Adopted Friend's Cat With History of Struvite Blockages

Try the Weruva grain free canned food, but not the fish,since male cats can develop problems with too much fish. If he isn't allergic to beef or chicken, try the paw lickin chicken and the steak frites, it has a lot of moisture and I am sure he will just gobble this up !!!! Good Luck !!!

Oh hun, rule of thumb, as long as the clumps of urine are DIME size or bigger , that's good. U can also get a water fountain made for cats that they love!!! My cats just love them and are drinking more!!! U can also add some water to your cat's wet food for extra liquid.

Thanks for the replies. I was just reading about crystals on catinfo.org and what she had to say about l-methionine, commercial RX foods, and upped moisture intake in any form. This seems like a very vague disease. I will have to get some PH test strips - would Petsmart have them?

My resident boys eat a mix of canned and raw mashed together. Something we did at the beginning to convert them, then never got past that stage. There isn't that much canned in the mixed mash, but they seem to like it for the gravy.

I am trying out giving new boy Koder the same canned flavors that my boys eat with the raw off to the side. He ate both (raw and canned) tonight, but I am resigned that if I have to, I will go through all the stages with him to convert him over. It tooks months with my other two.

A quick search on Petco revealed pH strips only for aquariums.
I believe you can get them at any grocery store/pharmacy. Diabetics use them.
You can also get them from Amazon.

The new guy has taken to raw pretty well, so everyone is eating the same thing - more or less. He is definately a kibble addict, first and foremost. I had mentioned to my cousin about adopting a cat with a history of crystals and she told me that she has had two - one who died from it before she could get him catheterized. She also told me both of her struvite boys were primarily kibble eaters, so it seems to fit the stereotype. I keep substituting canned or raw for kibble at every opportunity in hopes that I can eventually break him - I am also trying to get him to drop another two pounds or more - so double incentive.

I did find PH test strips at a fancy pet store - but haven't set my mind to following him around to use them. He is making nice sized clumps in the litter box - that I have checked.

Otherwise, he gets locked up behind the screen door I built for the basement so that he is separated from my other two at mealtimes. That way I can see who is eating what. I only release him after everyone has finished their food, otherwise I am afraid of bowl swapping.

Unrelated to cat nutrition, he was taking quite a few liberties with my resident boys - like claiming their favorite chair or eating out of their bowls, even giving them a swat in the face when they tried to eat out of the same bowl. I was feeling real bad that he had driven my two boys into their shells, but then suddenly last night - the two brothers ganged up on him and escorted him back to the basement. Ever since they reprimanded him for his bullish behavior, he has stayed on his little cat bed on the basement landing - good as gold with his little paws folded. It is a remarkable turn-around which I am happy to see. He is the new boy, after all and feel like he was taking advantage of the situation.

Hi !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Try mixing the raw into the canned food, never feed just raw in the begining, gradually mix for a few days or so or U can continue to feed raw mixed with a good quality canned food like Hounds and Gatos or Tiki cat chicken, no fish products please. Also if u don't already have one, get a water fountain !!! Drinkwell co, makes good ones for great prices . Cats love them !!!!!!!!! I put ice cubes in it and they play and lick all day !!!!!!!!!!!!

Thanks, gladys for the reply. I am pretty well familiar with mixing increasing amounts of raw into canned flavors in the beginning to transition newbies into the taste of raw. My resident boys took months to transition and still eat a mix of some canned with their raw - so for the new guy I thought to try offering the canned on one side of his dish with a small starting portion of raw off on the side. He ate both - a promising sign. He has also eaten a couple flavors of the raw bites as afternoon snacks without any prodding. Also, if no kibble is forthcoming - he has eaten Primal freeze-dried raw cakes.

From what I was reading on catinfo.org (same from my vet), the general rule is favor wet food, downplay kibble and keep fresh water always available. He does like canned food OK, so that is a blessing.

Glad to hear the new guy (Koder is his name?) is eating the raw! That is a great sign. 

