Cats that need a special diet for their Urinary Tract

What do you feed them? I am yet to go back to the vet, but my cat is having trouble peeing again (follow on from thread 2wks ago, which is now missing :( )My cat was peeing blood, got put on antibiotics for UTI, stopped peeing blood, was all good, now he has been off antibiotics for a week, he is having trouble peeing.. I called the vet and made an appointment for the morning. (I would have taken him today, but he is still peeing although it is uncomfortable for him, and I know it's awful but if it's not an emergency I can't afford to pay in excess of $200 today) So anyway, I spoke to the vet I saw 2wks ago and he said he may need a diet change. So what would I give him? Purina?, Hill's what other cat food is there especially for this type of thing? My poor baby.. :(

SOunds like you cat has what my pops cat had. From memory its a condition where their urine crystalizes so they have trouble peeing. He had to be on a special prescription cat food from the vets that is made to control the condition. Hope your kitty is feeling better soon. Dont quote me on it but I *think* he could also have plain cooked rice and chicken meat.

Our vet used to sell a urinary tract cat food.

Or you could look into a BARF diet.

Just wanted to say I'm sorry to hear your kitty is having troubles again, and wanted to let you know that my Nanna's cat Puss was diagnosed with urinary tract issues and put on a special diet and lived very happily and healthily for another 8 years (and he was 11 when diagnosed!), so I really hope a diet change is all he needs to have him fixed up and back on track! Good luck hun, I'm sorry I can't remember what food Puss was on but I do remember Nanna being very worried that he might have to be put to sleep and he was still kicking years later - so not all bad news!! Hope you can find something that works for your little fur-dude! x

Thanks everyone :), I think he has the crystal things in his pee, and yes I hope a change in diet is all he needs.. I went to the pet barn after I took him to the vet last time to see what sort of food they had but didn't really find anything, so it must just be a vet thing.. I guess I will find out tomorrow..

Go to pet barn and ask for a cat food by PRO PLAN. They have a special formula specifically for cats with urinary tract problems. Otherwise go into a vetinary surgery and ask them for a special cat food for UTI's in cats. They aren't cheap - one bag cost me about $50.
Long term a diet change is definitely a good thing, but if he is having problems now it may not be enough, he may need vet care.
Once the condition is under control again, another cheaper option of food is Optimum. You can get it from the supermarket or pet barn. Much cheaper then the other specialised foods, but still a good mid range food.

Hills C/d feline. Walthams have one but I can't remember the formula name - feline urinary (?)

forgot to add the ProPlan cat food has various different flavours, but what you are looking for is a particular one the treatment of for UTI's It says it on the packet.

Oh yeah the hills one is good too, my cats are just too fussy and refuse to eat that one :)

We sell Royal Canine Urinary S/O. Although the bag of food can seem expensive it is a complete food and more of it is digested by the cat so the amount you feed them is less and the amount of waste from your cat will also be less. It comes in a dry kibble or wet food. It is great food and we have had cats on it for years without ever having problems again. It is only available from vets. The company that make it also do a rewards program if you buy 10 bags you get a free one so it is always nice to get something free every once in a while if your cat has to be on it permanently.

Good luck at the vets, I hope you cat gets better quickly.

Thanks again ladies :) I will update when we get back from the vet in the morning... I love BB.. I should do an ad.. BB, for parents of everything including cats lol

I think the thing is the Proplan is for cats with urinary issues, but it won't break down the crystals, so if your cat has crystals he will need a specific diet that breaks those crystals down (there are two different main sorts...), than after a few weeks/months you can move onto the Proplan.

The vet diets are prescription only, so you can only get them from a vet. There is the Hills Prescription s/d or the c/d depending on the sort of crystal you're cat has... I would suggest that 90% of the crystals are the ones that get destroyed with c/d, and otherwise struvite crystals get destroyed with s/d. HTH

I thought c/d and s/d got combined? Could have imagined it......

My cats are put onto the hills s/d (wet food) for a week or so whenever they have flair-ups, and then on a maintenance of c/d (dry). I have 2 cats, bought the new bag of c/d today, the previous bag I bought on the 1st August and it's $69 a bag. So for 2 cats, $69 for almost 2 months works out to under 50c/food/day/cat which is worth it in my book - specially when a consult is $50 etc. Plus happy cats!

