People are saying wellness canned and blue buffalo cause crystals. Is it just these cats are prone to issues or what? Let's hear from those that fed ONLY wet (be honest) and their younger (not 10 or up) cat still had issues with crystals and utis.
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Ok I firmly believe dry food causes UT issues in some cats especially males now...
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Okay, I'll bite. Tim, a male cat, developed crystals at age 4.5 eating 99% wet food, primarily Wellness grain-free canned. He was also eating small, rotating amounts of Tiki Cat chicken, chicken and egg, and chicken and salmon. Plus small, rotating amounts of Weruva Cats in the Kitchen chicken, chicken and pumpkin, and lamb. He got tiny amounts of dry periodically as a treat, as opposed to junky cat treats.
Prior to his transition to 99% canned six months earlier, he'd never had any issues with crystals. Not saying Wellness caused it, but that is when it happened. I took him off all fish and switched to different brands and he's been fine since.
His single urinalysis with crystals may have also been a false positive. But as he developed a lot of other problems on Wellness that he never had on dry, I have no plans to feed him Wellness again. My money is on carrageenan and I believe his crystals were an inflammatory reaction.
Prior to his transition to 99% canned six months earlier, he'd never had any issues with crystals. Not saying Wellness caused it, but that is when it happened. I took him off all fish and switched to different brands and he's been fine since.
His single urinalysis with crystals may have also been a false positive. But as he developed a lot of other problems on Wellness that he never had on dry, I have no plans to feed him Wellness again. My money is on carrageenan and I believe his crystals were an inflammatory reaction.
I don't think it is a single thing that causes these issues in all kitties. I think that genetics plays a role. We have all either had or heard of kitties that have been fed very cheap kibble their whole life and lived to twenty then there are kitties that are fed the very best food, have very good consistent vet care and are plagued with a plethora of health issues.
Cystitis can also be caused by stress. Those types of issues often referred to as idiopathic are a result of a kitties temperament. Some kitties are very nervous and easily stressed, one of the big areas where physical symptoms of stress in a kitty shows up is in the bladder. Cystitis can actually get to the point that the spasms cause a kitty to block.
Cystitis can also be caused by stress. Those types of issues often referred to as idiopathic are a result of a kitties temperament. Some kitties are very nervous and easily stressed, one of the big areas where physical symptoms of stress in a kitty shows up is in the bladder. Cystitis can actually get to the point that the spasms cause a kitty to block.
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When you say prior to his transition he never had problems. When was the transition and what was he eating before the transition to all wet?
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I said he did not have any issues with crystals, not that he never had problems. Tim had digestive problems, including occasional vomiting, which sent us to the vet on a fairly regular basis for tests, including urinalyses. This is how I know he did not have issues with crystals prior to the transition. His digestive problems became worse and he developed asthma when he ate mostly Wellness canned. Too many things pointing to inflammation.
Prior to the transition, which was gradual during the summer of 2013, he ate Taste of the Wild Rocky Mountain Feline Formula plus a daily treat of approximately one ounce of Wellness grain-free canned. Prior to eating that food, we fed Blue Buffalo Wilderness in the chicken variety. As I mentioned above, he did have digestive problems on dry, but not as bad. The reason we transitioned is because he had two very serious constipation/obstipation episodes; the dry severely dehydrated him. I learned that dry is not an optimal diet for a cat, so we had to modify his diet. But imagine my horror when I realized in trying to help him, I created other problems: struvite crystals and asthma, plus worsening digestive issues, diagnosed in January 2014. I am still trying to undo the damage and Tim is so much better today, but we may have to settle for managing his digestive issues.
Prior to the transition, which was gradual during the summer of 2013, he ate Taste of the Wild Rocky Mountain Feline Formula plus a daily treat of approximately one ounce of Wellness grain-free canned. Prior to eating that food, we fed Blue Buffalo Wilderness in the chicken variety. As I mentioned above, he did have digestive problems on dry, but not as bad. The reason we transitioned is because he had two very serious constipation/obstipation episodes; the dry severely dehydrated him. I learned that dry is not an optimal diet for a cat, so we had to modify his diet. But imagine my horror when I realized in trying to help him, I created other problems: struvite crystals and asthma, plus worsening digestive issues, diagnosed in January 2014. I am still trying to undo the damage and Tim is so much better today, but we may have to settle for managing his digestive issues.
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Thanks for the candor abbyntim, what do you feed him now for his digestive issues? Does he take meds now or is diet controlling his issues? Do you feed wet and dry or just wet and do you avoid carageen? I would like to know for my two cats in the future.
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My Kitty started vomiting and getting very thin; she was diagnosed with hyperthyroidism and bladder stones. I had been feeding her Purina Indoor dry for about 7 yrs. I read Dr Pierson's site about dry vs wet which convinced me to switch to wet. I searched for a wet food that was higher in protein and lower in carbs, fat, magnesium and phosphorus. Also, it had to be carrageenan free which apparently can cause stomach upset. I chose Weruva Paw Lick'n Chicken which worked well for Kitty. It was also available in 10 oz cans which were a little less expensive. Conveniently delivered by Chewy's autoship program.
Kitty recently passed and my new adopted adult cat, Harold, eats only dry. I am planning to convert him to wet food one way or another because I don't want to take the chance that he'll develop gastrointestinal or urinary tract problems with age. He refuses to eat Paw Lick'n Chicken so I am in search of other options.
Kitty recently passed and my new adopted adult cat, Harold, eats only dry. I am planning to convert him to wet food one way or another because I don't want to take the chance that he'll develop gastrointestinal or urinary tract problems with age. He refuses to eat Paw Lick'n Chicken so I am in search of other options.
Tim is managing well without any medications, with diet and some supplements. I've written a lot about my ups and downs in trying to figure out an appropriate diet for him and also managing his issues while weaning him off cisapride. In case you're interested in somewhat long reads, probably the most details regarding Tim's food are found in these three threads.
- http://www.thecatsite.com/t/272867/...ion-urinary-crystals-food-sensitivites-asthma
- http://www.thecatsite.com/t/274139/cisapride-regular-vet-vs-holistic-vet
- http://www.thecatsite.com/t/283284/poops-during-the-transition-to-raw-what-to-expect
- morning meal: 50% canned Nature's Variety Instinct rabbit, 33% Primal Pronto frozen raw rabbit, 17% Stella and Chewy's frozen raw rabbit; 1 capsule Proviable DC probiotic
- evening meal: 100% Rad Cat raw turkey
- bedtime snack: Lotus Just Juicy canned turkey stew or pork stew; 1 dose of "hairball blend" - very small amounts of psyllium, marshmallow root, and slippery elm bark in similar proportions to Vets Best Hairball Remedy but without all the additives
- 0.3 ounce Nature's Variety Limited Ingredient Diet canned turkey
- freeze-dried turkey breast treats
- up to 1 T Orijen Regional Red dry food
- And whatever canned food he manages to steal from Abby. Tim is very food-motivated and quick and he pushes Abby away from her bowl and sometimes gets a couple of bites before I can push him away. Abby does not have Tim's sensitivities, though I've noticed too many gums constipate her, but because of Tim's issues, I feed Abby a pretty limited canned food diet. She also eats ZiwiPeak canned rabbit and lamb, Pure Vita turkey stew, and Nature's Variety Instinct Limited Ingredient Diet turkey.
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Try nutro natural chunky chicken or turkey loaf my girl who prefers pate likes it. No carageen
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My two 14 year old brother dogs eat weruva paw lickin chicken and I believe it helps keep them going.