Koder is like a crack addict for kibble. He's keeps coming around for it, but I offer him raw or canned instead. He gives a disappointed look, then eats what is presented. I can see there is a lot of control in conversion if they are starved. He has lost about 4 pounds so far and looking so much better

My regular boys, Kyle and Keegee have gotten used to just eating two main (raw) meals a day and leaving the tiny amounts of kibble I give them sit around all day "just in case". Of course Koder is scooping up any uneaten kibble, but it isn't that much. It is a big change for him to get used to the two meals a day routine, rather than eating all day long. Due to his former weight of 17#, I think he had bowls of food constantly available.

Great news! 

I have made the transition to feeding all three the same food in approx. the same quantities. That is a big relief.

Koder would still like to be eating more than the others - I string him along with a Tsp. of kibble a few times a day when there isn't anything else available. I guess the whole crystal thing is something you can't be sure how you're doing until some time later. He is making nice clumps in the litterbox, so if that is an indication as catinfo.org suggests - then I guess we're doing alright. Note that he still doesn't like his RX foods, so we are winging it with non-RX raw/canned and the small amounts of kibble I am giving him. It can't be more than 1/4 cup per day.

There are still some residual "personnel" issues with grappling for pecking order. I can't think of much more to do with that except to keep up a steady predictable routine and go slow. Koder still gets periods of time-out behind the screen door to the basement at my bedtime. At least he goes behind the door at the same time every night and seems to have adjusted to it.

As I said at the beginning, I have had six male cats who have all lived long and healthy lives crystal-free, so the whole crystal thing eludes me. It rather surprises me that the NJ-SPCA who was caring for him initially was so intent on forcing him to eat the RX foods at the expense of all else. I believe they would have let him starve to death rather than trying to modify his diet around non-RX foods. After reading the information on catinfo.org (there was a lot there), it didn't seem so frightening that I would make a mistake. We'll see I guess.

I have one kitty who got blocked up but now eats Royal Canin urinary So canned food and a little of the kibble by the same company. I now give everybody the Royal canin Urinary So kibble and it keeps everybody crystal free, even though it was prescribed for the one cat that blocked up. but they all love it and it keeps them from forming stones or crystals. Maybe ask your vet to prescribe this food so You can feed it to him or your other kittys in addition to what U are already feeding. It is a little pricey but it costs the same as any other good quality grain free kibble, but I have peace of mind that they won't block up.

This may be of some help:  http://www.thecatsite.com/t/255176/spookys-crystals-cystitis-back-at-the-vet. 

gladys, it is the Royal Canin S/O canned that I was given for him that he won't eat. From what I have learned thus far, it is not OK for them to all eat the S/O foods.

peaches08, it is always an interesting post from LDG and all that she does for her crew. I certainly hope that new boy Koder doesn't require all that coddling, testing, and vet visits. I am surely not up to it.

If anyone out there has experience with struvite crystals (I do not), what would a typical blocked-up episode look like? It is my understanding that should a cat become blocked, it is not something that can handled by your one-man country vet - but instead he should be taken to an animal hospital ER to handle. Just reading over Koder's previous vet's notes, he was in an ICU for several days after being catheterized and flushed out several months ago. I should think one episode would cost around $2000??

So, I may be back to a ticking time bomb theory again. He doesn't like the RX foods that he came with. I am probably uncomfortable adding acidifiers to non-RX foods for him to eat. All three routinely eat out of each other's bowls. I don't think I could enforce him eating RX-only foods unless I kept him permanently segregated from my other two.

Hi Dan,

I think what you may be forgetting about is your deceased friend's cat is GRIEVING....   He is eating little and sleeping lots out of grief and probably a little depression.  You also have to remember that cats do not transition well to sudden changes, and this poor being has been through 3 such changes now - losing his friend; being placed in a shelter , and now (through your kindness), has to get accustomed to a new environment with other cats he's not used to, (was he the only cat in his household?  Sounds like it)  That is an AWFUL LOT of adjusting for one older cat.

