Crystals in Urine

We have a 10 year old male orange tabby who has had to go into the vet twice in the last few years for crystals in his urine. We had to take him in last night for a 3rd time and they immediatly put in a catheder and keep him for 2 days to monitor him and attach a saline bag to him to clear the urethra.  The vet had told us the 1st time to change the food which we did but then it happened a second time, the vet then put him on Medical, the vet food, which we buy from him and he has been eating that the last few years. The vet did say this time that it can be stress induced ( we just lost our other cat of 7 years who was this cat's best friend) and it can also be diet. He may just be pre-disposed to this. I've been reading online that some people suggest a totally wet food diet for an issue like this, especially because he seems to be predisposed to this. Does anyone have any thoughts on this or have they gone through this same thing multiple times?  Thank you!

The reason an all wet diet is considered best is to do with hydration. Cats on dry food will always be dehydrated because their thirst drive isn't strong enough to compensate - cats are designed to get about 80% of their fluid intake from their food. Hydration is so important with crystals because the more hydrated a cat is the more dilute their urine will be. This helps to flush everything out. When a cat is dehydrated their urine is more concentrated (and therefore more acidic). This increased acidity puts a cat at higher risk for crystals. An all wet (or, even better, all wet with added water) is the most important tool in preventing crystals recurring.

Having said that, my crystals cat eats predominantly wet with a little Royal Canin urinary s / o dry added in. He's never had a recurrence of the problem.

These links may help :-
http://www.catinfo.org
http://www.thecatsite.com/a/feline-lower-urinary-tract-disease-flutd
http://www.thecatsite.com/a/tips-to-increase-your-cat-s-water-intake

My cat had a recurring problem with crystals when he was younger. That was our primary motivation to get them onto a wet diet. He now eats wet food, with a little kibble at night. He also had to loose weight to help with the problem. He hasn't had an episode in years now.

Oh yes, many on here have your same experience. My cat blocked twice & has had 3 more recurrences, that fortunately haven't blocked. He ate the vet Rx dry food for years & continued to have issues. Now that he's switched over to the wet food he's been great. He also would have his flare ups after a vacation. Switching your cat to an all wet diet couldn't hurt anything, right?