Tiki Cat Dry Food + UTI issues.

Krienze

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I've made posts like this before, but this time I'm truly at my wits end.

I have five cats. Two of my cats have dietary issues.

Sam is over weight and Jasper has had two UTI's in the past two months. The vet suspects it was due to the food I've been feeding him (Acana - which we've since stopped feeding him.) and wants him on Hills C/D. The thing is that since we've been feeding the cats the C/D dry food, I've noticed Sam put on the weight he'd previously lost.

Feeding them separate never works, for the record. I've tried.

I've also tried to transition them to a just wet food diet, but that won't work either. They flat out ignore most wet food and they never seem to care for it when it's reheated. The only wet food they EVER seemed to consistently enjoy was Merrick's but I had stopped feeding them that out of concern that it was causing Sammy to gain weight.

I try really hard to get them to eat Tiki and I've found that Tiki After Dark produces the best results with them, though sometimes they snub that too.

I do not... 100% do not... want them on a purely dry diet. But I'm having such a hard time finding wet food they'll eat and now I'm having second thoughts about using the Hills C/D as my dry food for them, because clearly it is causing Sammy to gain weight.

Is Tiki Cat Dry Food okay for a cat that has had UTI issues? My vet seems to be dead set on the C/d so it's hard to talk to him about the food.

I've never had such picky cats before...

Does anyone have any wet food suggestions for weight management but that would also be good for UTI's?

I actually sat and cried earlier because trying to find food that's affordable, nutritious and safe for all of them seems like it's impossible.
 

Babypaws

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I hear you, I get stressed too trying to find a decent food (both dry and wet) for my 12 cats.. I think I find one and then when I look into the ingredients I find alot of fillers cats don’t need or they have a lot of fish ingredients which has a lot of mercury. Not good for a daily diet…Have you tried looking on this site? It’s time consuming but might help. I’ve heard and read the RX foods the vets recommend really aren’t that great, especially with the high cost. I tried them awhile ago for a kitten that had bladder stones and he wouldn’t touch them.
catfooddb.com
 

Lazy Orange House Cat

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You might just have to measure and meal-feed for a bit to bring your kitty's weight back down. By the guaranteed analysis you'll find the kilocalories per cup and you can go from there to get him back on track. Your veterinarian may be able to lay hands on a different brand that does the same things as the c/d but is lower in calories, so it might be worth asking.
 

Heart For Cats

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I’ve heard and read the RX foods the vets recommend really aren’t that great, especially with the high cost. I tried them a while ago for a kitten that had bladder stones and he wouldn’t touch them.
The high cost is why vets sell them. They have a financial incentive to sell it. I have argued with my vet about Hill's k/d after my cat lost 2 pounds in 2 months starting when I switched her to that. Believe me, talking a vet who knows little about feline nutrition out of selling Hill's c/d (or anything like it) is impossible. I am glad your cat would not touch the stuff.
 
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Krienze

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I am glad your cat would not touch the stuff.
No, they like it - but one is gaining weight on it so I'm looking for an alternative dry food for them. It's the wet food they snub more often than not
 

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The vet suspects it was due to the food I've been feeding him (Acana - which we've since stopped feeding him.) and wants him on Hills C/D. The thing is that since we've been feeding the cats the C/D dry food, I've noticed Sam put on the weight he'd previously lost.
The Hills food for specific health problems, such as the C/D for urinary health, should really only be fed to cats that have urinary health issues. Apart from the fact that they are expensive and it gets very costly to feed them to cats, they can actually have an adverse affect on healthy cats if they are fed only a diet that is specifically for a certain health problem. Now, the urinary tract food is probably not going to cause any problems, but some of the other prescription foods contain higher levels of vitamin D or lower levels of iodine that would be required by a healthy cat. So, it's best to only feed a prescription diet if your vet recommends it.

Having said that, I'm not really a fan of the Hills prescription foods. Our vet suggest senior kidney care for one of my older cats, but she wouldn't eat it. When I asked my vet he said that any good quality senior care food would be just as good, the most important thing was that she ate. So now she's on the senior care formula of her favourite dry food, plus one meal of canned a day and her kidney function is stable. Not perfect, but not at a level that our vet is concerned or that she needs medication.

So if Jasper likes the Tiki food and your other cats will eat it too you should try that. Be careful to work out how many calories Sammy needs and weigh out his portions, so he doesn't put on weight. A diet that contains too much fish may cause problems for cats with urinary problems, but the Tiki canned Succulent Chicken is supposed to be good for cats that suffer from UTIs.

Maybe some more foods you could try here?

The 8 Best Cat Foods For Urinary Health In 2021: Reviews & Ratings
 

Kflowers

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my cats gained weight on Hill's R/D diet. They did maintain their weight on Hills W/D. None lost weight until one got diabetes, then she lost a lot of weight.
 
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Krienze

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So if Jasper likes the Tiki food and your other cats will eat it too you should try that. Be careful to work out how many calories Sammy needs and weigh out his portions, so he doesn't put on weight. A diet that contains too much fish may cause problems for cats with urinary problems, but the Tiki canned Succulent Chicken is supposed to be good for cats that suffer from UTIs.
My biggest issue is that the chicken ones he sticks his nose up to. The only tiki wet I can seem to get them to successfully eat is the Tiki After Dark pate ones.

Any idea on if the tiki cat dry food would be okay for Jasper?
 

