Low appetite

Dherna55

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Hey everyone,
My cat started on a new urinary so diet. We had to go through 5 different brands to try to see which one he would eat. Could this have upset his tummy and cause a low appetite? It’s 5pm and so far he has ate 1/4 cup of dry hills urinary food, and 1/2 can of royal canin wet food. Is this too little food for him to have ate so far?
Also, any tips on cats that deal with urinary diet, I would gladly accept.
 

FeebysOwner

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Hi there! What else is going on with your guy? Why was he put on those foods? How old is he? And, how much does/did he normally eat in a day before the prescription foods? Also, what was he eating before?

There are a lot of cats who don't like any of these prescription foods, so it is possible that he just doesn't care enough for them to bother to eat any more (or, could he still be ill?). There is the possibility of mixing some of the prescription foods with his 'old' food to help get him to eat more in general, and at least get him to eat some of the special diet.

A little more information might go a long way in trying to come up with some ideas on how to handle this.
 
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Dherna55

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He was dealing with a lot of crystals in his bladder which was hurting him to pee. He began to strain and would be in lots of pain, so I took him to the vet and they told me he needs to be on a strict urinary SO diet from now on.

Unfortunately, I was told I can’t give him any of his old food even if it was to just mix in with his new prescription food. There’s minerals in the over the counter wet food that will give him more crystals.

He is 4 1/2 years old. He’s an orange tabby. Before he got sick, he used to eat 3/4-1 cup of dry food. Whenever I would give him a can of wet food, he would usually eat 3/4 of it before he would stop to go play or nap.

also, I called his vet and said he ate 1/4 of his dry food and she said it was okay for now since he’s adjusting to the new food, medicine, and recovering from what he was dealing with.
 

FeebysOwner

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Thanks for the extra information! Are you giving him the canned prescription food? If not, try it since it would seem your guy does like wet food. Urinary SO comes in both dry and canned, and I believe there may be at least a couple of different types/flavors in the canned version. Depending on the meds he is on, many antibiotics will upset a cat's stomach and cause their appetite to lessen. So, it is important to ensure he gets some food with the antibiotics to help offset that a bit.

The more moisture in his food the better as it will help flush out his bladder thereby reducing the chance of crystal production. If he is not an avid water drinker, you might even try a water fountain to see if that might make him more interested in drinking. At a minimum, have several dishes of water about your home because that may also help him to drink more.

It may not be the case for your cat, but a lot of people have found if they can get their cat to eat mainly canned food, and drink more water, once the crystals have been dissolved, they can, in fact, add non-prescription foods for variety's sake. Having him checked for crystals frequently is pretty typical as well.
 

maggie101

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He was dealing with a lot of crystals in his bladder which was hurting him to pee. He began to strain and would be in lots of pain, so I took him to the vet and they told me he needs to be on a strict urinary SO diet from now on.

Unfortunately, I was told I can’t give him any of his old food even if it was to just mix in with his new prescription food. There’s minerals in the over the counter wet food that will give him more crystals.

He is 4 1/2 years old. He’s an orange tabby. Before he got sick, he used to eat 3/4-1 cup of dry food. Whenever I would give him a can of wet food, he would usually eat 3/4 of it before he would stop to go play or nap.

also, I called his vet and said he ate 1/4 of his dry food and she said it was okay for now since he’s adjusting to the new food, medicine, and recovering from what he was dealing with.
My cat was on purina pro plan vetenary ur. Only canned. After so long I started mixing in freeze dried soft orijen treats and adding churu,tiki,or nulo tubes 90% water. After she no longer had crystals I gave her chicken Frick a zee and they came back! Now I mix the 2
 

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There are supplements that can be given to help too, you might check online at Walmart and Amazon. They even have them in treat form.
 

Raul-7

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Please stop that diet immediately. It's causing him to lose his appetite because it's junk filled with corn, soy, etc.

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

Those big names like Purina, Hills, Royal Canin, etc. know nothing about health or nutrition. Would you feed your kids microwave dinners? Chips everyday?

Consider the big name brands like fast food - they only want your money and give you nothing in return except a nutritionally poor diet.
 
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Dherna55

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Thanks for the extra information! Are you giving him the canned prescription food? If not, try it since it would seem your guy does like wet food. Urinary SO comes in both dry and canned, and I believe there may be at least a couple of different types/flavors in the canned version. Depending on the meds he is on, many antibiotics will upset a cat's stomach and cause their appetite to lessen. So, it is important to ensure he gets some food with the antibiotics to help offset that a bit.

The more moisture in his food the better as it will help flush out his bladder thereby reducing the chance of crystal production. If he is not an avid water drinker, you might even try a water fountain to see if that might make him more interested in drinking. At a minimum, have several dishes of water about your home because that may also help him to drink more.

It may not be the case for your cat, but a lot of people have found if they can get their cat to eat mainly canned food, and drink more water, once the crystals have been dissolved, they can, in fact, add non-prescription foods for variety's sake. Having him checked for crystals frequently is pretty typical as well.
I tried the canned version and he only eats 1/4 of it and won’t touch the rest. He’s gotten better now. I see he is eating 1/4-3/4 each day. It seems to vary with how much more play we do. If we play more that day, he’ll eat more. I’m just a bit of an over thinker and worry about him.
I also noticed that I can feel his bones on his back so I’m worried if he’s too thin. He’s currently weighing at 11.2 lbs.
 

maggie101

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My cats are 7,8, and 9 pds. They are all so different. As long as his bones aren't protruding. I would love to see a pic of him ! Peaches is small.she could fit in the Palm of my hand 5weeks old now 9. Maggie is long and skinny with curvy hips. Coco is marble icecream with chocolate sauce and sprinkles and dark chocolate shaves down her back
 
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