Switching A Cat To Raw Food (she Has Bad Urinary Issues)

[ChaoticEva]

Hey guys!

I have a quick question. So we adopted a special needs cat with some pretty bad urinary issues. She has roughly 50 oxalate stones in her bladder. She is currently in pain and pees outside the litter (though she is now on pain meds). My question is, when can I transition her to raw and how? What meat should I stay away from?

I'm afraid as she's in pain and I don't want to cause more issues for her either.

 

[Furballsmom]

Hi!
What a dear sweet baby! Bless your hearts!!

I don't know about when, or the specifics of proteins, but these might help with how if you're not already familiar with them. These articles aren't super lengthy but have good info ;

Raw Feeding For Cats

Transitioning Your Cat From Kibble To A New Type Of Food (canned, Raw, Or Homemade)

Feeding Raw To Cats - Safety Concerns

Raw Feeding Cats: Types Of Raw Diets & Feeding Options

Homemade Food For Cats: Consider Your Recipe!

Preparing Raw Cat Food At Home - Tools Of The Trade

Raw Feeding Cats: Calcium And Bones

Raw Feeding For Cats: The Ingredients

 

[mschauer]

I'm not sure a raw diet is appropriate for your cat. A raw diet can help a cat with struvite crystals because a raw, meat based, diet makes urine more acidic and the crystals can't form in an acidic environment.

I don't have any experience with oxalate stones but my understanding is that they form in urine that is too acidic. Feeding her a diet that makes her urine even more acidic may make the problem worst.

It is also my understanding that oxalate stones can only be removed surgically. What treatment has your vet suggested?

 

[Furballsmom]

I don't have any experience with oxalate stones but my understanding is that they form in urine that is too acidic. Feeding her a diet that makes her urine even more acidic may make the problem worst.

Definitely take my comments/info and double-check with your vet. Thank you mschauer!

 

[ChaoticEva]

She is going into surgery September 12th. My vet isn't for raw food, so of course she won't suggest it. Kinda hard to ask her about it.

 

[Furballsmom]

You could phrase a question about proteins and acidic urine without mentioning feeding raw, perhaps.

 

[ChaoticEva]

I did talk to the owner of the raw food I buy from and she says that a low phosphorus/calcium raw diet would be best. So go with leaner meats, like lamb, rabbit, chicken etc. And to stay away from red meats like Beef. So I dunno. I trust her as her raw food is really high quality and VERY well balanced but i just don't know

 

[Furballsmom]

Can you use urine test strips to regularly test the ph in her urine, and then when you have a baseline or benchmark, start introducing raw protein?

 

[mschauer]

I did talk to the owner of the raw food I buy from and she says that a low phosphorus/calcium raw diet would be best. So go with leaner meats, like lamb, rabbit, chicken etc. And to stay away from red meats like Beef. So I dunno. I trust her as her raw food is really high quality and VERY well balanced but i just don't know

I've done some reading and found this:
Calcium Oxalate Stones (Feline) - Mar Vista Animal Medical Center

In older times (25 years or so ago), cats virtually never developed calcium oxalate bladder stones. Cat bladder stones could reliably be assumed to be made of struvite (a matrix of ammonium-magnesium-phosphate). In those days, feline lower urinary tract symptoms were generally thought to be caused by struvite crystals in urine and feline lower urinary tract symptoms were extremely common. The pet food industry responded by acidifying cat foods to prevent the development of crystals. In a way it worked. Feline lower urinary tract symptoms declined. Male cats with struvite urinary blockages became far less common. The trade off was that calcium oxalate bladder stones began to develop. Acidifying the body leads to an acid urine pH and more calcium loss into the urine, both factors in the development of a calcium oxalate stone. Currently most bladder stones formed by cats are calcium oxalate stones.

I've read before that the acidifying of commercial pet foods was suspected to be a cause in the rise of oxalate stones but I thought they were referring to prescription diets. This source seems to be saying the concern is with regular (non-prescription) diets.

With that in mind, it would seem reasonable to think that a switch to a raw diet might help with both struvite and oxalate crystals/stones.

I suspect what your pet food owner is referring to keeping the calcium/phosphorus ratio low. Since calcium is a prime component of oxalate stones, limiting it in the diet could reduce the risk of stones forming. Not sure I see how lean meats fit in the picture unless fat is higher in phosphorus. The more phosphorus in the diet the more calcium is needed to ensure there is sufficient calcium available to the body. I thought fat was actually lower in fat than lean meat. I may have that backwards though.

What raw food are you using? Does it contain bone? I would stick with a raw diet that uses a calcium supplement rather than bone. It is easier to be sure of the calcium/phosphorus ratio with a supplement. I have a lot of doubt about whether raw food producers who use bone really know how much calcium is being provided.

 

[mschauer]

Correction:

I thought fat was actually lower in fat than lean meat. I may have that backwards though.

Should read:

I thought fat was actually lower in phosphorus than lean meat. I may have that backwards though.

 

[ChaoticEva]

Thank you all for the info. I buy my raw from a lady who does it herself. Having a friend that worked with her, I know that her raw food is VERY calculated and balanced. Her blends are 80/10/10 or 90/10. She buys all her meat locally and prepares the raw at a certified human building or whatever it's called. My other cat, Banjo, has done amazingly well with her raw. Her raw has real bone, no powder.

 

[ChaoticEva]

Also, from what I read with the article you provided, it seems that a wet food diet is best (once the stones are out). So is would think that raw food would be ok to give, since it is so high in moisture!

 

[ChaoticEva]

GUYS!! Good news!! Jiggy went to the vets today and while I was there, my boss was like "what the heck, let's take an xray" so we did. She doesn't have oxalate stones, but struvites crystals instead! She went from having over 50 crystals to only a few! We even saw a few about to pass through the urethra! I am beyond happy that she won't need surgery after all!

 

[Furballsmom]

YES YES YES!!! this is fantastic news!!!