Urinary issues, anxiety and Diet?

musicnl12

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So, after a recent scare with my two and a half year old, neutered rescue, I'm seeking out ways to help him cope a little better with some changes going on. To help you understand, I feel I need to give you some background... We found him frozen on to my parents step in the middle of a cold Canadian winter. Seems one of my parents neighbours had kittens, and rather than being responsible they decided that they didn't want them and put them outside in -25*c temps. He was in terrible shape when we found him with infected frost bite on the pads of his is feet and face, his eye were infected, and he had a serve respiratory infection (you could hear him breathe all over the house) the vet was up front that he wasn't sure he could make it, as he was only around 8-9 weeks old at the time, he was also very malnourished, he weighed .6lbs. My husband and I decided to give him a chance, and I'm so glad we did- it took almost a year for all infections to be cleared up, but he's been doing great ever since- up until I got pregnant a few months ago. He is very much my cat, he sleeps with me, and it probably comes from the fact that when he was super weak and sick I was the one who syringe fed him and carried him to the litter etc. now that we have a baby on there way, and we have been doing some renovations to accommodate this baby, he's extremely stressed, which I believe brought on his most recent health issue, which has been urinary track issues. After a terrible bout of peeing blood etc, and almost. $800 in vet bills, he is doing ok again, but I have some questions.

1) After doing some research, I have switched him to entirely wet food (he was on a wet/dry combo before) but I can only get him to eat about 6oz a day. As an 11lb cat, that doesn't seem like enough for him to eat? Should he be eating more than that? He completely refuses to eat any of the stuff from the vet, and has been eating a combo of tiki cat and blue wilderness, mostly poultry flavours with a fish flavour once a week or so.

2) what can I do to help his anxiety level? The vet put him on zylkene and it seems to be helping him, but with a baby arriving in around six weeks time, I anticipate his anxiety getting worse- he has never been an animal that likes change.

3) is there anything else I can do to ensure he doesn't have a "flareup" again? I know these urinary issues often become chronic.

Thanks!
 

Columbine

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It's wonderful that you were able to save this gorgeous boy, and as a result have watched him grow and thrive. No wonder he's so attached to you :)

The single most important thing you can do for him with diet is keep him hydrated. If he really won't eat enough wet, then you could try a little dry to supplement. Have you tried all the prescription kibbles available? I'm a little uneasy about feeding a non prescription kibble to a FLUTD cat. My boy hates all the wet prescription foods, but loves the royal canin urinary dry. He had a single bout of crystals 10 years ago , and has successfully maintained on a mix of that kibble and non prescription wet food ever since. It can be done :) Just be sure to take extra measures to keep your boy hydrated. This article has loads of ideas http://www.thecatsite.com/a/tips-to-increase-your-cat-s-water-intake

Regarding stress management, I'd look at using Spirit Essences alongside the Zylkene, just to help support balance. I've used flower essences many times with my animals, and they really do help. Other things you can do are keep as normal a routine as possible, keep yourselves as calm as possible and get all the baby's things set up in plenty of time - maybe even rubbing them down with a sweaty t-shirt of yours to make them smell like they belong. Lavender is as calming for cats as it is for humans, so use this to your advantage too - especially if you like the smell anyway.

These articles may help :-

http://www.thecatsite.com/a/six-surefire-strategies-to-reduce-stress-in-cats

http://www.thecatsite.com/a/potential-stressors-in-cats-the-ultimate-checklist

http://www.thecatsite.com/a/is-your-cat-stressed-out

[URL=http://www.thecatsite.com/a/feline-lower-urinary-tract-disease-flutd]http://www.thecatsite.com/a/you-your-cat-and-stress[/URL]
 

ritz

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I agree with the above suggestions. I have a few of my own; Ritz is prone to stress induced UTIs and these have helped. She hasn't had an incident in over two years, despite my fostering a cat and now a kitten.

