Please Help With Diet For Uti Prone Cat, Hx Of Kidney Issues, Protein In Urine

[mokapi]

Some of you are aware of the saga of Mrowmrow's raw diet...long story short, I'm going to hold off on that for now.

I need to get him on a diet that can preemptively treat any kidney issues. He lost 10-20% of his kidney function when he was about a year old. He''s been very prone to UTIs-- he just had a back one a couple months back.

His urinalysis from Thursday showed protein in his urine. The vet thinks it's related to his kidney issues, and wants him to come in every 6 months for a new urinalysis.

For a while, we were treating him with Vet Classics Cranberry Comfort powder. I would sprinkle it in a wet food that is no longer produced.

Ingredients: Cranberry extract, Echinacea purpurea, vitamin C, Oregon grape root, Marshmallow root, natural flavoring, non-fat dry milk, silica aerogel.

Currently, he's eating Fussie Cat kibble.

Ingredients: Chicken, Chicken Meal, Peas, Turkey Meal, Pea Flour, Chickpeas, Chicken Fat (Preserved with Mixed Tocopherols and Citric Acid), Natural Flavors, Flax Seeds, Dicalcium Phosphate, Alfalfa Meal, Fructooligosaccharide, Minerals (Iron Proteinate, Zinc Proteinate, Copper Proteinate, Manganese Proteinate, Cobalt Proteinate), Potassium Chloride, Choline Chloride, Dl Methionine, Vitamins (Vitamin A Acetate, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Vitamin E Supplement, Niacin, D-Calcium Pantothenate, Thiamine Mononitrate, Riboflavin Supplement, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Folic Acid, Biotin, Vitamin B12 Supplement), Taurine, Blueberries, Cranberries, Lactic Acid, Kelp Meal, Calcium Iodate, Sodium Selenite, Rosemary Extract.

I would like opinions and advice on the options I think I have in front of me. This post will be long and a little scattered, because I'm just trying to get ideas out of my head and onto paper, so to speak.

Option #1: I switch him to Stella & Chewy's Chick Chick Chicken dehydrated raw food.

Ingredients: Chicken (Ground With Bone), Chicken Liver, Chicken Gizzard, Pumpkin Seed, Potassium Chloride, Pea Fiber, Sodium Phosphate Monobasic, Choline Chloride, Taurine, Dried Pediococcus acidilactici Fermentation Product, Dried Lactobacillus acidophilus Fermentation Product, Dried Bifidobacterium longum Fermentation Product, Tocopherols (Preservative), Calcium Carbonate, Zinc Proteinate, Zinc Sulfate, Iron Sulfate, Iron Proteinate, Vitamin E Supplement, Niacin, Copper Sulfate, Copper Proteinate, Riboflavin, Manganese Sulfate, Sodium Selenite, Manganese Proteinate, Thiamine Mononitrate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Folic Acid, Calcium Iodate, Vitamin B12 Supplement

Option #2: I switch him to Nature's Variety Instinct Chicken Nuggets dehydrated raw food.

Ingredients: Chicken (Including Ground Chicken Bone), Chicken Liver, Chicken Heart, Pumpkinseeds, Salmon Oil, Montmorillonite Clay, Organic Carrots, Organic Pears, Tricalcium Phosphate, Organic Butternut Squash, Potassium Chloride, Cod Liver Oil, Salt, Dried Kelp, Yeast Culture, Choline Chloride, Taurine, Organic Cranberries, Zinc Proteinate, Mixed Tocopherols, Vitamin E Supplement, Copper Proteinate, Rosemary Extract.

Option #3: I switch him to Nature's Variety Instinct Chicken frozen raw bites.

Ingredients: Chicken (including Ground Chicken Bone), Chicken Liver, Turkey Liver, Yeast Culture, Pumpkinseeds, Montmorillonite Clay, Turkey Heart, Apples, Broccoli, Butternut Squash, Salt, Cod Liver Oil, Dried Kelp, Carrots, Spinach, Taurine, Mixed Tocopherols, Dried Chicory Root, Blueberries, Rosemary Extract.

