Blockage

I took one of our cats (Max almost 3 years old) to the vet yesterday because he couldn't pee. It turned out he had a blockage (bladder infection and loaded with crystals) and they had to flush it out twice (once yesterday and once today.

He seems to be doing better and staying at the vets and hopefully can come home on Monday if he can pee. They are putting him on a special diet (royal canin cat food).

I don't like science/prescription/royal canin food but if he has to I will feed him that special food.

We have 5 cats (all males). I feed them natural balance dry food in the mornings and natural balance wet food at night. They are all indoor cats.

What are the chances my other cats will get this?

Should I feed them all this speical diet food? It's really expensive.

How can I get my cats to drink more water? Any ideas on what causes crystals in cats? Out vet said some cats can't metabolize as well as others.

Any suggestions?

Thank you,

Bernice

I now have 3 kitties with bladder issues.  I have kept it at bay in 2 of them with diet change (canned food only, now switching to raw).  Increased moisture in the diet helps prevent crystals from forming as it helps flush out the bladder giving the crystals no time to form.  I have one kitty who has issues but she absolutely will not eat canned food, so I am still trying to find the right diet.  I have read studies where carbohydrates (which the prescription diets are loaded with) can cause crystal formation.  So IMO a low carb, high protein diet is best for crystal kitties.  As far as I know (working in the vet field for 20+ years), crystals are not contagious.  This website was a lifesaver for me when my kitties were diagnosed.   It is written by a vet and has a lot of great (and accurate) information on it.  http://catinfo.org/?link=urinarytracthealth Diet and urinary pH can cause the crystals to form.  Did they tell you what type of crystals your kitty had?  Struvite?  Oxolate?  Here is another good source of information:  Path with Paws Urinary Diet   & another good source:  http://healthypets.mercola.com/sites/healthypets/archive/2013/09/09/struvite-stones.aspx  As you can see there is a pattern, feed your cat as the carnivore it is and you will have less problems.  Even if you just switch to a grain free canned, it is better than dry any day. 

I've tried feeding my cat with urinary blockages high quality wet food, but he still got crystals so now I have him on all prescription wet food.

Some kitties can come off the prescription food and others can't.  The Hill's food has an amino acid in it that acidifies the urine.