Help on finding a new cat food for a picky cat with past UTI issues?

Hi! So my cat is 6 years old and he is my whole world. Up until he was 3-4 years old, he was on a crappy dry food diet. I was only a teen when i got him so I didnt know anything about cat nutrition at the time, but once my little man almost died, i dedicated a lot of my time to trying to find good food for him so as to prevent future issues. He has had the PU surgery, it saved his life. And he has been eating a few things since then but has had UTI's and bloody urine a few times since. I'm only 22 and live on my own so I dont have a ton of money but i always make sure to get him good food. I have given him wellness core, spots stew, weruva, nutros max cat, and a few other things ALWAYS wet food. I never give him dry food anymore. And in addition to his food, I add a bit of vitamin c powder (to help break down crystals if they appear) and i also use cosequin cause i read it helps the lining of the cats bladder and cranberry pills when i have them.

my issue is that i buy a 24 pack of 3 oz cans for about 35 dollars.... and that only last him 12 days since i give him one 3oz can twice daily. its expensive. im wondering if there is anyone out there who has a cat with similar issues and has a brand they use. sometimes when i am REALLY low with money, i get him the grain free purina wet food... im ashamed to say i do as i do not fully trust that brand. but the case is only 11 dollars for 12 cans.

i have given him raw food once, my friends mother makes raw food for all her cats and its good stuff but my cat is picky. he wont eat human food. doesnt like sliced turkey or ham or cheese or cooked chicken none of that stuff. he really likes canned foods with lots of gravy and stuff. idk im looking for any help anyone can give me. i just want him to be healthy and happy

You're doing great! Seriously, you're doing everything right.  I'd recommend getting 12.5 oz cans and refrigerating them. You can get 12 - 12.5 oz cans of Wellness on Chewy.com or Amazon.com for $29. That's .19 cents per oz, instead of the .49 cents per oz you're paying now. So over twice the amount of food, and for less money. You can always split the can in half and freeze part of it if you think it will take more than a few days to finish a can.

I'd also recommend a water fountain to promote water drinking. I have this one  and I love it. It has the least amount of parts to clean and it's easy to clean and put together. It's basically 2 ceramic parts and the pump. You can also add a couple tablespoons of water to wet food for extra fluid intake. 

Did he end up having the P/U surgery because of crystals?  I'm guessing so. In which case you probably need to keep him on low phos, low magnesium food?  Here is a thread that might be right up your alley.  http://www.thecatsite.com/t/302645/food-help-please

Additionally, I read that cranberries, despite all we've heard, are actually BAD for crystal cats .  You might run that past your Vet. 

Anyway, you can only do the best you can do, money wise, and feeding him only WET is absolutely the best thing you can do for him.  If you cannot afford the cream of the crop, so be it.  He might not eat it anyway

Yes he had crystals and "sludge" My vet said it was like wet sand in his bladder! Scary And I didnt know that about the cranberries! I'll have to do some research, but it WOULD make sense since cats are obligate carnivores. Thank you for your imput! 

Oh thank you! That is a lot cheaper and I'll definitely look into that. I've never bought food from Chewys before, i'll check it out. And I do have a water fountain but little toulouse doesn't really care about it, I hardly EVER see him drinking water so I do add water to his food. Thank you a lot for your advice. Much appreciated