Option #4: I switch him to an all-wet diet, but it will have to be cheap in order to afford it. By cheap, I mean Friskies-- under 1$/can.

My biggest concern with an all-wet diet is that he has a history of vomiting EVERYTHING up that's in a can. The only kind he wouldn't vomit is no longer in production, or at least is nowhere to be found.


ALSO. Is there a maximum protein % I should be looking at for kidney issues? Are there ingredients I should be looking for?

I know that getting more liquid into his diet is important. He has three water bowls and a water fountain in the house right now.

 

[mrsgreenjeens]

First off, let's make sure he really has excess protein in his urine. A recent UTI can cause a fault positive result. Please see this website and then let us know what you think: Tanya's Comprehensive Guide to Feline Chronic Kidney Disease - Proteinuria It's also important to know what stage kidney disease he is in to help with your food choices.

BTW, dehydrated raw food is quite expensive, so I'm a little confused as to canned vs dehydrated and your cost expectations. Have you already priced, say, the Stella and Chewy? I feed it and it's pricy considering how much you need to feed

 

[mokapi]

First off, let's make sure he really has excess protein in his urine. A recent UTI can cause a fault positive result. Please see this website and then let us know what you think: Tanya's Comprehensive Guide to Feline Chronic Kidney Disease - Proteinuria It's also important to know what stage kidney disease he is in to help with your food choices.

BTW, dehydrated raw food is quite expensive, so I'm a little confused as to canned vs dehydrated and your cost expectations. Have you already priced, say, the Stella and Chewy? I feed it and it's pricy considering how much you need to feed

I'm assuming that's why the vet wants urinalyses every 6 months. Neither vet ever said he has kidney disease...when he first had the issue several years ago, the vet at the time seemed to think it wasn't a big deal; there were never additional tests ran or anything. He just said, "well, he's lost some kidney function, so we'll keep an eye on him".

It'll be cheaper in the long run only because I *know* he won't throw it up. Nothing more frustrating than spending $$ on cans of premium wet food that he just pukes all over the place every time he eats.

 

[mrsgreenjeens]

Per that website I referenced above, it says 3 urine samples within3 weeks should be taken if protein in the urine is found, just to make sure it's an accurate reading. Was that already done? It also explains about the difference types of protein in the urine and what they mean. It's worth a read, if you haven't done so already. Could help with determining whether his kidney function has further diminished, since no further testing has been done, if I'm reading you correctly.

His vomiting canned food appears to be an entirely different issues. Do you have other threads regarding that?

 

[mokapi]

I called the vet to ask about this yesterday, and she said that an additional two tests could be done if I really wanted them, but she's aware of my budget issues and doesn't think they're necessary.

No, I don't have any threads regarding his vomiting canned food (just him throwing up raw with beef); it's not just canned, either. It's most dry foods as well. I've tried the following wet foods:

Fussie Cat
Fussie Cat Premium
Nature's Variety
Earthborn
Holistic Select
Weruva
Lotus
TikiCat
Blue Buffalo
Wellness

That's within the last year or so; I've basically stopped trying. Protein doesn't matter. Grain-free or not doesn't matter. He throws it up within a few hours. When he was a kitten, he'd do okay on Fancy Feast or Friskies (the only things I could afford), but I haven't tried those since.

There's a laundry list of kibble I've tried unsuccessfully as well; the only brands I've found that work are Nature's Variety Instinct and Orijen. We recently added Fussie Cat to the rotation with luck. Kibble that doesn't sit well with him is vomited up within an hour.

 

[PushPurrCatPaws]

...

BTW, dehydrated raw food is quite expensive, so I'm a little confused as to canned vs dehydrated and your cost expectations. Have you already priced, say, the Stella and Chewy? I feed it and it's pricy considering how much you need to feed

 

[mokapi]

PushPurrCatPaws like I had told mrsgreenjeans, it would likely be more cost effective in the long run because he won't throw it up.

