What kind of food to keep my cat from having stones again?

sersee

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Ok so I posted in the other forum about my cat needing surgery for his bladder stone. Everyone was so nice , helpful and I got great advice..!!

He has his surgery tomorrow and I have been told I need to switch him to a food that will help keep his urine levels neutral. The vet suggested Royal Canin(some type for urine balance)...When I was food hunting awhile back, I found Royal Canin not to have the best ingredients?  So I am not sure how this will help my cat?

Right now he is on Chicken Soup for the Cat Lover's soul. I researched a lot and found this to be my best option in kibble.  My sister who is pretty knowledgeable about cats...was using this food too and her cat ended up with a UTI. So it might not be great for urine health.

I am completely clueless what to change him too. I have two other cats that will end up getting switched too . Also before , they had you gradually add food in a switch over..Is this still the case? 

Do you have any recommendations for a good food that will also keep their  urine neutral?  I will be supplementing with some wet food(not sure what kind?)

thanks so much guys!!
 

mrsgreenjeens

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I responded on your other thread, but will respond here too, mainly to bump this up so it might get more attention.  The prescription food made for this purpose may be your best bet, even though the ingredients don't seem very good.  And, yes, I think if you are feeding the dry food, you do need to gradually switch it over, but it should tell you right on the bag.
 
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sersee

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Is the Royal Canin a prescription food?  I was really researching today...and it's so confusing. But I did look up the royal canin ingredients and just don't understand how that could be better. When all the food business went down..I was feeding my cats one of the foods that got recalled and doesn't have a good rep basically because I didn't know any better. I swear that food killed my cat. He was perfectly healthy and then out of the blue had renal failure..

So back then I really researched foods. ..but also it has to be within my budget. Chicken soup became my best option and I have heard great things about it. In fact in researching today I found quite a few posts about how some thing chicken soup helped their cat. They swear by the cranberry that is in it.

Now, I am not saying this is the best option. But when I look at the ingredients of the food the vet suggested. I just don't understand. I have two other cats that would have to be switched too . 

I was thinking of supplementing canned food with the dry food. I can't switch them completely since one of my cats is quite old and won't take to change very well. But I have given it to them in the past and they do like it..Chicken soup has a wet food that I thought about using.

But honestly...it's driving me crazy. I just don't know what to do. My cat did get a stone while on chicken soup..but was it really due to the food not being great for his urine health or was it because he wasn't drinking enough water (which cats tend to do).????

My mom has an extra water fountain that I am hoping will help him drink more since when the toilet flushes he comes running and is always sticking his paw in the water bowl.

I think if I keep researching , I will go crazy!! ha..

and thanks for bumping my thread!!! It is much appreciated!
 

mrsgreenjeens

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All I can tell you is that there are several companies who make prescription food, and Royal Canin is one of them.  Also Hills, Purina, Iams...not sure who else.  I thought you said your Vet prescribed Royal Canin?  Did he simply recomment one of Royal Canin over the counter cat foods?  I'm sorry I don't really know much about this issue
in order to help you out.  (ask me about CRF and I might be able to help
)  Hopefully some others who have cats prone to stones will see this thread and help you out
 
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sersee

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No, it was the prescription Royal Canin....I just didn't realize it was a prescription food.
 

mrsgreenjeens

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OK, I'd start with that while investigating.  And since you're not really getting any "hits" on this thread, maybe re-post using a different title?  I'm not sure why you aren't getting any replies, unless no one has any suggestions, but that seems unlikely
 

mschauer

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Sersee, has your vet told you what type of stones it was, oxalate or struvite?

In either case the prescription diet your vet recommends, whether it is wet or dry, is formulated to prevent future recurrences of whatever type of stone it was. Oxalate stones form when urine is too acidic. Struvite crystals form when urine is too alkaline. So the rx foods are formulated to keep keep the cats urine in the ideal, slightly acidic, range of 6.0 - 6.5. Increasing your cats water intake can also help with preventing the formation of stones by making urine dilute enough to keep the mineral components from coalescing into stones or crystals. So some (all?) of the rx diets are also formulated to increase thirst.

So, if you choose to not feed the rx diet you need to make sure you find a non rx food  that meets the above criteria. When I was in your shoes, my Jeta is prone to struvite crystals, I knew that the only way to find a non rx food that would work would be to try a food and frequently test her urine pH to make sure it was in the 6.0-6.5 range. That is doable. But, I then realized that even if I did find such a food, the manufacturer could change the formula at any time and the change could mean that that food no longer would keep her urine pH in the proper range. 

Did your vet explain to you how dangerous these stones can be? If one were to form and get lodged in your cat's urethra and cause a blockage your cat could die if the blockage isn't cleared within approximately 48 hours. The problem is particularly serious with male cats because their urethra is smaller than that in females and so a smaller stone can cause a blockage.

Jeta is female but after seeing what she went through with the struvite crystals, it was obvious how painful it was for her to pee, I was not willing to take the chance with a food that may work today but not later. I came to the conclusion that for her the only options I was comfortable with were either the rx diets or raw. The experience of many is that raw diets with no fruits or veggies are as effective at keeping urine pH at the proper range as are the rx diets.

Also, keep in mind that, on average, recurrences of this kind of problem happens after 18 months. So regardless of what you decide to feed your cat don't assume that everything is fine just because he doesn't show any symptoms in the short term.
 
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sersee

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I won't find out the type of stone for 7-10 days . As of now I am feeding the Rx food.  My cat is eating it . They gave me cans so I can use the food to help him take his pills. This is what I did before with Chicken soup cans. But, the vet told me only to use the royal canin rx. He does not like the wet food at all. 

So basically I need to forego the better ingredients to keep his urine healthy. It's frustrating because if you look at the ingredients of this food...it's everything they say isn't good for cats. But I also understand that not feeding him the food to keep his urine neutral could kill him eventually.  

My concern is my other cat. I switched the food and now he is throwing up. ??
 

mschauer

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My concern is my other cat. I switched the food and now he is throwing up. ??

Is it the dry food that is making him throw up? If so, if you didn't do a slow transition from his old food that could be why he is throwing up. Try mixing a small amount of the new food with the old, gradually increasing the amount of new food over about a week or two.

You can also ask your vet for a different brand of the rx food that he might tolerate better.

Or, you can feed him the old food but feed him apart from the cat that needs the rx food and make sure the cat that needs the rx food can't get at the non rx food.

Edit: For giving the pills, can you use just a small amount of the non rx wet food, like just a tablespoon or so? Ask you vet if that would be OK.
 
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mschauer

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So basically I need to forego the better ingredients to keep his urine healthy. It's frustrating because if you look at the ingredients of this food...it's everything they say isn't good for cats. But I also understand that not feeding him the food to keep his urine neutral could kill him eventually.  
That is the #1 reason I choose a raw diet. BTW, the target is for acidic urine, not neutral.
 
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sersee

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The vet told me no to the canned food..has to be the royal canin right now.  You know, I asked my vet if I needed to slowly introduce the new food and they told me I didn't  because it was made to be sensitive. Plus it seems that they wanted the switch immediately...
 
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