Urinary Health - ACV and wet food diet success

I made an account today to share my experiences over the last couple weeks in regards to apple cider vinegar with mother and switching my cats diet to wet food from dry.  I've read these forums on and off for a while now, and have appreciated and been touched by the stories everyone has told about their loved kitties. So I came here as well as a few other sites to find some information and experiences of others when my cat, Hobbes, seemed to be having some urinary troubles about 2 weeks ago. I'm not quite sure exactly how old Hobbes is as I found him outside my apartment building one night about 11 years ago. He is a very friendly cat, and I believe that someone moved and left him behind as opposed to him being a stray. I tried to find his previous owner with no luck, he did not have tags or a chip, so I kept him. He has never had any health issues and is a very good companion. Anyway, enough back story, on to the issue.

On Friday morning two weeks ago I noticed a small amount of pink-tinged urine in my bathtub. That same morning I began noticing he was making frequent trips to the litter box, which caused me great concern and prompted a frenzy of internet research. For various reasons I can't afford a huge vet bill right now so my focus was on alternative treatments. I found quite a number of posts, here and elsewhere, with some very good information in general, but specifically regarding apple cider vinegar with mother and switching to a wet food diet, so I decided to give it a try. He was a bit apprehensive about the wet food at first, I was trying different flavors to see what he would like. I began feeding him about 1/3-1/2 a can of wet food twice per day with a little under a capful of the ACV mixed in with it, while keeping the dry food available.

He began to take to the wet food quite readily after a couple of feeding sessions. Over the next couple of days he was still making frequent trips to the litter box, especially in the morning hours, and he was still urinating in the bathtub occasionally, and it was a bit darker in color. He didn't appear to be in any pain, as he was not crying out or meowing, and was otherwise acting like his normal self. By that Sunday afternoon the frequent litterbox trips were nearly back to normal, and his bathtub urination was a normal color and amount. (he will sometimes urinate in the bathtub normally, if I'm in there). Now that its 2 weeks later, he has really taken to the wet cat food, and almost eating exclusively that now. I am now feeding him about 1/2 a can twice per day, with a little ACV and some water mixed in. His litterbox use is back to normal as far as cleaning it out.

Anyway, sorry if this post is a bit long-winded, just wanted to ask for advice on how to proceed and any experiences any of you may have had. There are probably a few things I left out, but any responses or stories you all want to share, I would love to read them. I was really worried about him, and I am so relieved that he has adjusted to these changes. I will definitely never be feeding dry food to any cats I get in the future.

Here is Hobbes helping me move a couple years ago.


And Yin Yang, who i sadly had to say goodbye to about 6 months ago.

I just wanted to add, I am in no way recommending this treatment. If it weren't for a few thousand dollars of various home and car repairs over the past month my first trip would have been to the vet. I only wanted to share my experience, and I feel holistic and home remedies are being lost in this age of corporate control. Thats beside the point though, I proceeded cautiously and the remedy worked, I am merely curious to discuss this with others who may have had similar experiences, or can point out some further useful information.

Hi @benthemon, I'm frantically trying this apple cider vinegar thing. My Levi got blocked a week ago and I ended up with a vet bill of over $1000. Well he started recovering and was sent home after 3 days. Now I think he's blocking again because I don't think he's releasing any urine. Don't know what else to do at this point.

I'm sorry to hear your little buddy is having that problem, I'm no vet so i can't offer any official advice. I can only say that it took a few days for the ACV to work. I'm not sure about the other details with your cat, and I am no expert. Perhaps some others can helps you there. But it took a few days for my kitty to get back to normal, he had to adjust to eating fed wet food, which he loves now, and make sure its the apple cider vinegar with 'mother' if you are going to go that route. i'm only going by what i have read, but if you are going to try the apple cider vinegar make sure its the raw unfiltered, with the 'mother'. Its surprisingly more available than it sounds.

If he is fully blocked I wouldnt hesitate to take him to a vet or emergency. I really don't know what i'm talking about, I only posted the ACV story because it worked for me. I was within just a few hours of taking my cat to an emergency regardless of what it would cost if the ACV had not worked. I wouldnt wait more than a day, perhaps some others on these forums have a more informed answer. From the time i mixed some ACV with about half a can of wet food, i noticed a nearly immediate relief in Hobbes

If a cat is blocked no amount of vinegar will help -  this is a REAL medical emergency. His bladder will rupture if not treated and he could die. I have been through this with my first stud cat and I nearly lost him. Unless you have the blessing of your vet I would really hesitate changing the PH of the urine because it could cause a back lash effect. Spencers (my cat) started having problems after I started feeding him a specialty food thought to be best for Persians - it changed the PH of the urine. He developed struvite crystals. Not trying to lecture, just my opinion.

I'm glad you were able to give your kitty relief with a home remedy but I would like to point out what I see as problems with this approach to treat a urinary problem.

