Vet Recommends Royal Canin?

[florine]

Hey, my cat Florine is almost 3 years old and I've had her for almost two, and for about a year I've been feeding her a homemade raw diet as per feline-nutritions cat food calculator. Two days ago she peed on my futon and I got a urine sample, took it to the vet, and it turns out she has a UTI, crystals, and a ph of 8. This is the third time she has had urinary problems and my vet recommended that I put her on Royal Canin's urinary health food.

First of all, the canned food is quite a bit more expensive than I feel comfortable with and I would like to avoid giving her kibble. I also love making her food and would love to continue doing that! I've bought 12 cans of the Canin food for now but I'd love your input-- is there an alternative to the royal canin food that I can make work with raw?

I'm also nervous about giving her the canin tonight, should I expect for any upset in her stomach with the switch in food?

I want the very best for my girl and I do not want her to have to be uncomfortable, so her health is my first priority!

 

[Furballsmom]

Hi!
How did the RC feeding go?
Can you ask your vet what else you can do?
Do you have a pet water fountain? Sometimes cats are attracted to fountains and will drink more water, and if you can, utilize filtered water such as with a pur or brita. Those little charcoal filters that are in the fountains don't do much plus they're expensive.

 

[florine]

Hi!
How did the RC feeding go?
Can you ask your vet what else you can do?
Do you have a pet water fountain? Sometimes cats are attracted to fountains and will drink more water, and if you can, utilize filtered water such as with a pur or brita. Those little charcoal filters that are in the fountains don't do much plus they're expensive.

My vet gave a feline dietition my number and told me that the dietician would call me so we could try and figure out something I could adjust in her homemade diet that would help with the crystals-- so I'm just waiting for that call!

I'm a little frustrated because the nurse at my vet's office said I would have to give her two cans a day, but she seemed uncertain so I checked the feeding guide and for a ten pound cat you feed 3 cans a day... So my twelve can supply is now four days worth of food instead of six and that costs twenty dollars... I'm a college student and I can't afford 150+ dollars a month on her food... I'm feeling very stressed about all of this to be honest! But she ate her breakfast fine this morning so at least she isn't protesting the switch.

I do not have a fountain for her! When she was eating raw she actually didn't drink at all-- I used to have a bowl of water out for her but she never touched it because all of her water was in her food, so that's another thing I'm worried about. I put out a bowl of water for her again but I'm nervous she doesn't know what it is or that she should drink it, and right now I can't afford a fountain ): that's on my list for the future though!

 

[Wile]

I'm a little frustrated because the nurse at my vet's office said I would have to give her two cans a day, but she seemed uncertain so I checked the feeding guide and for a ten pound cat you feed 3 cans a day... So my twelve can supply is now four days worth of food instead of six and that costs twenty dollars... I'm a college student and I can't afford 150+ dollars a month on her food... I'm feeling very stressed about all of this to be honest! But she ate her breakfast fine this morning so at least she isn't protesting the switch.

Hi! I'm glad to hear that you are talking with a nutritionist to figure out the raw diet. As for the RC, are you feeding urinary s/o? If so, what size of the cans are you feeding? Years ago when I fed the s/o wet in 5.5 oz cans I recall feeding about one and a half 5.5 oz cans for a cat the size of yours (143cal /5.5oz). You might be overfeeding, depending on can size.

 

[DreamerRose]

Fancy Feast Gravy Lovers is very low in ash, which is what causes the crystals. You can also mix in a couple spoonfuls of water and mix it up. The additional water will help.

 

[Wile]

Fancy Feast Gravy Lovers is very low in ash, which is what causes the crystals. You can also mix in a couple spoonfuls of water and mix it up. The additional water will help.

Hi Dreamer - I believe Florine is a raw fed cat. I do not think that she is eating fancy feast

 

[DreamerRose]

Hi Dreamer - I believe Florine is a raw fed cat. I do not think that she is eating fancy feast

Royal Canin canned food isn't raw.

 

[Wile]

Royal Canin canned food isn't raw.

You are right, royal canin isn't raw. The op mentions that this new royal canin prescription urinary diet was just started last night. Prior to that she developed urinary problems on a raw diet.

Edit: I think I might have misread your first post. I thought you were saying that the problems were due to eating fancy feast, but now that it read it again it seems you were suggesting it as an alternative diet? My mistake!

 

[florine]

Hi! I'm glad to hear that you are talking with a nutritionist to figure out the raw diet. As for the RC, are you feeding urinary s/o? If so, what size of the cans are you feeding? Years ago when I fed the s/o wet in 5.5 oz cans I recall feeding about one and a half 5.5 oz cans for a cat the size of yours (143cal /5.5oz). You might be overfeeding, depending on can size.

Hello!!
It's the urinary so cans, it's 3oz I believe so they're pretty small.... I think I'll do 1 can in the morning, a half a can for lunch, and a can for dinner. If that sounds like enough food? But ideally I'd like to get her a raw diet that works!! I'm a little bit freaked out about the price of this food so I'm just desperately waiting for the dietitian to call me lol.

Thank you!

 

[florine]

Fancy Feast Gravy Lovers is very low in ash, which is what causes the crystals. You can also mix in a couple spoonfuls of water and mix it up. The additional water will help.

