Is there any difference between indoor and "original" formulas? We feed Coco dry food in the mornings (though we have begun substituting raw for dry on weekends!) and canned food in the evenings. Do we need to be feeding an "indoor" dry food, or is that just a marketing trick?
-
Too many ads? Join our community of cat lovers now to reduce ads by 90%! Click here to join for free!
Indoor formulas?
- Thread starter dorimon
- Start Date
Generally the 'indoor' kibbles are lower calorie (the theory being that indoor cats need less energy). What that translates to is more fibre...which means you're essentially paying more for bigger poops! As cats are obligate carnivores, they have no physical need for this extra fibre. IMO, you're better off buying the best quality kibble you can afford (go for something with meat as the first ingredient, and with as few starches/carbs as possible), and feed less of it. The higher the proportion of canned/raw the better, as this helps with hydration too 
[article="0"][/article][article="29707"][/article][article="30756"][/article]
[article="0"][/article][article="29707"][/article][article="30756"][/article]- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #3
Thanks! I was suspicious that this might be the case. Currently our kitty is eating about 50% wet, 35% dry, and 15% raw. We add a generous amount of water to her wet food (Fancy Feast Classics) to try to get more water into her.
Our next bag of dry won't be an indoor formula! We are considering the Good Natured Grain Free food at PetSmart: http://www.petsmart.com/food-health...d36-30639/cat-36-catid-200028?var_id=36-30639
Our next bag of dry won't be an indoor formula! We are considering the Good Natured Grain Free food at PetSmart: http://www.petsmart.com/food-health...d36-30639/cat-36-catid-200028?var_id=36-30639
Last edited:
That looks pretty good to me :bigthumb:
It sounds like you've got a great balance of wet to dry too Your girl is lucky to have such a great mom :high5:
It sounds like you've got a great balance of wet to dry too
Your girl is lucky to have such a great mom :high5:- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #5
Aw, thanks 
We just do the best we can. She's had urinary issues in the past and the vet had us put her on Royal Canin Urinary SO Moderate Calorie, but then I was reading that the food works by being super salty, and making her want to drink more water? That just sounded stupid to me, so I've been hunting around for a better dry food (and one that isn't so incredibly expensive!).
We started adding water to her canned food recently, and luckily she doesn't mind Our kitty is incredibly sweet and fortunately not too picky with food. She'll eat just about anything!
We just do the best we can. She's had urinary issues in the past and the vet had us put her on Royal Canin Urinary SO Moderate Calorie, but then I was reading that the food works by being super salty, and making her want to drink more water? That just sounded stupid to me, so I've been hunting around for a better dry food (and one that isn't so incredibly expensive!).We started adding water to her canned food recently, and luckily she doesn't mind
Our kitty is incredibly sweet and fortunately not too picky with food. She'll eat just about anything!
My ultra fussy boy had a crystal blockage 10 years ago. The vet tried to get us onto the RC for it, but he refused point blank to eat the wet food This is just my experience, but he's done fine on a mostly wet diet ever since, with just a little RC Urinary kibble on the side (FYI, the biggest reason for it is that it contains a urine acidifier to help break down struvite crystals so they can be passed more easily. It is saltier too, but the DL-methionine is the primary active ingredient). I don't love the ingredients, but it's the only one he'll eat - he gets so little of it that it's no biggie to me. A 13 year old has to have some pleasures in life :lol3:
In short, the prescription foods have their place, but they often aren't the only solution
This is just my experience, but he's done fine on a mostly wet diet ever since, with just a little RC Urinary kibble on the side (FYI, the biggest reason for it is that it contains a urine acidifier to help break down struvite crystals so they can be passed more easily. It is saltier too, but the DL-methionine is the primary active ingredient). I don't love the ingredients, but it's the only one he'll eat - he gets so little of it that it's no biggie to me. A 13 year old has to have some pleasures in life :lol3:In short, the prescription foods have their place, but they often aren't the only solution
Last edited:
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #7
Thanks for the insight again! Do you think that we should continue feeding the RC dry then? Would switching to another dry food cause any issues?
Really, that depends. If her urinary issues were within the last 6 months I'd probably stick with the RC a while longer. If she's been a year or more without any problems, I'd trial a gradual switch. This is where clumping litter is your friend. You'll know what size pee clumps are normal for your girl. So long as the size and number of pee clumps stays the same, she's doing fine. If you start to regularly see more, smaller clumps that's a sign that she may be starting with problems again. It really is a case of trial and error.
If you want to get more scientific about it, you can always get some pee strips to test the acidity of her urine during and after the switch (a ph of around 6-6.5 is ideal). To be honest, though, I wouldn't bother with this unless she's had repeated problems in the past.
Hope that all makes sense
If you want to get more scientific about it, you can always get some pee strips to test the acidity of her urine during and after the switch (a ph of around 6-6.5 is ideal). To be honest, though, I wouldn't bother with this unless she's had repeated problems in the past.
Hope that all makes sense
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #9
She had a UTI when she was living with her previous owner. After coming to live with us, we noticed she began to pee outside the litter box, so the vet ran some tests about 2 years ago and said that she had some crystals. The vet suggested that we put her on RC, and she's been eating it ever since. I'm hoping that it will be safe to transition her off the RC if we make sure that she is well-hydrated.
