Cat who had crystals and blockage

[aminkovskaya]

My cat is doing better after being to the vet multiple times and the ER once for crystals and blockage problems. I was told to feed him prescription wet food for the rest of his life but he refuses to eat it. Is it bad that I have been feeding him Hills Science Diet Adult Urinary Hairball Control Canned Cat Food that is not prescription? I haven't seen him drink any water. Is the wet food enough?

 

[lalagimp]

Any wet food is better than dry. People do use non prescription urinary support food sometimes because the cat either will not eat the prescription or that the budget does not allow for the prescription costs. They can very well get all the fluids from the food, but if you want to be thorough you can add additional water to the food.
Case in point:
Tommy had enough urethral blockages even while on wet food that we got the surgery. He was in a cone for a month. He did not drink water because his preference is a fountain and he couldn't use it with his cone. I was adding both bone broth and water to his raw portions that he eats 5 times a day and he was still peeing like a horse in the box.
If you want you can also get pH strips to test the urine to see if the food you are feeding it keeping it around 6.5 which is what the goal is to be a crystal free environment. Lower than 6 and you risk calcium oxolate crystals.
Tommy's first blockage had him at an 8. His second and third blockages only showed him at a 7 and the hospital could not confirm crystals to me at that time, but he was definitely having complications from FLUTD of some kind.

 

[ajut85]

Sorry to hear about your kitty. Im currently dealing with similar issues. You should encourage your cat to drink as much water as possible, it helps dilute the urine. I add water with wetfood now

 

[foxden]

aminkovskaya
How is your kitty doing now? You can find more information about feeding cats with bladder crystals in the cat nutrition forum here
http://www.thecatsite.com/f/64/cat-nutrition

Some members have used apple cider vinegar (ACV) diluted with water to help bring the urine pH down below 7. If you search cider vinegar, you should find some of those threads

I hope other members will have additional advice for you

 

[livelovepurr]

The point in the specific urinary food that they prescribed is to change your cats urinary environment. Certain crystalline formations occur in certain environments. The food is specifically formulated to reverse it and help to reduce crystal formation. Urinary crystals are the main culprit for blocked cats. You can try and get your cat to eat the food by adding some canned tuna water or oyster juice with the food. Many times they need a strong scent to stimulate their appetite.