Which Grain Free Canned to Feed After FLUD Diagnosis

greypaws

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Our recently adopted, from humane society,an adult cat whom came to us with FLUD diagnosis. We've been to vet, he does have blood in urine. For this next month I've got him on Royal Canine, Feline Urinary SO, canned only. Am adding a bit of water to the food and he is drinking about 1/4-1/3 cup water in 24 hr period. We go back on Dec 27th for another urine check. If he is clear, I'm hoping to transition him off the prescription food to grain free canned.

So, my question, what grain free canned has worked well for your cat under these circumstances? There are so many choices, I hoped those that have successfully BTDT might share.

Thank you in advance
 

missmimz

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I would only feed high quality foods with little to no fillers. "Grain free" doesn't mean filler free, so make sure you read the ingredients carefully as anything starchy could be triggering to a cat with a history of urinary issues. Here's a good list of high quality low fillers or zero filler foods.

Ziwipeak, Feline Naturals, Weruva, Tikicat, Merrick LID, or freeze dried raw foods like Stella and Chewy or Primal.
 
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greypaws

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Missmimz, thank you so much for taking the time to reply. Those NZ choices look interesting but I think I"d rather stick with those made in USA. I know they all have + & -   and companies that have recalls often are a concern. I'm new to all this cat stuff, having had dogs for decades. Just want to try and make the best, affordable choice for the little guy. Preventatives are always better than dealing with emergencies :)
 

hellomisskitty

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Hello!
I have a cat with a urinary crystal history and had to do RC Urinary SO to address the immediate issue and once that was stabalized, successfully transitioned Kitty to a rotation of Natures Variety Instict (Kitty really loves the rabbit or duck) and Dave's:

https://www.chewy.com/daves-pet-foo...gclid=CJanqv6R2NACFUtNfgod58QDVA&gclsrc=aw.ds

Both canned. Be sure to make to discuss any diet changes with your vet! Here is a great link to a website by a vet about cat nutrition and there is a whole section on diet for cats with Urinary issues:

http://catinfo.org/

I've read quite a bit about how stress can effect cats with a history of Urinary issues so in addition to diet, I would take a look at ways to enrich your cats environment (cat trees, windows to look out etc). Running a Feliway diffuser make help your cat feel less stressed:


Feliway is a synthetic version is a cats natural "feel good" pheromone. Scheduled play time every day with your cat with a wand toy like Da Bird is a great way for the two of you to bond and is a great way to help keep your cat happy and stress free:



Lastly, implementating ways to encourage your cat to drink more water is a part of this as well:

http://www.thecatsite.com/a/tips-to-increase-your-cat-s-water-intake

Congratulations on your new family member and thank you for adopting at cat with some special health considerations. I hope I didn't overwhelm you with too much information!
What is your cat's name? Please post a photo if you'd like...we love photos here [emoji]128522[/emoji]

Almost forgot to mention...if you haven't noticed yet there is a section here at TCS called "Articles". In that section there are articles on every topic know to cat! It's a great resource in addition to the experience and knowledge of the people here!
 
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greypaws

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Thank you MissKitty, by no means too much info and I appreciate all of it. New to indoor cats, old hand with the doggies. Our last pup earned her angel wings in July and the house was not a home after all the decades of having 1-4 dogs plus fosters in the house. I'm a volunteer dog walker at my local limited kill shelter. Have been looking for a pup I connect with emotionally and that will work with my granddogs. Don't spend much time in the community cat room. One visit I met our boy and come to find he is more dog like, than cat like. What dog owner wouldn't love a cat that loves pets, follows you around the house and purrs during belly rubs? I had to bring him home and he is fitting in so very well. Being used to having at least pup at my feet when I'm cooking, I've totally gotten a kick out of him sitting on the dog's raised water dish holder (aka plastic tote with non skid) and keeping me company.

 Even knowing about the health issue wasn't a problem. If they don't come with one, eventually you end up dealing with something. It's good they knew about his FLUD, so I could get him to the vets right away and we could take preventative measures. Dealt with a lot of dog stuff, this kitty health thing is new to me. Have been reading this forum and other sites too, so I can grow into what I hope is as good a cat owner as I was a dog owner.

I'm open to all suggestions, thank you so much for sharing.
 

missmimz

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Missmimz, thank you so much for taking the time to reply. Those NZ choices look interesting but I think I"d rather stick with those made in USA. I know they all have + & -   and companies that have recalls often are a concern. I'm new to all this cat stuff, having had dogs for decades. Just want to try and make the best, affordable choice for the little guy. Preventatives are always better than dealing with emergencies :)
I've used both Feline Naturals and currently use some Ziwipeak in my night snack canned rotation. It's good quality food and I've never had an issue. Likely NZ has higher standards for pet food product than the US does, because the US has incredibly low standards for pet food production. However, both ZP and FN are  pricey, so I understand. There are lots of good options, though. 
 

hellomisskitty

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Thank you MissKitty, by no means too much info and I appreciate all of it. New to indoor cats, old hand with the doggies. Our last pup earned her angel wings in July and the house was not a home after all the decades of having 1-4 dogs plus fosters in the house. I'm a volunteer dog walker at my local limited kill shelter. Have been looking for a pup I connect with emotionally and that will work with my granddogs. Don't spend much time in the community cat room. One visit I met our boy and come to find he is more dog like, than cat like. What dog owner wouldn't love a cat that loves pets, follows you around the house and purrs during belly rubs? I had to bring him home and he is fitting in so very well. Being used to having at least pup at my feet when I'm cooking, I've totally gotten a kick out of him sitting on the dog's raised water dish holder (aka plastic tote with non skid) and keeping me company.