May I suggest you put him in a room by himself for part of the day.  He may just need to retreat from the bustle of your home.  Let him sleep when he needs to.  It will take at least a month, or longer, for him to acclimate to your household.  Please don't give up on him yet.  Talk to him, and mention your friend's name a lot; tell him what has happened - that his Mom/Dad has died, and did not abandon him.  I know this sounds crazy, but it has worked so many times.  We assume animals will not understand us when we let them in on what's going on, but it seems to really help them calm down and adjust when we are truthful with them.  He is grieving his master and former life, and needs to know what is going on. 

Also, he is well aware of your (understandable) tentative position with him, and he is probably shutting down emotionally from the stress of all of these changes,etc.  He will eat more as he gets more acclimated.

May I also suggest that you try adding water or cat gravy to his dry food - just a little bit of food- to see if he eats better....  This way he will get more moisture.  He is probably actually dehydrated, thus the little amount of pee, so getting as much fluid in him would probably be the best thing for him.  The dry hair is also partly from all of the stress.  Cats hair will get dry and flaky when stressed out. 

I hope some of this helps.  It is a good thing you are doing.  Stop stressing yourself out over this.  It will take a while.  He will, in time, accept his new surroundings, and be gin eating.  Right now, just let him eat what he wants.  Once he has adjusted, then you can begin trying to transitioning him to other foods.

Good Luck!  We are all pulling for success for you and kitty in this venture!

Well, in response to the urinary so diet,per my cats only vet, she said that it is okay for all of them to eat the dry kibble, in addition to the raw and grain free canned cat It should not be the others sole diet though. .Luckily my kitty that was blocked up loves his food and will wait for it. I don't really care for the ingedients though, but if it is keeping him unblocked and healthy, that's all that matters. The other cats get it as a snack and I would rather feed them this dry than feed another dry, and thats how my blocked up kitty got crystals. by eating a high quality grain free drty kibble only. and he still blocked up. Dry kibble as the sole diet is a no no and should only be fed as a snack only. in addition to high quality grain free canned food and freeze dried raw or frozen raw. My cats prefer the freeze dried raw over the frozen raw though.

Dan32 said:

gladys, it is the Royal Canin S/O canned that I was given for him that he won't eat. From what I have learned thus far, it is not OK for them to all eat the S/O foods.

peaches08, it is always an interesting post from LDG and all that she does for her crew. I certainly hope that new boy Koder doesn't require all that coddling, testing, and vet visits. I am surely not up to it.

If anyone out there has experience with struvite crystals (I do not), what would a typical blocked-up episode look like? It is my understanding that should a cat become blocked, it is not something that can handled by your one-man country vet - but instead he should be taken to an animal hospital ER to handle. Just reading over Koder's previous vet's notes, he was in an ICU for several days after being catheterized and flushed out several months ago. I should think one episode would cost around $2000??

So, I may be back to a ticking time bomb theory again. He doesn't like the RX foods that he came with. I am probably uncomfortable adding acidifiers to non-RX foods for him to eat. All three routinely eat out of each other's bowls. I don't think I could enforce him eating RX-only foods unless I kept him permanently segregated from my other two.

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I know @Ritz has used the pH strips too, so she may also be one to ask about suggestions for making urine testing easier.  That's a great advantage here, we learn tips from everyone along the way to make things work in our own households.  I pointed out LDG's thread only to show that the raw alone may help, but some minor tweaking could be the difference between a healthy cat or a big vet bill or his life.  In any case, he may have more options than S/O all by itself, although I know no one was urging you in that direction.  But I have read of cats having to be on strictly S/O and it's a good thing that it exists for those kitties.  I don;t think at this point that S/O is your only option.