Thanks! I'll look into that if I can't figure out a raw diet-- I want my girl to be comfortable but I can't shell out 150 bucks a month for this prescription food ):

 

[Furballsmom]

Hi!

But she ate her breakfast fine this morning so at least she isn't protesting the switch.

Oh, I'm so glad!

For the water, can you try putting out a couple more water bowls? Try different, unusual locations and even try different heights, for instance on a thick book or small box. Also try putting ice cubes in one or two of the bowls when she's close by...

You could even try different waters, such as tap water in one bowl and maybe distilled water in another (I'm not a fan of distilled for cats as a general rule, but in this case I'm throwing everything I can think of out there ) and some bottled water in a third? She may show a preference for one over the other, due to smell or whatever, who knows but it is worth a try

In addition, I don't know but maybe there's something in these below that might help?

No Money For Vet Care? How To Find Help And Save Your Cat's Life

Financial Aid for Pets

 

[florine]

Furballsmom thank you!! That's a great idea I hadn't considered different types of water, I'll lay out some different bowls right now. And I'll check out those links for any helpful info!

 

[Furballsmom]

Let us know how things go, we're cheering for you and your baby

 

[Wile]

Hello!!
It's the urinary so cans, it's 3oz I believe so they're pretty small.... I think I'll do 1 can in the morning, a half a can for lunch, and a can for dinner. If that sounds like enough food? But ideally I'd like to get her a raw diet that works!! I'm a little bit freaked out about the price of this food so I'm just desperately waiting for the dietitian to call me lol.

Thank you!

Oh that's a bummer that they are selling you the 3oz size cans. It does sound like you are feeding the right amount. You could look into ordering the larger size can since that would likely be a bit cheaper?

Sorry I'm not more help... and good luck with the raw diet!

 

[Tobermory]

When Lily got crystals, the vet prescribed RC urinary s/o but he sold me the 5.5 oz. cans. She’s 10.5 lbs. and ate one can a day. Can you talk to your vet about getting the larger cans? They might be more cost effective.

In my experience, the feeding guides on commercial foods overstate the amount of food to feed.

 

[Kflowers]

She was willing to eat it?

There are other urinary foods than Royal C.

I'm not sure about the taste of the Science diet, my dog got a bladder stone and refused to eat the Science diet urinary, she lost quite a bit of weight - you could see her ribs when I told the vet, enough. She went back to her regular food. She didn't get another stone. (she used the litter box so I could keep track.) My neighbor's elderly cat was supposed to eat the k/d but hated it. You had to push it into her mouth. (I did it when they were on vacation. The stuff is thick and can't be syringed.) I think she ate out of the pile of dry they left for the others.

 

[florine]

Update! She ate her first meal of it alright but the four since then have been a bit of a struggle, she's not at all enthusiastic about her mealtimes and she eats, but only after some prodding and me sitting there lifting up little pieces for her to eat. I feel bad that she's so uninterested in her food now, and I'm also worried about her water intake...

I haven't seen her drink from any of the three bowls I've put out for her, and it's making me a bit nervous! The food is wet so there is water there, but I don't think it's as much as the water she would get from her raw diet. She didn't have water dishes for the year+ she was on raw because she didn't need them, so now I'm worried she doesn't understand that she has to actually drink water. I don't have a fountain and can't get one right now, I've tried putting ice cubes in the bowls and sitting there dipping my fingers in the water, but she's uninterested! She's peeing, so that's good, but I don't want her to be dehydrated.

 

[Ardina]

Maybe you could leave the faucet dripping? A lot of cats are fascinated by it and like to drink directly from the tap.

 

[Wile]

Update! She ate her first meal of it alright but the four since then have been a bit of a struggle, she's not at all enthusiastic about her mealtimes and she eats, but only after some prodding and me sitting there lifting up little pieces for her to eat. I feel bad that she's so uninterested in her food now, and I'm also worried about her water intake...

I haven't seen her drink from any of the three bowls I've put out for her, and it's making me a bit nervous! The food is wet so there is water there, but I don't think it's as much as the water she would get from her raw diet. She didn't have water dishes for the year+ she was on raw because she didn't need them, so now I'm worried she doesn't understand that she has to actually drink water. I don't have a fountain and can't get one right now, I've tried putting ice cubes in the bowls and sitting there dipping my fingers in the water, but she's uninterested! She's peeing, so that's good, but I don't want her to be dehydrated.

There is a lot of water in the RC s/o food. More than most canned cat foods, which is why the caloric content of the food is so low. I wouldn't worry about her not drinking too much

 

[florine]

Okay, so update again--

The recommended nutritionist was a no-staeter because apparently she does not support raw feeding. So I called my vet back and talked it through with her and she said that my cat might be getting too much protein in her diet, and that since her current raw diet isn't working, that she needs to be on Royal Canon's SO food.

I'm willing to give up raw feeding my cat but I need to find an affordable alternative, and I asked my vet if I could try putting Flo on a non-prescription quality wet food but she then said that cat food like.... Couldn't be trusted and that who knew what was in those recipes, which definitely shocked me and now I'm not sure what to do!

Is it wrong if I try a different wet food that isn't prescribed? I was thinking I could find a good brand of wet food and then have her urine tested in a bit to see if everything has cleared up.

Thanks!