 Even knowing about the health issue wasn't a problem. If they don't come with one, eventually you end up dealing with something. It's good they knew about his FLUD, so I could get him to the vets right away and we could take preventative measures. Dealt with a lot of dog stuff, this kitty health thing is new to me. Have been reading this forum and other sites too, so I can grow into what I hope is as good a cat owner as I was a dog owner.

I'm open to all suggestions, thank you so much for sharing.
I still think it's wonderful that you took your little guy in. As I'm sure you've seen, my people will pass in a pet that is not "perfect" and with cats I think people hear anything to do with any sort of Urinary issue and think that means the cat will be peeing everywhere (which of course is not true! ) I think it's sweet that he picked you [emoji]10084[/emoji]️ Your life will never be the same in a very good way. My Kitty is very dog-like as well...we even play fetch and she is very vocal and interactive with a wide range of chirps, meows and trills.

I recently installed a bird feeder like this on the window that Kitty's cat tree is near:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000CSJ1VE/?tag=&tag=thecatsite

The birds love it and Kitty loves watching the birds. It has absolutely added to the enrichment of her daily life and hopefully helps with stress and was fairly inexpensive.

I'm hoping that your boys next urinalysis is clear!
 

shwby

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I have a 14 yr old cat, Annie,  with crystals in her bladder.  I just couldn't put her on the food the vet suggested; S/D. And I was not ready for her to have surgery.  Here's the route I have taken.  At this point it is an experiment based on info I have read on this site and others.  Fingers are crossed.   I transitioned my 4 cats to a regular feeding schedule and no longer give dry food.  I give Annie sub-Q Adequate injections.  We are past the loading dose and into the 1x monthly dosing.  I filter her water and mix quite a bit into her new food:  Weruva.  I have found 3 "flavors" that seem to have very few of the "problem" ingredients.  So far she is urinating normally and seems happy and comfortable.  Here's hoping for the best for you and your kitty.
 
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greypaws

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Trying out posting pix, this is my kitchen kitty. Off food question, what colors do cats see best? seems like Mr Sparks plays with his toys that are orange/peachy colored first. He also seems to be a south paw  LOL

I'm still not sure on what brand I'm going to do. It isn't so much the price, although a bit more reasonable than the script food would be good, just want healthy, so he doesn't plug up. I like trying different brands I can get at the pet store, before I order a whole case. I've gotten him a couple proteins that he throws up right after eating. This was before script food. Duck definitely doesn't agree, DH says no wonder, it's fowl food! Whitefish didn't agree either, not worried about that as I'm seeing keep any fish to minimum or not at all due to bone meal. I'd like him on chicken/turkey protein, haven't had issue with those.
 
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greypaws

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I have a 14 yr old cat, Annie,  with crystals in her bladder.  I just couldn't put her on the food the vet suggested; S/D. And I was not ready for her to have surgery.  Here's the route I have taken.  At this point it is an experiment based on info I have read on this site and others.  Fingers are crossed.   I transitioned my 4 cats to a regular feeding schedule and no longer give dry food.  I give Annie sub-Q Adequate injections.  We are past the loading dose and into the 1x monthly dosing.  I filter her water and mix quite a bit into her new food:  Weruva.  I have found 3 "flavors" that seem to have very few of the "problem" ingredients.  So far she is urinating normally and seems happy and comfortable.  Here's hoping for the best for you and your kitty.
Oh no, sure hope that she continues to thrive. Everything I keep reading says hydration is so important. I saw a recipe where you mix tuna with 3 cups of water, let steep for 15 min and put into ice cube trays. Thaw the cube out to mouse temperature and add to food. Supposed to encourage them to drink more. I'm going to give it a try. Mine also likes ice cube slurrys made with his food. It's been a life saver to pop ontwo into his food dish at bedtime, so he has a 4 am snack & doesn't wake me up to feed him. I keep thinking that 5.5 oz can just isn't enough, don't want him fat, but he's genuinely hungry. As dry food is off the table, this seems to work as a compromise.

I had hoped for US brand but I do like the looks of the Weruva ingredients. Cost is about the same as RC-SO. My concern is, from Chewy's site

Made in a human food facility, they gathered the best ingredients from around the world ......

Is there China or other questionable countries, ingredients in this food?
 

hellomisskitty

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Trying out posting pix, this is my kitchen kitty. Off food question, what colors do cats see best? seems like Mr Sparks plays with his toys that are orange/peachy colored first. He also seems to be a south paw  LOL

I'm still not sure on what brand I'm going to do. It isn't so much the price, although a bit more reasonable than the script food would be good, just want healthy, so he doesn't plug up. I like trying different brands I can get at the pet store, before I order a whole case. I've gotten him a couple proteins that he throws up right after eating. This was before script food. Duck definitely doesn't agree, DH says no wonder, it's fowl food! Whitefish didn't agree either, not worried about that as I'm seeing keep any fish to minimum or not at all due to bone meal. I'd like him on chicken/turkey protein, haven't had issue with those.
Mr. Sparks is ADORABLE!! [emoji]128571[/emoji]
If duck doesn't agree with him, rabbit might be a good protein to try. My Kitty really loves rabbit.
 

catpack

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I feed Nutro Natural Choice, Chicken Soup brand, Halo and some Purina Beyond. I try to feed very limited amounts of fish.

I haven't had any issues with T since upping the canned to about 50% of his overall diet.
 
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