Suggestions for raw fed cat with high urine protein

maxmeezu

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Hello all. My cat is less than three years old (dob oct 2017, Maine coon, male, intact, indoor only, 15 lb) and has high protein in his urine. The vet is going to run more tests but that’s about all I know right now.

He’s been fed mostly a commercial raw food diet (primal frozen rabbit) supplemented with the occasional wet food packet and some daily greenie treats.

I’m feeling discouraged that despite the “premium” food, he’s potentially having kidney issues this young. He has a history of intestinal problems (another factor) and the raw food saved him, it’s really the only thing he can digest well, and I’m worried the vet will recommend a low quality kidney kibble. I also have a second cat and don’t want to feed them separately (for their sake not mine).

Does anyone have thoughts or personal experience with this type of situation?

I just don’t know what has caused this and what to do to help. He’s also been through a lot this month which I’m not sure could affect their urine analysis (intestinal surgery and pneumonia, to start) but is recovering well.
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LTS3

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High urine protein and BUN / creatine values tend to be higher in raw fed cats than commercial food fed cats. It doesn't necessarily mean the cat has kidney issues. Here are some TCS threads with info:

 

Azazel

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My raw fed cats always have trace amounts of protein in their urine. Cats fed mostly or all wet food will also have lower urine specific gravity. If you can, I would find a vet who understands feline nutrition. If your vet is just comparing your cat’s diet to baselines set by kibble fed cats they may be misdiagnosing them. My vet did an experiment once where she asked me to feed one of my cats half kibble and half wet for one week before testing her urine and the results came back as expected for kibble fed cats, but when she was fed all wet/raw food she was almost diagnosed as having urinary problems and put on a prescription diet by a vet who didn’t understand nutrition.
 
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