UTI/Kidney issues in a multi-cat household

zorana_dragonky

TCS Member
Thread starter
Top Cat
Joined
May 13, 2008
Messages
1,581
Purraise
2
Location
Northern Indiana
I need to talk to the vet for more information, so at this point I am just probing for more information from the lovely people here.

My boyfriend and I are discussing moving in together, which means combining cat households. I have three cats who eat Taste of the Wild dry and various wet foods, all high quality. He has one cat that eats Hill's Prescription C/D. I don't know all of the details of his cat's history, only what he knows, so I need to ask the vet (we have the same vet). I believe he has had 2 UTIs in the last 4 or 5 years, and I know that when I took him to the vet about a month ago he had a perfect PH. I do not know if he is prone to crystals or was blocked, and my boyfriend has mentioned the health of his cat's kidneys as a concern before, but I am uncertain about whether his cat has kidney issues or not. The second UTI was about a month ago, while he was on C/D and the vet was almost certain it was caused by stress (the cat was having an allergic reaction and was itching all over, poor baby) because his PH was perfect and he had no crystals, just a little blood and bacteria in his urine.

I'm going to contact the vet on Monday, but in the meantime I was hoping the catsite folks would give me some advice on potential foods that might be safe to feed all 4 cats and would not harm the cat that is on C/D. I did some searching through old threads and it looks like free feeding all of them anything is NOT recommended, so it looks like I might have to go to timed feedings for all of them, which is difficult for me and my unreliable schedule.
I really do not want to feed all of the cats C/D, since my 3 cats are healthy and have never had any urinary issues whatsoever, but I also know that grain free formulas are not recommended for cats who have had urinary issues.

It may be possible to feed more wet than dry, if that would help (depending on the wet).

Thanks for any suggestions!
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #2

zorana_dragonky

TCS Member
Thread starter
Top Cat
Joined
May 13, 2008
Messages
1,581
Purraise
2
Location
Northern Indiana
No suggestions?
Or advice about feeding different cats? I would even just accept advice for how to transition all the cats to timed feedings.

Thanks.
 

otto

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Mar 7, 2008
Messages
9,837
Purraise
197
My cats are all on different diets, I have four.

One is on the c/d. Her pH is perfect now, too, but only if she stays on the c/d. Any variation and she has problems. This is bad enough in a female, but could be deadly in a male.

It does sound like you have a lot to work out, but it can be done. It takes work, true, and is time consuming, I don't deny it, but it's possible. I know because I've been doing it for years.

I'm not quite sure how to help you get started though, because I've been doing it so long all existing cats have always been fed this way. Even Queen Eva, my new kitten, has learned already, and she's only been here 8 days.

Each cat has his or her own meal spot. At meal times they each sit at his or her own spot and wait for me to put the dish in front of them. Slowest eater is fed first, fastest eater is fed last.

I remember when Jennie first came here, she had some trouble learning how things are done. Poor Mazy was so shocked when Jennie kept barging into her food, since that just isn't done here.
But Jennie did learn.

However I do have to be the dreaded Cat Food Police at every meal time. They are fed six servings a day, two in the morning (about 15-30 minutes apart) two in the evening (about 15-30 min apart) and two snacks. I have to hover, and pick up a dish as soon as it is left, if there is any food left in it, so no one else gets it, since each is on a diet specific for his or her needs.
 

mews2much

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Nov 19, 2007
Messages
13,424
Purraise
27
Location
Central Valley,California
My cats are on different foods also.
Coco the kidney food.
Polar on TOTW
Cleo and Wrinkles N/B Duck and Green Pea and the others Chicken Soup.
I put 2 sphynx in the carrier to eat and the other sphynx in another carrier.
 

white cat lover

TCS Member
Veteran
Joined
Nov 17, 2005
Messages
22,206
Purraise
35
Squishy eats C/D mixed in with Purina ONE urinary. He too has had UTIs in the form of bacteria/blood in his urine. I haven't found any other viable food for him, and he won't eat straight C/D. If I remove the C/D from the mixture, he has a UTI again.
 

cmedeiros17

TCS Member
Adult Cat
Joined
Oct 8, 2008
Messages
257
Purraise
7
Location
MA
My advice is not to mess around with the urinary problems. I have been through a lot with my guy. Now he is happily on the Purina One urinary (wet) and doing great! I also like to add a bit of water to his meals as well. Even if you have to separate him for feedings I wouldn't suggest changing his food. And yes, you won't be able to free feed everyone. Not unless you can put their food in a spot he can't get to. (unlikely lol). Also, water fountains are great to have especially because they will tend to drink more readily from it than a bowl of standing water.

Good Luck! I know it will be tough....but once you get in a groove it will be easier.
 

momofmany

TCS Member
Veteran
Joined
Jul 15, 2003
Messages
16,249
Purraise
70
Location
There's no place like home
I have 1 out of 10 with chronic bladder issues, and if I try to take him off of prescription food, he immediately develops crystals and will ultimately block.

I free feed my cats dry food, and yes, they all eat C/D dry. They've all been on it for over a year, and while it is very pricey to feed, it helps my sick cat and does no harm to the rest. I don't like to do it, but it is keeping everyone healthy.

