VERY healthy and highly recommended, any fish based foods are not recommended for kitties with stones. I found out after the fact!  Tiki should be given in moderation to kitties with pH imbalances and those that are susceptible to stones. So.... although I started on Tiki (to get me to eat my icky prescription food) I've switched over to Gerber baby food! mmmmmmmmmmmmm!!!! it is SO good!!! Recommended are Gerber stages 1 & 2 (NOT 3) Chicken, turkey, beef or ham. mmmmmmmmmm!!! I LOVE IT! | | | | |
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Salvador- Dali
food? where? ! |
| | Purred: Sun Feb 22, '09 11:16am PST | | | | | | Thanks Tigger! I do not know about the grains vs. meat idea! Our Salvador would regularly catch any remaining (vegan or vegetarian) dinner crumbs by the baby highchair (usually beans/rice, veggies, very few grains). I even offered him some (before we knew about the crystals in his urine!) . Oh my! I said one day , "gosh, cat, if you THINK you are that darn hungry, here, have a silly lima bean!" and he did! he ate it! He's so silly! I was interested in vegan or vegetarian cat food prior to the urinary problems. Even though we were on Iams (*seafood, very stinky cat breath, try different flavors,... we tried cheap food too, maybe more fiber? but he always wanted "More food" no matter what brand. I feared the salt in the ingredients in the cheap cat food, so we would eat Iams? but that has some wacky preservatives! I looked up every ingredient on wikipedia. I wanted to make my own cat food recipes. (maybe with happy organic chicken eggs or something?) anyway. to make a long story short (if anyone is still reading this? LOL) Our vet suggested that it is the minerals in the food that do not metabolize well (& form crystals.) . Our vet suggested that a new recipe may or may not help, but to (of course) try the special cat food. (which we did, & will continue to do so...) but... I couldn't help but to be curious about other cat foods . They are mostly corn meal anyway. This science diet is based on rice (which we human family usually eat a lot of yummy wild rice, high protien special wild brown grain rice, not that yucky plain white stuff you at the supermarket.) I'm just curious about diets and recipes. (but not curious enough to risk this cat's life or an $800 vet bill for urinalysis or whatever. Maybe on the next cat we will try home made cat food recipes.
* PS. I heard rumors that fish flavored cat food may cause crystals. Something, again, with the acid mentioned by other posters. Interesting. Again, of course, I am not a Dr, or anything. My vet did not ask what flavor cat food our kitty was eating, but we did mention Iams (and a mixture of cheap stuff, I thought it might have more fiber? to curb his constant hunger problem?) I know meat did not fill me up (when I used to eat it,) but fiber would.... so.. It was just an idea. | | | | |
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Salvador- Dali
food? where? ! |
| | Purred: Sun Feb 22, '09 11:31am PST | | | | | | If Tiki cat food is mostly human grade fish product? Then why not try the red Salmon or tuna cans in the supermarket? I thought fish
* might * be somewhat bad for urinary problems. but what do I know? Our other cat Leo could only eat a nibble of Salmon at the end of his long life. (He had a mysterious upset tummy, that eventually, slowly, progressed worse as years went by... wierd. The vet was puzzled too.) He could only keep down pure Salmon at the end there. Sort of interesting? | | | | |
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