new to this... cats not peeing much at all on raw diet

magdelyn

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Hi,

I just started my two cats, Delilah and Roo, on a mostly raw diet (store bought for now - getting the grinder out of the box tomorrow). I've been supplementing with some wet food to make it more appealing, since they're used to a little wet and the rest, Science Diet dry kibble (which they're totally off now).

They're taking to it pretty well. But besides being rather confused about how much to feed them, (getting a scale tomorrow and that should help) i'm a little worried that they aren't peeing but once a day. Roo had a normal-for-her big pee, and Delilah had what i think is normal for her - a medium sized one each day. And they finally pooped on day 4. I read that on wet food, they should pee more, but this is the opposite.

Anyone have this experience? I'd be very worried if they weren't spunky and happy, but they are. (Delilah, noticeably more so immediately after starting this diet.)

Glad to find this forum. It's a bit daunting. Worrying I might harm them in my efforts to help.

Thanks,

Magdelyn
 

fhicat

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Are they drinking water from their bowl? My cat does 2-3 clumps a day, although some days I find only one clump. Poops every other day. He likes his food to be mushy, so lots of water in there. 
 
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magdelyn

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Thank you so much for replying. I was waiting to go to bed to see if Roo would pee, or if someone would write, so thanks.

No, they're not interested in their water fountain, pretty much ever since I started the wet diet 4 days ago. I'm going to try mixing some water in to their food from now on. I'm glad to hear you sometimes only find one lump of pee in the box. That's in a 24 hour period? 
 

fhicat

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Well, the general idea is that they get all the water they need from a wet or raw diet, but it differs from cat to cat. Mine never drinks from his bowl because of how much water is in his raw, but on some days (not every day), he drinks from my cup of water. It didn't seem like he needed the water; he just drinks it because it's my cup. 

Some cats may supplement their food with water from the bowl, some may prefer their food to be wet and thus get all their water from there. Store bought raw *should* have enough water, and with a water fountain nearby, your cats should be getting enough water for their body, as long as they are eating normally.  Not drinking from the fountain after switching to raw is not uncommon either -- my cat ignored his water bowl since forever; right now it's just a decoration next to his food bowl.

4 days to poop is not normal though. I'd be worried about that. When was their last vet visit? Before raw, how often did they pee?

24 hour period, yep -- I scoop once a day. Not much to scoop otherwise. It's not common though. I'd say maybe once a week I find one clump. 
 
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magdelyn

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They were going regularly on the other diet. It's the transition to raw/wet that's had them not going like they used to. I was a little off with the 4 days. More like 72 hours. Since Delilah's pooped daily since then, and Roo did yesterday, I'm thinking if she goes today or tomorrow, I can relax.

I keep thinking Roo should be peeing more, though. So I'm relieved to hear that it's not unusual to go 24 hours before peeing again. It's been a little more than that now. She's feeling good, though, I can tell. And when she has gone, the clumps have been quite large. So maybe there's nothing to worry about here. 

I so appreciate your feedback!
 
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magdelyn

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Just reread your post and saw it's not usual to find just one clump. But that it happens at all even after the transition period, gives me hope that we just need to get over this hump and then it won't be the norm. 
 
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magdelyn

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Music to my ears. That pawing in the litter box. Roo just had a big pee. Yip-pee!
 

cmbelle22

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Hi

Just read your post and am so glad I found someone with the same issue.  I just started transitioning my cat to a raw diet as of a week ago.  Just 2 days ago she started only peeing once a day when she usually goes twice a day.  I add water to every meal she eats so I know she's getting enough water.  She seems totally fine otherwise. However she has had crystals in her urine before and I am worried that if she is holding her pee for too long that she will get crystals again.    Is peeing once a day on raw normal or is this just a transitional phase?   thanks!
 
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magdelyn

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Hi,

I know, it's stressful. I've been giving my cats wet food along with raw, until I can get a meat grinder and do the raw myself. For now, it's commercial raw and wet, and i have a cat who almost always pees just once a day, but it's a giant clump. 

While I think it's fine, I can't tell you for sure it's okay. I'd read that cats on wet food pee more. that bothered me, because they're not going as many times a day. I figure though, that the quantity in the giant clump is probably as much or more as she used to go. I too, add water.

I don't know if you've seen Dr. Pierson's site. If you wanted to pay for a consultation with her you could, but she doesn't address that issue on her site. Otherwise, it's extremely thorough and, I feel, really great. She has a raw recipe and tons of info. A consultation with her requires sending medical records. 

If you get a definitive answer from a trustable source, I hope you'll post it to this thread. 

Thanks, and hope there's something helpful in this.
 

ritz

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Ritz pees about once a day, sometimes twice a day. I've been feeding prey model raw (frakenprey) for almost three years. She was fixated on Fancy Feast Classic seafood before I transitioned her (a little too abruptly as it turned out). She is prone to stress induced UTIs, and continues to have minor problems.
Now, if she doesn't pee in 36 to 48 hours, then I get worries. That's happened twice in the past two months--she peed and pooped just not in the litter box..... I identified the problem/solution both times: in her "old age" (five years approx.) she is more picky about the cleanliness and smells of her litter box which is in an unused shower stall.
 
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magdelyn

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Just wondering what made it "too abrupt" a tranistion. Was there any connection to stress-induced UTIs and the transition?
 

ritz

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I did not use any of the transition techniques recommended. I jumped from Fancy feast classic to Primal. She ate it without hesitation. Switched back and for among commercial brands. Around this time other things were happening, including house related repairs. That combined with new food--and a cat who is by nature anxious, led I believe to urinary tract infection. The raw did cause the uti, I did. At least that's my opinion.
 

cmbelle22

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Hi

Thanks for the response.  I am familiar with Dr. Pierson's site.  It's a wealth of information and I have read everything throughly.  I think we are all back to normal here.  While I am still figuring out the transition to raw, my kitty seems to be back to a normal elimination schedule.  Over the weekend I bought Dr. Elsey's Cat Attract litter and mixed a little in with her normal World's Best.  She really likes it since she was pawing it out of the box just to get a smell of it.  The only thing I don't like about it is that it is clay based and not flushable.  So because of this I only put a sprinkle in her little box and it seemed to work.  If your kitty is still only peeing once a day maybe give this litter a shot?  There is some kind of natural herb in it that they seem to go crazy for.  Maybe similar to cat nip?  I hope this helps and if anything changes with us here I will post it   :) Thanks again.
 
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