I control additional food by giving them wet twice a day. Muddy gets a full can of prescription wet in the morning, and all the cats get a decent quality wet food at dinner. If Muddy leaves some of his breakfast for the other cats, it doesn't hurt.

I would not take a cat off of a prescription diet without consulting a vet. I did take Muddy off twice in his early days of illness, and he landed in the ER twice afterwards. DH and I have too varied a schedule to restrict feeding them specific diets every day.
 

strange_wings

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Dec 20, 2006
Messages
13,498
Purraise
39
Originally Posted by otto

However I do have to be the dreaded Cat Food Police at every meal time.
Cat Food Police... I like that. Should we have badges made up saying that?



My household is like this:
Sherman - C/D wet and dry for crystals. He eats in the den bathroom by himself.
Tomas - Has problems with chicken. He eats Natural Balance duck and green pea dry and various non chicken wets. He eats in the kitchen/dinning room because no one is can successfully steal his food. Gets his food last.
Sho - issues with corn (vomits) and another ingredient I haven't pinned down yet, maybe soy. He eats the same dry as Tomas and eats beside him because he can usually finish around the same time. He can have various wet food.

Siri - Has no food issues, eats quickly and growls at any food stealing cat. Hence Tomas (the main food thief) doesn't get into her food.

The kittens - They eat on the den fireplace because they can be food thieves. They're the reason Sherman must eat in the bathroom as they really love his C/D. They get their food first so as to insure that they usually finish before Tomas can sneak over.

Sounds like a hassle but it works out.

Put them on meals and separate the C/D kitty. Let him out when the other cats finish their food if he steals food, let him out when he's done with his if he'll leave them be.
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #10

zorana_dragonky

TCS Member
Thread starter
Top Cat
Joined
May 13, 2008
Messages
1,581
Purraise
2
Location
Northern Indiana
Thank you for your advice everyone!

I had suspected that the best course of action was NOT to switch the urinary cat (his name is Nika and he's a lover, aww) to anything else, although I do plan to talk with our vet to find out if she has some suggestions of other foods that might be okay to try that I would be okay with feeding all of the cats. If she does not, then timed feedings are probably the way to go... I just know it's going to be difficult! But, obviously, Nika's health is more important than whether or not I am annoyed.

Part of the reason why I really don't want to do timed feedings is because Bamf is going to be a giant pain in the butt to switch to timed feedings. Any time he is hungry and he wants your attention at his food bowl or there is no food in his food bowl, his reaction is to bug you for a minute and then bite you (even if you are asleep or have just arrived home) and he does not bite lightly... so I know that the transition to timed feedings and specific meals will come with getting bitten a LOT and I have to say that I am not looking forward to that at all...


I'll let you all know what my vet says and what we decide to do. Thanks for the advice!
 

strange_wings

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Dec 20, 2006
Messages
13,498
Purraise
39
Since I forgot and no one else popped in to mention it. If you do decide to put all of the cats on C/D you need to watch their weight. It's a bit more calorie rich/carby than some foods and it's not too uncommon for kitties to gain a little weight on it. My Sherman even gained a little.

For food obsessed cats, start out with 4-5 meals and work down to how many you want to do a day (minimum is 2, but 3 works well). You can also work in some games for treats. Maybe that will give Bamf something else to focus on than picking at you.
No guarantees it will stop him from bugging you completely, though. Even mine still beg - Tomas usually starts bothering me an up to an hour early for supper (and is doing so at this very minute) if there's not something else to keep him occupied.
 

white cat lover

TCS Member
Veteran
Joined
Nov 17, 2005
Messages
22,206
Purraise
35
Originally Posted by zorana_dragonky

Part of the reason why I really don't want to do timed feedings is because Bamf is going to be a giant pain in the butt to switch to timed feedings. Any time he is hungry and he wants your attention at his food bowl or there is no food in his food bowl, his reaction is to bug you for a minute and then bite you (even if you are asleep or have just arrived home) and he does not bite lightly... so I know that the transition to timed feedings and specific meals will come with getting bitten a LOT and I have to say that I am not looking forward to that at all...
Can I first say again, I love the name Bamf?
Makes me smile every time.

Secondly, it must be a Siamese cat thing - Eden does it as does one of her kittens. "Feed me or I shall carve the flesh from your bones!"
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #13

zorana_dragonky

TCS Member
Thread starter
Top Cat
Joined
May 13, 2008
Messages
1,581
Purraise
2
Location
Northern Indiana
You will not feed me, hmm? Well, I shall see if you are tasty then, you mean nasty non-feeder, you!

He is a turd!

Thanks again for all of your advice! I'm following strange_wings advice as much as possible, with many little meals to convince Bamf that food doesn't have to always be out, but I can only do it when I am home. I work from 9am-6pm on weekdays. I've only been feeding at specific times for a few days, and I didn't want to be too strict at first because I also moved the cats to their new home and that is also stressful.

So far my boyfriend's cat is *very* interested in meeting the new cats and tries to run into this room every time I open the door. I'll let everyone know how feeding transitions and introductions go.

Also... Bamf is an awesome name. I need to visit these boards more... I'm reminded that I miss everyone here. Thanks again!
 
Top