Poor cat :hug:

Although I do not own a cat, you may remember my thread about my dog who who got the bladder stones and was peeing blood. He needed the surgery to have them removed. They were formed by the crystal things. He is now on the Hills U/D dry food diet. At a very expensve $70 a bag! It is a big bag but still! I thought you could only get it from vets as its a prescription diet but could be wrong.

Hope all goes well tomorrow morning

aww your poor cat :(

is your cat a male? does the cat eat alot of fish?

i ask that because my male cat (muss) is on a persription diet. he had crystals in his urine going back about three years ago - and a four day stint in the vets, which led to him having an athrirus injection every 3 months. then in match this year - it happend again - peeing blood so they did the same as last time (cathiter with flush) but they took the cathiter out and it happend *again* so they ended up doing an X-ray and found stones (crystals that had become infected and calcified) so he needed an operation to remove them. and he's been fine ever since (well minus the two weeks of AB's he needed - not an easy feat on a cat of his size - 8.9kg)

he's now on the Hills Science K/D diet (Kidney diet) for that. before that he was on the Hills C/D (crystal Diet). but we think that wasn't as affective as it should have been due to my FIL's inabilty to compute that muss = NO FISH AT ALL. as some cats cant digest something in fish (can't think of it off the top of my head) the food can be a little exxy from the vets themself - but i've found a good (and a little cheaper) online pet food place - if you want the link just PM me :hug: i hope your cat is ok - it hard seeing them in pain.

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Hills C/d feline. Walthams have one but I can't remember the formula name - feline urinary (?)

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We used something call CD diet too... I think it was called Hills Prescription Diet (there's a range of different ones, but the CD is specifically for urinary tract probs). The only place we could get it was from the vet and it was pricey, but I found that if we bought the big 4kg bag for about $65 that would last us a month or so. HTH

I have left Jazz at the vet to get a urine sample.. Vet thinks he has a bug in his bladder.. It's not blocked, he has been peeing and the vet said his bladder was empty.. So just a waiting game til this afternoon.. Hopefully will be fixed with some different antibiotics!

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We used something call CD diet too... I think it was called Hills Prescription Diet (there's a range of different ones, but the CD is specifically for urinary tract probs). The only place we could get it was from the vet and it was pricey, but I found that if we bought the big 4kg bag for about $65 that would last us a month or so. HTH

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yep, theres CD - Crystal diet, KD - Kidney diet and UD Urine tract diet (dont think its available in Aus - after what our muss went though that was an option but not available)

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I have left Jazz at the vet to get a urine sample.. Vet thinks he has a bug in his bladder.. It's not blocked, he has been peeing and the vet said his bladder was empty.. So just a waiting game til this afternoon.. Hopefully will be fixed with some different antibiotics!

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i hope jazz isn't like our muss and has the ability to 'hold on' all day! hopefully they can fix i with AB's. if he still has truble piddleing - ask them todo an Xray to check for stones - thats what happend with muss after they removed a cathiter and he became blocked again within hours. it may be stones (crytals that become infected) thinking of you and Jazz today :hug:

*UPDATE ON JAZZ*

Well, the vet had trouble getting a decent sample as he said he was peeing so often his bladder never got full enough to get a good one. They did get enough just for an inhouse test which showed crystals and alkaline urine which apparently allows bacteria to grow in the bladder.. SO, I went and picked him up and he is on different antibiotics, he had an injection and a prescription diet..

He is on HILLS C/D for the rest of his life.. It is expensive, but well worth it if he is not in discomfort anymore.. PLUS it's outweighs cost of vets in the long run! I just want my kitty to be happy :) I bought him a new toy today and he has been playing with it, so it seems he has forgiven me, and he iss not in too much pain.. Hopefully this will be the last of it!

Thanks again for all taking the time to reply :)

Glad to hear kitty is on the mend :)

Hey Hun, just wanted to see how your little one was doing? I think i need the cat food as well :( we are having so many probs, so is it working for you?

Hey Shell,

Yes the diet is working.. He is sick of only eating the 1 flavour, he was so spoilt before, but I have to be strict.. I very occasionally mix it with normal stuff, just for a flavour change, but apart from that I have had to let him starve if he wont eat it.. My house was smelling like old cat food, for a bit cos he wouldn't eat it. I felt so bad leaving it there, but I had to.. After 2 days he has now realised I am not going to give in so he eats it now.. It is hard if your kitty is used to a variety of flavours.. I buy 2 brands from the vet. 1 is Hills C/D prescription diet and the other one is Royal canin urinary.. Good luck with your fur baby :)