As far as eating goes, my original 3 young kitties eat their raw in only about 5 minutes.  New older boy?  He's a slow eater (at least 15 min).  And since he needs weight, he eats alone.  My cats are used to me putting down bowls in order, and Freckles (rescue) is the last to get a bowl.  I walk him onto the sun room and shut the door for a while.  I feed them when I wake up, then take a shower and get ready for work, then by the time I open the door that separates them, Freckles is finished.  Mine only eat twice a day, sometimes a snack like today of tuna or sardines or etc.  Since Koder needs to lose weight and your others don't, and since he is used to a time out every night, maybe you could do temporary time outs just for feeding?  If your other kitties don't need snacks, does Koder?  Or are you trying to make sure that even though he needs to lose weight, he needs cals to prevent hepatic lipidosis?  If so, can you still feed them separately for a while, even if it means more than 2-3 mealtimes? 

Signs/symptoms of a blockage...I'm sure it's something you'd pick up on.  Urgency to urinate but nothing or very little comes out.  Crying, inappropriate urination...I'm sure the symptoms can be somewhat individual too. 

Actually I don't use the pH strips, never have (no way would Ritz stand still, she is a nervous cat at best). I only know they are needed if you want to get an accurate reading of the acidity of your cat's urine. And, I believe required if you want to add something like l-methonine to his food. L-methonine is the additive used in a lot of Rx foods for urinary health. As is sodium, the theory being sodium/salt will make a cat thirsty so he will drink more water.
The only symptom Ritz has when developing a UTI is she doesn't want to eat. This is a cat who lives to eat, more so than many cats. No appetite = vet visit.
Her litter box is in an (unused) shower stall, so I also monitor the size of the clumps. When we were living in our old place, the litter box was in the small kitchen and I could better monitor the amount of urine. She did what I call the "litter box dance": go in the box, squat, nothing comes out, exit the box; go in the box, squat, repeat several times. Originally the vet and I thought she was constipated (she had had some blood in the stool). While that may have been the case, when she kept on doing the litter box dance, she had a urine culture done and that's when she was diagnosed with her first UTI.
I later transitioned her to raw for, frankly, reasons unrelated to UTI. But so glad I did for many reasons.

My bad, I confused @Ritz for someone else who uses the pH strips.  In any case, I'm glad she shared her cat's signs/symptoms to better help other recognize things about their own cats.

BeeoftheWoods, Koder was very frightened and depressed in his first weeks here, but has adapted to our routine pretty well I think. I am no longer afraid for him pineing for his former owner. He is closed off from my other two twice daily - basically when I am sleeping. This is because they all eat when I get up and he is already segregated when I put the bowls down. That way, I can see how much everyone is eating. His appetite has totally recovered.

peaches08, I got the impression from LDG's post that she was having trouble with stress or bacterially caused crystals, even with the raw diet being fed. I have to say that Koder has taken to the raw food quite well and cleaning his plate. He seems to love it, but is the raw/canned intake enough to solve his crystal problems? :LDG seemed concerned for minute differences in PH with her cat Spook.

I think transitioning to a two-square-meals-a-day routine is new for him and so, he seems to be looking for food during the day inbetween meals. I have been giving him tiny amounts to tide him over. Actually, my other two boys get little snacks in the afternoon also if they come around for it. We are probably well past the hepatic lipidosis phase.

I did get the PH strips, but haven't caught him in the act since he uses his own litter box in the basement. But there's a positive to that in that I can see what he is producing. His urine clumps are big - the size of plums or lemons. From what I was reading, that is a good sign in lieu of regular PH testing.

From what I could piece together from his prior vet records, he has had two bouts of crystals three years apart - the last of which was only this past April. I am presuming that he was given the RX foods after the second occurance, as if he had been eating the RX foods since his first occurance - he probably wouldnt have had a second. I do have doubts that he was religiously eating his RX foods however - I think he was probably stealing from his other two room-mates who were not on RX foods. There were three cats in my former friend's house also - at times as many as seven cats - plenty of bowls to steal from.

Also, from the vet notes - he was straining and crying out at the litterbox prior to being catheterized. My vet also showed me where to feel for a blocked bladder. On the positive side, he has taken to eating the raw food just perfect, is eating well and peeing well. Maybe I shouldn't worry...