Urinary Crystals With A Cat Fed Raw?

[ChaoticEva]

Banjo has been fed a raw food diet for about 9-10 months. We went to the vets since he was licking himself non stop on his remaining back leg as well as this one spot on his tummy. The vet palpitated his stomach and noticed he was sensitive in the bladder and kidneys (but no inflammation). She thinks it could be crystals. And I was like "But how?! He's fed a raw food diet?" I did some research and I've only seen people saying that a raw food diet prevents urinary issues. So I'm just very confused. It is because I'm mostly feeding him Rabbit and Venison? Should I be adding other meats that maybe have less bone? I'm just so confused. I told my vet that I didn't want to put him back on dry food or wet food since raw food really helped clear out a lot of issues. Could it also just be a fluke? Maybe I should add even more water to his meals? My vet explained that it's all about his ph levels and that a cat's ph should be 7-7.5.

 

[Furballsmom]

Hi! How is your water quality? Can you give your baby filtered water, fresh daily in a daily cleaned bowl? Ceramic or stainless, preferably?
I've read that too much bone can cause constipation ....but I don't know otherwise...

 

[ChaoticEva]

He gets filtered water in a stainless steel bowl and I add 1 full table spoon of water in each meal. He has larger pees, but that's normal since he has quite a bit of water in his day.

 

[Furballsmom]

Hi! Well, that sure took care of my theory regarding water
What if you temporarily switched him to Rad Cat, or Primal? Does the vet have a baseline measurement of his current PH so you can monitor it?

 

[ChaoticEva]

We don't have Rad Cat or Primal in my area :/ I get my raw food from an independent company that has been doing raw for a long time. I was told that bone was always MAX 10%. We aren't sure if Banjo has any crystals yet, I should find out later on. I do find it weird because his bladder and kidneys aren't inflamed or weird size. So I'm hoping it's nothing and that it was only him not liking to be touched there, and that's why he reacted. I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

 

[Furballsmom]

Hi! You can't order it? Even freeze dried primal?
Here's hoping as well!

 

[duckpond]

I have read, or known of, cats on any type of food that have had urinary issues. Honestly i think diet helps, and can lessen instances of blockages. But i think a lot of it is due to genetics as well. Some cats diet may be more important than others to keep the ph in line, and flush the kidneys more.

If his ph is out of the correct range i would try switching foods. Has your vet made any recommendations for food?

 

[ChaoticEva]

No, my vet hasn't made any recommendation on food. I wouldn't feel comfortable giving him vet food, especially not dry as that is the worst food for cats. Dry food or even wet food causes so many other issues for him. Raw has really helped him so, SO much. So I'm hoping it's either nothing or something that can be fixed with maybe some supplements.

 

[duckpond]

I hope so for you and him as well. But there are many brands of Raw you could try, if it might be diet related? I don't feed Raw, but i know others that do have posted that they can only feed specific ones to their cats with Urinary issues?

 

[LTS3]

Isn't there a urinary acidifier product that can be added to cat food? I thought I saw a mention of it on TCS or other web site

 

[Stinky15]

Isn't there a urinary acidifier product that can be added to cat food? I thought I saw a mention of it on TCS or other web site

Urinary Acidifiers?

 

[LTS3]

Urinary Acidifiers?

That

A Google search for "cat urinary acidifier" comes up with various products sold on Amazon and pet supply web sites. Something the OP can look into adding to the raw diet.

 

[basscat]

As hokey as it sounds, and simply to hopefully avoid a trip to the vet, I tried apple cider vinegar in hopes that it would help urinary problem. Which I suspect was crystals due to the symptoms being the exact same as other cats with confirmed crystals.
4 days later, no symptoms, back to normal.
I'm still a skeptic, don't know anything for sure, but....a teaspoon of apple cider vinegar a day won't hurt a cat at all, and there's a remote chance that it actually worked.
I had to get creative with it though.
10oz of ground chicken, teaspoon of ACV thoroughly mixed in, then half a handful of dry kibble mixed in as well.

 

[ChaoticEva]

Just got news from the vet : He does NOT have crystals or stones!! YAY!! He does however have a urinary tract infection, but that is easy to treat. The vet reassured me that a urinary tract infection can be caused by many things, but she's never heard of it being caused by raw or wet food. So I'm relieved that it's an easy fix. Thank you all for the info, it's appreciated!

 

[1 bruce 1]

As hokey as it sounds, and simply to hopefully avoid a trip to the vet, I tried apple cider vinegar in hopes that it would help urinary problem. Which I suspect was crystals due to the symptoms being the exact same as other cats with confirmed crystals.
4 days later, no symptoms, back to normal.
I'm still a skeptic, don't know anything for sure, but....a teaspoon of apple cider vinegar a day won't hurt a cat at all, and there's a remote chance that it actually worked.
I had to get creative with it though.
10oz of ground chicken, teaspoon of ACV thoroughly mixed in, then half a handful of dry kibble mixed in as well.

Done it, too.
It works, I'd say 85-90% of the time and is worth a try.
Make sure the ACV has "the mother" (that weird thing that looks like a living blob of amoeba crossed with a lethargic octopus).
How are his stools, ChaoticEva ?
I would try adding in more plain meat to his food to lessen the bone content (minerals, etc.) and see if that helps, too. How high is the organ meat content?

 

[ChaoticEva]

His poops are AWESOME! (I actually watch him and all my other cats poop regularly, I know it's weird, but I find it's a great way to see how they're doing). I just passed my raw food order and stuck with some Turkey/cranberry, Rabbit, Venison/blueberry, Kangaroo/Rabbit and Beef/Veggie. But I also asked the question to the owner to ask her what I could do to help minimise the risk of it happening again. I'm now waiting on her reply. She's usually quite quick in replying and she is very knowledgeable. I'm sure she can help me. Fingers crossed!

 

[1 bruce 1]

His poops are AWESOME! (I actually watch him and all my other cats poop regularly, I know it's weird, but I find it's a great way to see how they're doing). I just passed my raw food order and stuck with some Turkey/cranberry, Rabbit, Venison/blueberry, Kangaroo/Rabbit and Beef/Veggie. But I also asked the question to the owner to ask her what I could do to help minimise the risk of it happening again. I'm now waiting on her reply. She's usually quite quick in replying and she is very knowledgeable. I'm sure she can help me. Fingers crossed!

Fingers crossed here, too!!!
We, uh, watch pooping here too for the most part (a few dogs, not so much). The cats think we're weird, the house dogs think we finally "got" something that only dogs "get".

Let us know what your findings are!

 

[ChaoticEva]

Thank you!
Also quick question : is there as link or article I can read about ACV for cats with UTI?

 

[1 bruce 1]

Apple Cider Vinegar for Cats: FLUTD Home Remedy - Wildernesscat
This might get you started.

I also found this and thought of this thread, and cats and pee problems, in particular.
Tales from the Urinary Trenches: CatNutrition's School of Hard Knocks

 

[ChaoticEva]

Thank you so much for the info! I think we kinda figured out why he might of gotten an UTI. When he pees or poops, he tends to sit/lay in the litter box while he buries his pees or poops. It could also be a number of things, but this was one reason I thought of.