cat food question....

shellbell

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By now, I have posted a few threads concerning my cat Atticus, who has had UTI issues and has Manx Syndrome.

I have a question for those who have cats with chronic UTI issues. I was wondering if most of the urinary tract formulated cat foods address the acidity or pH of urine.

Atticus has not had a problem with his pH upon last analysis. It was normal at 6.5 or so. When it was 8, he had blood in the urine, with a higher WBC and RBC count of course. Now the pH has been back at normal range, but the WBC is still high. He is still being treated with antibiotics.

When I have feed him Purina One and Nutro Max's foods that are supposed to help with urinary tract issues, he tends to get red around his back end, so much that I had to get medicine to treat him. When I discontinued to food...back to Iams Multicat that condition stopped. His stool also tends to stay at normal consistency on IAMs, and it doesn't on other foods (gets runny etc).

I am trying to figure out what the best food is for him. My vet has not recommended cranberry supplements or acidifiers because his pH is normal. We belive we are dealing with primarily a bacteria and maybe inflammation issues. I can't use special formula food for urinary tract either, it seems.

I have received one recommendation of prescription food Science Diet for cats with FLUTD issues. I will talk to vet. And Cosequin supplements. I just don't know if the food makes a difference if this is bacterial in nature.

My vet has told me if he is doing okay on IAMS Multicat just to keep him on that.

Just curious
 

kitytize

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Originally Posted by ShellBell

My vet has told me if he is doing okay on IAMS Multicat just to keep him on that.
I agree with the vet on this one.
 
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shellbell

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Yeah. That makes sense. I think I am just over-thinking this one. I am at a point where I am trying to really get as proactive as possible with Atticus. I was lucky to not have any major issues with him until he was 2 1/2. If his WBC count is not lower at the end of this round I am gonna be crazy. Poor kitty, he is really trying to be tolerant, but he has had it. I have had to increase the bathing due to bowell incontinece and bacteria issues.

I will leave his food alone, but heard it is better to give them canned when they have UTI issues. So will probably increase that.
 

merlynn's mom

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This is just something else to consider....as if you haven't considered enough. I haven't looked into this yet, but I will since my kitty was diagnosed with cystitis and I need to get her on a food to help balance her pH as well.

Today as I was talking to my vet on the phone my coworker overheard and told me a story about her fish. She has a saltwater tank and was filling it with regular tap water plus supplements to purify the water balance the pH for the fish. Well, her fish kept getting sick and she could not figure out what was wrong. She was talking to a friend about this and he happens to work for a local utility company. He says that within the last 6 month there has been more bacteria in our tap water (Miami, FL) than normal. There is no explanation for this, it just happened. He said it wasn't harmful to us but perhaps she would benefit by purchasing bottled spring water from the grocery store and then add the supplements to balance the pH.

If this is bacterial in nature, you might want to try serving bottled water. It may sound silly, but it's worth a shot. I don't know where you are, but hey, it can't hurt. If I find anything online, I'll post it here.
 

sharky

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the best food is only as good as it works in YOUR cat ... if Iams works then stick with it... I would venture a guess your cat needs higher fiber and grain than most
 
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