A cat behaving the way that your was, frequent trips to the litter box without peeing or peeing very little, peeing outside the litter box, are classic symptoms of a urinary problem as you surmised. You assumed, probably correctly, that the problem was crystals in his urine which caused pain when urinating. I assume the ACV, being acidic, raised the pH of his urine enough to dissolve the crystals and bring him relief.

But, what now? Crystals are known to recur unless some ongoing treatment is used. Usually either a diet change or using a dietary supplement. I would strongly urge against using the ACV on any kind of regular basis without having some idea of the proper amount to use. Over acidifying the urine will put him at high risk of oxalate crystals.

Another problem with using the ACV is that if the reason it worked is because it decreased the pH of the urine, what if the crystals were oxalate? In that case decreasing the urine pH would greatly exacerbate the problem. These days struvite crystals are more common than oxalate but oxalate crystals do still occur. 

I would strongly caution others against taking this approach. A urinary blockage is a very serious problem and in fact should be treated as a medical emergency that requires a visit to a vet ASAP. Experimenting with home remedies is very risky and is something you could end up sadly regretting attempting.

I agree. @JB68711  you must hurry,  if you think Levi cannot pass any urine, you must get him to a Vet and either have him unblocked or sadly, put down. Its cruel to leave him in that state. Please hurry, I do know it is now Sat some vets must be open. I am very afraid for him, he will either end up with a burst bladder or failed kidneys.  I also agree with @mschauer  .I have read that finding crystals in cat urine is common, but what I think really helped your cat was feeding the wet food and keeping the bladder flushed. I would suggest you don't add any more apple cider vinegar in his food. As when cats eat an appropiate diet, like canned or raw, which has much lower carbs than dry,and plenty of moisture it naturally adjusts the urine ph and makes it acidic by itself, its the carbs that make urine more akaline. I am leaving a link to Dr. Pierson's blog, which is where I get my info from and my cat food recipe. 

http://www.catinfo.org/

I certainly didn't mean for my post to act as advice, I only wanted to share my experience using this method for temporary relief. I think the most important part is that Hobbes successfully transitioned to wet food. I only used the vinegar for short term relief, and I am no longer mixing it in with his food. I am desperately trying to find a vet who will work with me on the cost, or perhaps some sort of payment plan so I can get Hobbes checked out as soon as possible.

Here is a list posted on one of the lists I belong to for those who need help with vet bills. I have no knowledge of these organizations, but thought it may help some who need it.

At this point Levi is eliminating some amount of urine. The biggest trouble is getting him away from the kibble. He will hardly eat anything else and I certainly can't starve him. I've tried the hills c/d formula and he wouldn't eat that. I can try another brand...
I can't afford to make another vet visit and I won't put him down at this point. I have high hopes as long as he is still excreting urine

@JB68711  Okay, I had read your post as that he could not pass ANY urine. I am glad he is passing some. That is good. I am wondering, are you willing to try feeding raw food? I've had a cat not eat canned but will eat raw food. He must be taken off kibble. It is true you cannot let him starve. Do you have any turkey baby food without onion or garlic powder which you could see if he would eat and if so mix into canned food? Will he eat plain boiled chicken? Possibly cooked eggs? I know, that them in theirselves are not a balanced diet but I do think if he were to consume more liquid it would help to keep the bladder flushed. I could not find your original post so I am commenting here.

It did just occur to me, he might have a secondary UTI.

Right after I last posted, my boyfriend texted me telling me he put some kibble in a bowl of water and Levi drank it all up, leaving much kibble behind. I am willing to try raw food... Where would I get that from

I just checked the litter box since I scooped it a couple of hours ago and Levi had a good pee! it's very relieving, no pun intended... But I will still keep a close eye on him. I bought a bag of Purina for urinary health, which he is eating just fine and his water intake has been good since he's been home (a week). I know I gotta get him off the dry stuff... I've just been wasting so much canned food trying to figure out which one he will eat.

Try some Fancy Feast canned food, specifically Fancy Feast Kitten Feast in Turkey Feast. As for the raw food, you can buy specially made, specially ground, ready to feed raw food at pet stores or you could make your own. I make my own for two reasons, one freshness, two price, as pre-made food is expensive. There is a forum here about raw feeding. I'll look up the link for you. Its great news to hear he is passing urine nicely. 

Here is the link. http://www.thecatsite.com/f/65/raw-home-cooked-cat-food

Thanks... But Did you mean to link me to a specific post? That linked me to a message board.

JB68711 said:

Thanks... But Did you mean to link me to a specific post? That linked me to a message board.

Click to expand...

The link is to the forum area here at TCS that is dedicated to helping people who want information on preparing home-made pet food or with feeding commercial raw foods. The links at the top give you general information. You can post any questions you have after reading through that information.