Cat diet with UTI

[Destinyyymarie]

To start my cat is a 9 month old female, she was fixed about a month and a half ago.
About 11 days ago my kitten started showing signs of a UTI, peeing all the time with little to no results and the next day she started producing a decent amount of blood in her urine and going outside of the box. I brought her in to our vet and they said she had a pretty nasty uti but in a x ray there were no stones. We got her on some pain relievers and anti inflammatory for the first three days and antibiotics for 10. On the night of her 7th day of antibiotics, she started straining again. In the box for 20 minutes at a time producing nothing. The vet was worried of a blockage and said I should bring her in immediately. So last night they determined there was no blockage but when they did a urine analysis her bladder was full of sediment in the ultra sound. They were able to determine she had struvite crystals and changed her antibiotic that we are to continue for another 10 days.
So I have two questions.
First one being, our vet recommended putting her on royal canine urinary so cat food. Problem is, we have a second cat who will cannot eat chicken due to an allergy and they will not eat separately. They gave me a prescription royal canine urinary cat food but it still has chicken, they explained that it’s removed the protein that causes the allergy but he is so sensitive that it’s got me hesitant. (We’ve done a lot of trail and error to find a food that works well for him that doesn’t have a ton of fish) They also said this is something she needs to be on for life. That she can only ever have this and I can’t add any kind of wet food (unless for urinary) or give her treats etc. is this true? Is it that intense? It seems cruel to do this to only a kitten as she loves to eat everything eggs, minnows etc.
my next question is has anyone had any luck with changing their cats diet instead of getting them on a urinary diet solely. I plan on getting her some urinary wet food while she has the uti but I don’t want to limit her to this for ever especially because royal canine doesn’t have wet urinary cat food which seems counter productive as everything I’ve read is that you should increase their liquid intake by using wet food not dry. She does drink plenty of water, she gets a good mix of wet food and dry food daily and she is currently on Taste of the Wild.
I know this is a lot but thank you so much to who ever can help.
** photo of the two of them in their Christmas pjs

 

[Furballsmom]

Hi, Could you utilize auto feeders that are activated by a microchip - I think there are products that are activated by the chip that is implanted in the cat.

Also, this can help even though she is drinking;
Tips To Increase Your Cat’s Water Intake - TheCatSite

This info below is from TCS member LTS3;
"Prescription food may not be needed at all despite what the vet says. It's ok to disagree wth the vet about food. Take a read through these:
Cat Urinary Tract Diseases: Cystitis, Urethral Obstruction, Urinary Tract Infection

Feeding Your Cat: Know the Basics of Feline Nutrition – Common Sense. Healthy Cats.

This is an older thread but was added to/updated through 2021;
Alternatives to expensive Urinary SO food

Most cats with urinary issues do well with a canned food only diet. Any cat prone to urinary issue should not have any dry food.
Some people add a d-mannose supplement to the cat's diet but this may depend on the type of urinary issue the cat has. Your vet most likely has no idea or experience using this supplement."

 

[Destinyyymarie]

Hi, Could you utilize auto feeders that are activated by a microchip - I think there are products that are activated by the chip that is implanted in the cat.

Also, this can help even though she is drinking;
Tips To Increase Your Cat’s Water Intake - TheCatSite

This info below is from TCS member LTS3;
"Prescription food may not be needed at all despite what the vet says. It's ok to disagree wth the vet about food. Take a read through these:
Cat Urinary Tract Diseases: Cystitis, Urethral Obstruction, Urinary Tract Infection

Feeding Your Cat: Know the Basics of Feline Nutrition – Common Sense. Healthy Cats.

This is an older thread but was added to/updated through 2021;
Alternatives to expensive Urinary SO food

Most cats with urinary issues do well with a canned food only diet. Any cat prone to urinary issue should not have any dry food.
Some people add a d-mannose supplement to the cat's diet but this may depend on the type of urinary issue the cat has. Your vet most likely has no idea or experience using this supplement."

Thank you so much for the reply!! I don’t want to disagree with a vet who has more experience then I do but I just cannot comfortably switch them with out trying something else. I read the water suggestion and I’m going to start adding some bone broth to her food to help with getting more liquid in her. I’m sure while it seems like it’s a lot she’s drinking it’s not enough.
I actually added d mannose to her diet as well so I’m glad to know it’s something that truly can help.
One problem with the chip is only she has the chip but not the boy. I might be able to find something that goes into their collars tho…. Once I pay off these vet bills lol

 

[Furballsmom]

Let us know how things go for you

 

[xlynnbbyx]

