Cat food (dry and/or wet) to meet needs for both Struvite Crystals and Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS

Hello,

I have been reading through a number of threads on this forum in hopes of getting more of an understanding of diet changes with crystals.  I have a rather unique situation.  I have 2 cats; 1 is 9 years old and the other is 4.  My 9 year old was diagnosed with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) a year ago.  We were initially given a prescription (Royal Canaan) diet by the vet.  I went to the pet store and asked for a leas expensive substitute (due to the expense), and we have been using a combination of Natural Balance's duck and green pea dry and wet food every since.  For the most part, my cat's tummy problems have resolved.  But about 3-4 weeks ago, my 4 year old came down with a UTI.  We did all the antibiotics and meds and everything seemed fine, until this week when it reoccurred.  My vet suggested I look for the special food they make for urinary tract health since it's likely he has crystals and these foods are designed to help.  He did not offer any of the prescription foods; he just said to check with our local pet store.  The pet store only had the 2 different Purina products (in both dry and wet foods), and the ingredients in these could not be further from what I currently have the cats on to address the IBS.  I would really like to keep my cats on the same food, as they are used to being able to graze all day.  I am wondering if anyone has any suggestions for any foods out there that could I could use to meet both cats' needs.  Right now, I am giving them dry Natural Balance with the wet Purina, which so far (x2 days) doesn't seem to be impacting the cat with IBS at all, but I'm worried the cat with crystals isn't getting enough of the food he needs to keep his urinary tract clear (I have had cats my entire life and never had a cat with crystals, so I really don't know what I'm dealing with here).  Any suggestions anyone has would be so appreciated!!!  Thanks in advance!

I don't understand your vet's comment that your cat "likely has crystal." An urinalysis should be able to tell you if he in fact has crystals or not. Antibiotics are used if there is a bacterial infection which again an urinalysis will be able to identify. What other meds were given?

If an urinalysis was not done, then the treatment was not likely to be effective, which is why it most likely reocurred.

If in fact the urinalysis showed struvite crystals and a high urine pH, there are things you can do other than feed urinary formulas, most of which are filled with species-inappropriate ingredients. You can feed the wet meaty diet of your choice and supplement with methionine if necessay. Methionine is the urine acidifier active ingredient in the urinary formulas. If you decide to go this route and end up supplementing with methionine, you will need to test his urine at home to ensure it doesn't get too acidic, which can cause other problems.

If you have not already read www.catinfo.org, especially the urinary tract disease section, I would take a look. Written by a vet, it explains why cats need wet food.

Thank you for your response.  I just looked at my receipt from the vet and I don't know if they did a urinalysis.  They kept him at the vet under observation all day, and I thought they were going to do some tests, but all my receipt says is exam, and I realize now that they have never given me a definitive diagnosis.  He just said that it was probably crystals and reexplained what they are.  I thought I had asked the right questions on this second trip to the vet, but I'm learning as I go here that I just don't know enough about this to know what to ask.  I will call tomorrow to see if they actually did a urinalysis.  I did ask if the vet thought that something as simple as changing the food would resolve this and he said yes.  Currently, the cat is on Clavamox, Diazepam, and Dexamethasone.  I have read up on cats needing wet foods, and my cats have been receiving it consistently.  They each get about a 1/4 of a can a day mixed in with the dry food.  Maybe that isn't enough?

Wow, that's a lot of strong meds. Was he put on these the first time as well? Was an urinalysis run the first time?

Honestly, it sounds like your vet is throwing a lot of meds at a problem without knowing the cause.