UTI food, for life?

Do you think a cat who had one UTI should be on a UTI friendly food, for life?

I've had Ophelia on a variety of UTI safe foods since she had a UTI over a year ago(she was spraying).

I am just weighing, reading, & thinking....not 100% sure what I want to do here. I've got two 15 lb bags of Fromms Duck a la Veg....she's bored with the MAX cat(every flavor). I'd like to use up the Fromms & get some Cal Nat for Damita.

I've got to get farm cat food(final switch over to all premium foods, no more Purina). I need more food for Ophelia. And I need kitten food for PJ & Punky. Not to mention wet food for all. So, I've got to make the hour one way trip to buy food. I just need to decide what as selection is limited....they're real big on Science Diet in the small pet store & the other one is a Petco.

I know what sharky is gonna say here , but what do others think?

I honestly can't remember if she had crystals or not. And I cannot find out from the vet clinic, I am very mad about that.

I hate to switch her to a non-UTI safe food & cause her to have a UTI....but she's so thin & is quite obviously not eating right now(vet checked recenlty).

I know she has had trouble .... what I suggest is finding a food with lower % that is fairly uti friendly ... chicken soup falls into this, I think diamond does...

try the duck the % arent right but it helped the "lost cause" and maybe shell handle it ...

My cats had troubles when they were younger with crystals (struvite). Then Raven developed Interstitial Cystitis. We've used Rx foods, and we've used over the counter foods. Mostly I just try to stick to a food with a good target pH, and read reviews on the sites if possible. With wet food I don't worry about it too much, but with dry I try to keep it in a 6.1-6.7 range. Most foods seem to be formulated for 6.1-6.5.

I have a list I keep with target urine pH's. Just let me know if you want me to PM you with it. I've used it to pick dry foods over the years. (lately my cats have been pretty picky about their dry, so I've used it more) I have also kept it updated. This year a couple companies changed their formulas and I emailed them to update my list.

I am having the same problem with my female. I hope she won't get bored of the Nutro. (fingers crossed)

I just wanted to chime in about the vet. It is your right to have those records. I'll see if I can find some legal jargon on the internet, but you paid for the vet visits and therefore have the right to his records. You should be given a copy of his history by that vet's office whenever you request it. They may require you to pay for a copy, but that should be minimal.

And even if you call, they won't tell you if they were struvite or oxalate crystals? What a bunch of jerks!

I started asking for a copy every time I went to the vet, but I usually forget.

Good luck!!

The file is completely gone....I know what happened & I know it's gone. There was an issue with the "office manager" & not keeping records/files.

was Ophelias as high as Damita???

Originally Posted by sharky

was Ophelias as high as Damita???

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No. I think her pH only hit 7.0....Damita's was off the charts. I remember that much, her pH was not very high.

then just make sure to select foods under .09 % mag... I will see if I can work on this a bit

Fromms Duck is .10 mag, so that one is a no go. I will look around....I am afraid my choices are going to be limited at the pet stores....Innova EVO, Raw Instinct, Chicken Soup(not good for her), grocery stuff, SD, Exclusive, Pro Plan, Nutro/MAX, Eagle Pack, Solid Gold, Sensible Choice, Euk, Iams, Premium Edge?, Felidae(refuses to eat)....then whatever Petco carries. I will call the pet store to double check to get their exact list of cat foods so I can research before I go!

Originally Posted by white cat lover

Fromms Duck is .10 mag, so that one is a no go. I will look around....I am afraid my choices are going to be limited at the pet stores....Innova EVO, Raw Instinct, Chicken Soup(not good for her), grocery stuff, SD, Exclusive, Pro Plan, Nutro/MAX, Eagle Pack, Solid Gold, Sensible Choice, Euk, Iams, Premium Edge?, Felidae(refuses to eat)....then whatever Petco carries. I will call the pet store to double check to get their exact list of cat foods so I can research before I go!

Click to expand...

that is out of "my comfort" range but like Damita she may shock us... do you know the phos and ca for the DUCK??

http://www.frommfamily.com/products-fs-c-d-duck.php

phos .8
cal 1.0

Kinda weird Damita's do well on it! I aught to get her urine checked soon, though....now that I'm thinking of it!

Pet store recently started carrying Cal Nat as well!

only the mag is truly out of range ... give it a try ... unfornutely I suspect Ophelia wont tell you till she would need a dr ...

cal natural not a good idea