Cat on new diet

[Sammygirl95]

Hi all,
So my cat Noel was recently diagnosed with a small bladder infection. He was on antibiotics and anti-inflammatory medicine for about a week. The vet also suggested switching him to a diet specifically for urinary problems. We first got Noel when he was 4 months old and it took us about a year to find a dry food that worked with his stomach. He has a very sensitive stomach and is prone to either constipation or diarrhea depending on the dry food. We finally found Halo which is the only food that doesn't give him any stomach problems. He's almost 3 now and I'm a little wary of changing his food to something new because of his sensitive stomach. Now, my question: Is it okay to mix his old food with the new urinary food so that he gets the benefits of both? Does anyone have any suggestions on how to help if he does have stomach issues on his new food? I appreciate any help or suggestions you all can give.
-Samantha

 

[minish]

I think it depends on what they did for urinary issue. You may disturb the balance of the food by adding another

 

[Sammygirl95]

I think it depends on what they did for urinary issue. You may disturb the balance of the food by adding another

The vet didn’t give me a specific food to give him. They just told me to buy a dry food for urinary care. So I got Purina one pro plan for urinary issues. They also gave him a two week antibiotic shot, anti inflammatory meds for 4 days, and medicine to dialate his urethra.

 

[FeebysOwner]

Hi. Did the vet say Noel had crystals/stones/sediment in his urine, and/or that his PH was off in the urine sample? Or, did they suggest that his condition might be the result of cystitis? The urinary care foods are primarily used to either help dissolve current/prevent future struvite crystals and/or to aide in proper PH balance. Tbh, getting him off of dry food and onto canned food would help immensely as there is more moisture in canned and it helps maintain a better PH balance and flushes out the urinary tract/bladder. I would find out what the vet hopes to accomplish with a urinary care food, and go from there. Is there a canned version of the sensitive dry food he is currently eating that you could try? Can you get him to increase his water intake - maybe with a water fountain?

 

[Sammygirl95]

So they said his ph balance was off. He actually free feeds dry food and I feed him wet food twice a day. He also drinks tons of water already. Almost a full bowl of water a day. I think they said his urine was too alkaline. He’s actually already getting constipated a little bit but I think it may be from his medicine he was taking.

 

[Sammygirl95]

Hello everyone!
Just wanted to give a little update on Noel. He’s finished all of his medicine and seems to be doing better. He’s started eating his new food and we also got him a water fountain. He seems to really like the fountain, even though he’s was skeptical at first. We also changed his litter and got him a new litter box that he likes. We switched to a non-clumping litter. I know that kind of litter needs to be changed fully more often but Noel really dislikes clumps in his litter, I’ve noticed. Since changing his litter, we haven’t had any accidents outside of the liiter box. I just wanted to thank you all for your help and suggestions!
-Samantha