I do suspect that her use / non-use of the litter box is behavioral. We've since "trained" her to use the box, by rewarding her with a PureBites shrimp treat. She'll come running to us to demand the treat if we don't notice that she went. We still have the occasional accident (we think she can still smell the places where she's gone, even after we used an enzyme cleaner), but hope it will stop once we switch out the carpets in the rooms where she's peed.
I do suspect that her use / non-use of the litter box is behavioral. We've since "trained" her to use the box, by rewarding her with a PureBites shrimp treat. She'll come running to us to demand the treat if we don't notice that she went.
We still have the occasional accident (we think she can still smell the places where she's gone, even after we used an enzyme cleaner), but hope it will stop once we switch out the carpets in the rooms where she's peed.
As you say, hydration really is the biggest key. In this situation, I might be tempted to have some pee strips on hand, just to check what's going on if/when she does have an accident. It can't hurt to have them in the cupboard
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #11
Is there a way to test her urine after she's peed in the litter box or on carpet? Or do the strips only work if we can catch her while she is going? Any recommendations on where to buy them?
I've never actually used them myself. I believe you can get them on Amazon, or from pharmacies. Make sure you get pH strips, not ones for diabetes
Hopefully someone else here will be able to give you some guidance on how to use them :cross: Your vet could help here too.
As I said before, it's not essential - just a handy way to pick up on changes early, when they're easiest to sort out
Hopefully someone else here will be able to give you some guidance on how to use them :cross: Your vet could help here too.
As I said before, it's not essential - just a handy way to pick up on changes early, when they're easiest to sort out
I've done some research. You do need a clean sample, but often the last clinging drops when the cat's just peed are enough for the test. I don't think you could test urine that's soaked into the carpet, but an accident 'puddle' is fine to test.
The strips will have instructions on the pack too
The strips will have instructions on the pack too
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #14
Thanks so much for taking the time to help me out with my questions I found some strips on Amazon and will try them out!
I found some strips on Amazon and will try them out!
I get mine from eBay, and I use a local seller although you can get them very cheap from non-U.S. sellers. This is the seller I bought from, twice (some for me, then some for friends.) I was using them 4-6 times a day at first, but now I rarely use them because she is stabilized at 6.0 on the Abound food with just a pinch of L-methionine (natural) sprinkled very sparingly.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Laboratory-...998788?hash=item2a461e0484:g:pDoAAOSwirZTxOdv
The simple truth is that struvite crystals cannot form in a slightly acidic urine (6.0 to 6.5), and when a cat is eating wet food, even if pH is 7.0, crystals don't usually form because she is getting so much more water that the bladder is flushed out. On dry food, crystals do form at 7.0 (which is neutral) according to the articles I've read. Carbohydrates raise the pH of the urine, proteins and fats lower it. Most of the prescription diets are still too high in carbs but they add a urinary acidifier to counteract that (DL-methionine (synthetic). If you are using one of these, you should not add any additional L-methionine without testing the urine pH because if you go too far the OTHER way, they can form another kind of crystal that prefers a strongly acidic solution. It's a delicate balance. Studies have shown that cats in the wild maintain an average pH between 6 and 6.5 eating their natural diet. If you haven't read Dr. Lisa Pierson's web site on the subject, I highly recommend you read it starting NOW. http://www.catinfo.org/
I wish every single cat owner would read it, and I recommend it all the time on here. Read the general discussion about Nutrition and then the specialized section on Urinary Tract Diseases. That's where I learned everything that saved this cat that two vets had given up on. She had been struggling with urinary problems for 1 1/2 years and was about to be put to sleep because the vets couldn't cure her, and now she's now happy and healthy and has not seen a vet in six months. I just followed the principles set out there and fed her a simple diet, and the cat healed herself. I have no doubt that having affection and a less stressful situation than the cage free shelter was helpful too, but I think the change in food was absolutely the most important thing.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Laboratory-...998788?hash=item2a461e0484:g:pDoAAOSwirZTxOdv
The simple truth is that struvite crystals cannot form in a slightly acidic urine (6.0 to 6.5), and when a cat is eating wet food, even if pH is 7.0, crystals don't usually form because she is getting so much more water that the bladder is flushed out. On dry food, crystals do form at 7.0 (which is neutral) according to the articles I've read. Carbohydrates raise the pH of the urine, proteins and fats lower it. Most of the prescription diets are still too high in carbs but they add a urinary acidifier to counteract that (DL-methionine (synthetic). If you are using one of these, you should not add any additional L-methionine without testing the urine pH because if you go too far the OTHER way, they can form another kind of crystal that prefers a strongly acidic solution. It's a delicate balance. Studies have shown that cats in the wild maintain an average pH between 6 and 6.5 eating their natural diet. If you haven't read Dr. Lisa Pierson's web site on the subject, I highly recommend you read it starting NOW. http://www.catinfo.org/
I wish every single cat owner would read it, and I recommend it all the time on here. Read the general discussion about Nutrition and then the specialized section on Urinary Tract Diseases. That's where I learned everything that saved this cat that two vets had given up on. She had been struggling with urinary problems for 1 1/2 years and was about to be put to sleep because the vets couldn't cure her, and now she's now happy and healthy and has not seen a vet in six months. I just followed the principles set out there and fed her a simple diet, and the cat healed herself. I have no doubt that having affection and a less stressful situation than the cage free shelter was helpful too, but I think the change in food was absolutely the most important thing.
Last edited:
Latest Posts
-
Palliative care cat won't take gabapentin ... painkiller alternatives?- Latest: FeebysOwner
-
-
-