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Hi. May I ask if the vet knows what is behind the recent UTIs? Stones/crystals/inflammation? Tbh, Hill's C/D isn't going to do much unless you are trying to get stones/crystals dissolved - or, if his urine PH is out of whack and irritating his bladder lining, causing inflammation. And, any canned food is going to be better than any dry food for helping to prevent inflammation/UTIs, as the moisture content keeps his bladder flushed out better. Typically canned foods will also help from a weight management perspective as they contain less carbs/fat which is what helps put weight on a cat.

Royal Canin SO has a moderate calorie version, if Sam needs to be kept on a urinary care food for a while longer to try to dissolve stones. You could compare calories between this version and the Hill's C/D to see if there is a worth-while difference.

Perhaps, you could try adding water to the dry (gradually over time) to see if you might get lucky enough to help him adapt to food with more moisture content? You might also want to consider flavor enhancers to mix with the canned food on the days he/they seem to be wavering on eating them - low sodium bone broth, lickable treats, bisques and/or stews, for example. All are really low on calories.
 
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Krienze

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Hi. May I ask if the vet knows what is behind the recent UTIs? Stones/crystals/inflammation? Tbh, Hill's C/D isn't going to do much unless you are trying to get stones/crystals dissolved - or, if his urine PH is out of whack and irritating his bladder lining, causing inflammation. And, any canned food is going to be better than any dry food for helping to prevent inflammation/UTIs, as the moisture content keeps his bladder flushed out better. Typically canned foods will also help from a weight management perspective as they contain less carbs/fat which is what helps put weight on a cat.

Royal Canin SO has a moderate calorie version, if Sam needs to be kept on a urinary care food for a while longer to try to dissolve stones. You could compare calories between this version and the Hill's C/D to see if there is a worth-while difference.

Perhaps, you could try adding water to the dry (gradually over time) to see if you might get lucky enough to help him adapt to food with more moisture content? You might also want to consider flavor enhancers to mix with the canned food on the days he/they seem to be wavering on eating them - low sodium bone broth, lickable treats, bisques and/or stews, for example. All are really low on calories.
All the vet really told me was that his UTI's were food related because the food had too high of a certain something? I forget exactly what he called it!
The first time he had the UTI, the vet gave us C/d for it - the second time, we were given S/d at a different vets (we were in Shreveport at the time so couldn't use our normal vet.) but he also told us it was food related.

Jasper is the one with UTI's, Sam's the one with weight issues. He's 16 pounds and the vet wanted him to lose at least 5 pounds. He started doing good with losing some weight when he was eating Acana, but then Jasper got the UTI and we switched to the Hills - now he's gained the weight back almost right away.

Three of the four adult cats (not counting Charlie yet, since he's still a baby and not eating the same food) will shun wet food off and on, so I like to keep dry food on hand because I don't want to just -not- feed them. I also like them eating a small amount of dry food for their teeth and what not, though I've been trying to get them to eat mostly wet food.

My issue is finding a dry food that is acceptable for UTI's. I don't really like the royal canin brand, I read some concerning things about it and was hoping to see if Tiki Dry would be safe for Jasper since I know it would be good for Sam.

I've tried bone broth, but my cats don't really seem to be fans of things like that. The only thing that seems to ever get them eating something is the tiki cat broths, but even then they eat just the broth off then wander away and leave the rest of the food.

I've been struggling for months now to find a healthy, good dry food that would be okay for them to have for dinner or something (since I also can't afford to give them obscene amounts of wet food)
 

FeebysOwner

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All the vet really told me was that his UTI's were food related because the food had too high of a certain something? I forget exactly what he called it!
It is likely your vet is probably saying your cat's urine PH is too high. That can be resolved by any food that enables better flushing out of the bladder because of the moisture content. Aka, canned foods of almost any kind.
My issue is finding a dry food that is acceptable for UTI's.
There is really no dry food acceptable for preventing UTIs in general. What they are attempting is to help prevent stone/crystal formation with the lesser amount of mineral content, which also aides in better balancing the PH in your cats' urine.

So, on that note, find the mineral content in the Hill's C/D (which is not any better than the RC SO, btw) and then compare that with the mineral contents in other dry cat foods. Odds are, you will need to ask for this information directly from each of the brand's producers (e.g. Hill's, Tiki Cat, etc.) to get the information. Most will cooperate if you ask.
I also like them eating a small amount of dry food for their teeth and what not, though I've been trying to get them to eat mostly wet food.
Although I am on the fence with this one (based on the history of my past cats), you will have hoards of members telling you that dry food does NOT have any benefits for dental health. There are other options to pursue, such as one I have been advised to try and that is something like baking chicken gizzards and cutting them into tiny pieces. If they like them, the gizzards are supposed to help keep their teeth cleaner. That is short of brushing your cats' teeth, which for Feeby at ~17 yo I am not about to try to start. There are dental gels that can be used to help dissolve plaque, if your cats will let you rub it on their gums.

I'd say stop worrying about the dental health from dry food and look more at the above issues about mineral counts in dry food. And, keep up on your efforts to get them to eat some canned food - if for no other reason than the extra moisture and reduced calories.
 

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I agree with FeebysOwner FeebysOwner

Krienze Krienze
I actually would cut out the dry altogether or feed it very minimally. Dry food can lead to to problems including weight gain and bladder issues.

Don't leave dry out for free feeding but feed at a certain time in a small quantity if you continue with it.

Have you considered raw feeding with EZ Complete? It can be economical.
 
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