Do you have Feliway plugged in? You can buy it in most any pet store; it is cheaper online. I also have used l-theanine, which is a calming agent. It is an ingredient found in calming treats. Play time can also reduce stress, if your cat likes to play. Ritz doesn't, so I try to give her extra belly rubs, which she does love :)
Yes to the wet food and double yes to hydration. I fed Ritz a prey model raw diet, but wet food is fine. Personally I avoid would avoid fish-based canned or dry food.
FWIW, Amazon is having a "happy birthday to Amazon" sale tomorrow. One of the items being offered for sale is more than 50% off on Drinkwell Platinum Pet Fountain. You have to be a Prime member to be eligible--or sign up for a 30 day free trial, to take advantage of this sale. (Personally, I'm hoping Amazon offers more pet supplies for sale, like litter or cat food. I give the kitten and the cats in the colony I take care of canned food.)
 

Columbine

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ritz ritz I agree that all wet or raw is best. However if the only way to get him to eat enough is to add a little dry then I'd go ahead. I'd far rather that than risk a cat getting ill from under-eating. I wouldn't feel comfortable using a non prescription kibble in these circumstances though.
 

ritz

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I agree. Dahalia, the female kitten I rescued from under a car and am fostering, weighs 3.4 pounds and is around six months old. (Previously owned; super friendly) She ate very little the first five days and drank a lot of water. But she is now starting to eat more canned food when mixed with dry food. I have no hesitation giving her dry food in this case (nor does her vet) even though initial blood work indicated potentially serious problems with her kidneys. While I don't like feeding dry food, the alternative--a cat getting ill from under-eating--is far worse.
 

yoyosma

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After the first urinary tract infection for our neutered male,  we were told to give him Urinary Tract dry food.  After round two, the vet was out of town, so we went to another vet.  He wanted to snip off the end of our cat's penis!  No way! 

Finally, somebody asked what kind of water we were giving him.  Tap water, of course.  No!  Give him distilled water only.  Tap water and "drinking water" have minerals in them that forms the crystals in his urinary tract. 

When we went back to the vet, she wrote a prescription for dry cat food (can't think of the brand) but he still wasn't drinking enough water.  Now, several years later, he has had no more problems, but we mix the grocery store Urinary Tract kibble with the Rx kind and then soak some of it in distilled water overnight.  Yoyo now has 3 bowls--distilled water, mixed kibble and the slurry of distilled water and mixed kibble.  It amazed us, but he prefers the slurry to the dry food and rarely drinks plain water, but we congratulate ourselves that we have tricked him into drinking water.  The vet had not heard of doing this before we told her about and she said, "Whatever works."
 

LTS3

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1) After doing some research, I have switched him to entirely wet food (he was on a wet/dry combo before) but I can only get him to eat about 6oz a day. As an 11lb cat, that doesn't seem like enough for him to eat? Should he be eating more than that? He completely refuses to eat any of the stuff from the vet, and has been eating a combo of tiki cat and blue wilderness, mostly poultry flavours with a fish flavour once a week or so.
 
6 oz is  good amount but some cats may need more or less. An 11 lb cat that is currently at a healthy weight needs around 200 to 275 calories daily, though that may depend on breed, activity leve, etc. The general rule of thumb is 20 to 25 calories per pound of ideal body weight daily (not per meal). You can find the calorie content for the Tiki Cat and Blue Buffalo here: http://catinfo.org/docs/FoodChartPublic9-22-12.pdf BLue Buffalo is also listed on this chart: http://www.petobesityprevention.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/Cat_Canned_Pouch_Foods.pdf
 
Now, several years later, he has had no more problems, but we mix the grocery store Urinary Tract kibble with the Rx kind and then soak some of it in distilled water overnight.  Yoyo now has 3 bowls--distilled water, mixed kibble and the slurry of distilled water and mixed kibble.  It amazed us, but he prefers the slurry to the dry food and rarely drinks plain water, but we congratulate ourselves that we have tricked him into drinking water.  The vet had not heard of doing this before we told her about and she said, "Whatever works."
Please don't mix dry food with water, even if the mix does work for your cat. Bacteria love to grow in wet dry food and the food will spoil quickly. A cat may get an upset tummy from eating it. If you mix the dry food with water and let your cat eat it right away and remove leftovers after 15 minutes or so, that is fine. But don't let the dry food soak overnight.

Is feeding canned food not an option? That is an easy and safer way to get more water into the cat. Many people here add extra water to the canned food. If your cat is one of those stubbon dry food addicts who won't eat dry food even after you've tried every trick in the book, there are ways to encourage water intake without having to soak dry food.
 
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