 

[orange&white]

There is great debate amongst veterinarians about whether "kidney cats" need a protein-restricted diet or not. More and more, vets are coming to the conclusion that it is the quality of the protein that matters. So, we know that cats don't process proteins from corn, peas, potatoes, etc (vegetable proteins) but do process animal proteins quite well. The rub is that meat proteins are high in phosphorus and phosphorus damages the kidneys.

Cats put on low-protein, high-carb diets tend toward loosing weight from muscle wasting.

You are very early in the game and have no definitive diagnosis yet. Most "kidney diets" come in to play in late-stage kidney disease. I would try to choose a food which is high in meat proteins and try to avoid veggies and carbs (provided your cat can keep from throwing it up). If your cat continues to show high-protein urine, ask your vet specifically about phosphorus levels and potentially a phosphorus binder.

At the end of the day, you will have to find a food that your cat can keep down without the vomiting, regardless of the ingredients. The very bottom-line for kidney cats is for them to eat...something. I'm sorry you're having to go through this.

 

[PushPurrCatPaws]

The problem is, if a cat is already (1) prone to vomiting nearly any food besides a handful of the dry foods that the OP has already mentioned, and (2) a cat owner is constantly trying new foods to the diet in too quick of a succession (not saying that is being done here because I don't know that, just mentioning that diet changes can cause a lot of GI upset), vomiting and GI upset can also happen with FD and raw foods, if a cat's system is in flux enough. You will be trying to transition your kitty from dry foods to variations of commercial raw, it sounds like. Sometimes this can be a tough transition, if not done gradually. There is no guarantee that dehydrated raw or frozen raw will not lead to vomiting... not until given some time to see if the cat tolerates it at that particular phase in time.

Sometimes gradually phasing in a good canned food is also a good choice when you are trying to get away from a dry food diet, and it's my understanding that if you have a cat with kidney issues, providing consistent, daily sources of water for the cat is valuable for them.

 

[mokapi]

There is great debate amongst veterinarians about whether "kidney cats" need a protein-restricted diet or not. More and more, vets are coming to the conclusion that it is the quality of the protein that matters. So, we know that cats don't process proteins from corn, peas, potatoes, etc (vegetable proteins) but do process animal proteins quite well. The rub is that meat proteins are high in phosphorus and phosphorus damages the kidneys.

Cats put on low-protein, high-carb diets tend toward loosing weight from muscle wasting.

You are very early in the game and have no definitive diagnosis yet. Most "kidney diets" come in to play in late-stage kidney disease. I would try to choose a food which is high in meat proteins and try to avoid veggies and carbs (provided your cat can keep from throwing it up). If your cat continues to show high-protein urine, ask your vet specifically about phosphorus levels and potentially a phosphorus binder.

At the end of the day, you will have to find a food that your cat can keep down without the vomiting, regardless of the ingredients. The very bottom-line for kidney cats is for them to eat...something. I'm sorry you're having to go through this.

What protein percentage should I be looking for in canned food?

Edit: I'll try to do grain-free, of course. His favorite proteins are chicken and pork, neither of which he's vomited up in the past, raw or freeze-dried.

 

[orange&white]

If you're buying a high-meat diet without grains and without pea powder or other vegetables, then you should have a good quality food. I wouldn't worry as much about percentages as I would about ingredients. A low-quality food with pea protein can easily show a higher protein percent than a quality meat-based food, but still be harder on the kidneys.

 

[mokapi]

If you're buying a high-meat diet without grains and without pea powder or other vegetables, then you should have a good quality food. I wouldn't worry as much about percentages as I would about ingredients. A low-quality food with pea protein can easily show a higher protein percent than a quality meat-based food, but still be harder on the kidneys.

Gotcha

I'm going to a speciality pet store this weekend; I have an appointment with their certified nutrition counselor at 11 on Saturday. He feeds raw and is coming in to speak with me. I'm assuming they'll have options I haven't been able to purchase yet, AND they sell RadCat!

 

[orange&white]

Meeting with a certified cat nutritionist is great! I'll look forward to hearing the advice.