Changing Levi's food...

jb68711

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I posted about Levi having problems with urinary blockage.. he's doing much better, peeing a good amount with no blood. I've been trying to switch him over to wet food, which hasn't been very successful. I have dry food for him, which is an over the counter food specially formulated for urinary issues. He'll eat it, but he much prefers my roommate's cat's food, which we keep away from him... But he knows it's there and really wants it. There are some nights where I'll give in, because he won't stop meowing even though he has his food, and I'm not trying to (literally) lose sleep over this. Any suggestions? Thank you.
 
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denverwriter22

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I know the prescription foods are more expensive, but he may like one of those more than he does what you are feeding now.  I feed Royal Canin SO to both my kitties so Carmine never accidentally eats food he's not allowed to have.  Both cats really like it.  

You could also try some different varieties of urinary tract wet food.  There are both prescription and non-prescription ones available.  

I also encourage drinking with my kitties with pet water fountains.  Carmine loves to drink from them much more than he ever did from a water bowl.  

I hope this helps a bit.  
 

4fabfelines

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The biggest advantage that canned urinary diets have over the wet ones is the increased moisture content, since more concentrated urine favors crystal development. If he absolutely won't eat canned food, you can always try adding some water to his kibble to increase his water intake. Some cats can also be encouraged to drink more with a pet fountain, if they like the moving water- (mine are split, two love the thing, and two are petrified of it). Have you tried a variety of brands and types (pate vs. chunks in gravy) of canned foods? It sounds like Levi had previously done well on the c/d dry (no obstructions for years?), so perhaps transitioning him back onto that diet and encouraging water intake will do the job.

Sometimes, you just have to do the best that you can with what you have to work with. I had a cat that was diagnosed with diabetes at a very young age. He had been feral, and did not initially seem to recognize wet foods as food. Even with untreated diabetes and a ravenous appetite (when we first brought him inside), he was unwilling to eat canned food. It would have been ideal to feed a canned diet, but we had to settle for a lower carb kibble at the time, because, well... kibble > starvation. He did fine on the kibble for years, and eventually we were able to convince him to transition onto a more diabetes-friendly canned food. 


Best of luck with Levi!
 

4fabfelines

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The biggest advantage that canned urinary diets have over the DRY ones 
Oops... typo. Dry, not wet. 

I blame the fact that it's 2 am and a certain overgrown black kitten is attempting to "assist" me with typing. While singing the song of her people. Loudly. 
 
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