Thank you so much for the reply!! I don’t want to disagree with a vet who has more experience then I do but I just cannot comfortably switch them with out trying something else. I read the water suggestion and I’m going to start adding some bone broth to her food to help with getting more liquid in her. I’m sure while it seems like it’s a lot she’s drinking it’s not enough.
I actually added d mannose to her diet as well so I’m glad to know it’s something that truly can help.
One problem with the chip is only she has the chip but not the boy. I might be able to find something that goes into their collars tho…. Once I pay off these vet bills lol

Hi! I will start by saying having any cat go through a UTI or seeing them have trouble urinate is very scary. In all my years of owning cats without serious issues I didn’t know cats could get UTI’s until my 5 year old boy Scooter did 3 months ago in September. I felt so scared when I saw blood in his urine. I had to rush him to an emergency vet which for me is about 1/2 hour away. Soon as I heard the emergency vet saw his urine was full of blood I froze. She went through everything she started with the worst case which treatment would have been $6,000 to $8,000 which included the stay there. Which I couldn’t afford that and even if I started a go fund me I don’t have a following to get that amount. Luckily though he was not blocked he stayed for 24 hours to get flushed out. Which he responded great to. I don’t think he had any stones or crystals cause nothing was mentioned to me about either one. They did a test that showed his kidneys were functioning properly which was great. They said he had bacteria in his urine. They could of done a test to see where it came from. Sadly I couldn’t afford more testing. Of course I was recommended the very expensive prescription food Royal Canin or Hills. Royal Canin he wouldn’t touch Hills he was on for a month but it was making him sick. Plus those foods are so expensive I can’t afford that to feed 2 cats even though only 1 Had the issue. It’s cheaper and easier to feed both my cats the same. That’s when I joined this site and did tons of research for alternatives.

During all of this research and advice I learned a few things. One you will get so many different opinions on people saying what worked for their cats. Some will say all wet, some say raw food, some say both dry & wet and so on. Each cat is different so different things work for different cats. But the main thing everyone can agree on hydration is the key. The more hydrated they are is the best thing for them. The more water they have in their bladder it will dillute anything in their urine to where it flushes out of their bladder when they pee. But no matter what advice you get only you know what will work for both of your kitties.

After tons of research, advice from members here, and even a sweet member here who lives in my area asked their vet for me I went with Purina Pro Plan Urinary wet(non prescription as they have a prescription one too) for wet food and Purina One+ Urinary for dry. Both Purina Pro Plan & Purina One lowers magnesium & phosphorus to help them maintain a good ph level which is what they need. They get 2 sometimes 3 wet food feedings a day with water added to make sure they are hydrated. They get some kibble in between the wet food sometimes water is added to the kibble too. As for treats I give them lickable treats as it is basically wet food. I also stay away anything seafood flavor. Now I do keep a record of Scooter’s litter box leavings. I look at the clump size and the color. I tell myself if it’s not a pee size clump and no blood he is good. But this is more for my ocd problem to help me stay sane. Plus I am still pay off the vet bill from this so until I can afford to get his urine checked again. I do what I can to keep him healthy. It’s been 3 months so far he is doing great. Tons of energy, softer fur, bright eyes and normal litter box habits. No issues so far(knock on wood) so this is what works for my kitty until I can get him a check up. Even though Casper had no issues it keeps him healthy too. Hopefully you find something that works for you and your babies!

Sorry this is so long just thought I’d give my input

 

[Kwik]

Hi Destinyyymarie
Any updates ?
Btw,Many years ago I almost lost a Russian Bkue Tom of mine who got a severe UTI and so suddenly he was crawling across the ground to get to me- I rushed him to the Vet and his breeding days were over.I figured he'd be at least risk nuetered.....

My boy never had any more problems after that episode and had a normal diet,I paid close attention to low ash content and as long as kidney function testing is good then I'm pretty sure you could find comparable foods that are non prescription and affordable for your kitties

My own Vet prescribes Hills Science Diet,it's sold there- he is the first one to say there's many foods just as good that can be purchased elsewhere so I do discuss my choices with him- perhaps you can talk to your Vet regarding other options and get his opinion

The Vet will naturally prescribe what he thinks is best ,it doesn't mean he is not right,it doesn't mean he's right either- No doubt he doesn't want to take any chances and I'm sure he's suggesting what has worked in his experience .... You can always get a second opinion from another Vet( hmm,after you pay off this one!!!! It's financially crippling isn't it?- uhhh)

 

[xlynnbbyx]

I tell myself if it’s not a pee size clump and no blood he is good.

I just noticed I made a mistake here I can’t edit it anymore. But u meant ti say I tell myself if it’s not a pea size or dime size clump and no blood he is good. Idk how I didn’t notice that. But I hope your kitten is doing okay I hope you can give us an update soon.