Urinary crystals... need advice

frankiesinatra

TCS Member
Thread starter
Kitten
Joined
Nov 3, 2015
Messages
19
Purraise
8
Hi guys,

I'm devastated. I noticed one of my kitties, Mr. Mistoffelees, was going to the litter box several times last night, squatting to urinate but not going. I palpated his abdomen and watched him closely but he wasn't in any pain, swollen, or acting funny so I decided to wait until morning to bring him to the clinic. They got me in today and confirmed he did not have a urinary blockage or anything, but they took a sample and said he had bacteria and some crystals in his urine. He got an antibiotic shot and some pain meds, and will be rechecked for crystals in 2 1/2 weeks. 

My question is, is there anything I can do to reduce his risk?? I'd prefer not having to switch him to prescription food... I'm no longer giving either boy ANY sea food. They get dry Solid Gold in the morning and wet Instinct in the evening. They have three bowls of water in the apartment and I see him drinking all the time. I think the chances he's dehydrated in general are pretty low. Is there anything more I can do?? I don't want this to become a constant, painful (and expensive...) problem for him.

I feel terrible for my poor boy :( Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks
 
Last edited:

stephanietx

TCS Member
Veteran
Joined
Dec 1, 2005
Messages
14,772
Purraise
3,491
Location
Texas
Switching to an all or mostly canned food will help. Dry food tends to dehydrate the body because kitty's don't normally and on their own drink a lot of water.  I even add extra water to my kitties' wet food so it's the consistency of thick oatmeal.  You can feed canned food morning and evening and supplement with dry food, but drastically reduce the amount of their dry food intake.
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #3

frankiesinatra

TCS Member
Thread starter
Kitten
Joined
Nov 3, 2015
Messages
19
Purraise
8
@stephanietx   I'd be willing to try that if I had to. Geez...I spend way more on these cats' food than myself! I'll definitely start adding water to their wet food. What about adding some water to dry food? They eat in meals so it wouldn't be sitting on the floor for more than 10 minutes.
 

samus

TCS Member
Alpha Cat
Joined
Mar 1, 2015
Messages
374
Purraise
27
Somewhere on this site there's an article on getting your cat to drink more water. One idea I thought was interesting was getting a fountain putting an automatic feeder next to it. The cat will supposedly come to check for food in the feeder and drink some water while it's over there.
 

LTS3

TCS Member
Veteran
Joined
Aug 29, 2014
Messages
19,209
Purraise
19,695
Location
USA
http://www.thecatsite.com/a/tips-to-increase-your-cat-s-water-intake

Never add water to dry food and let it sit out for hours. Harmful bacteria will grow in the dry food. If your cat will eat up the dry food / water mixture up right away it's fine but throw out any leftovers immediately. The same goes for freeze dried raw food and dehydrated raw food where water is often recommended to be added before serving. It's better and safer  to add water to canned food.
 

mitziecr10

TCS Member
Kitten
Joined
Sep 12, 2015
Messages
1
Purraise
1
My cat had the same problem the vet said to give her a whole can of wet and 1/4 cup of dry. a day.   ​
 

samus

TCS Member
Alpha Cat
Joined
Mar 1, 2015
Messages
374
Purraise
27
 
http://www.thecatsite.com/a/tips-to-increase-your-cat-s-water-intake

Never add water to dry food and let it sit out for hours. Harmful bacteria will grow in the dry food. If your cat will eat up the dry food / water mixture up right away it's fine but throw out any leftovers immediately. The same goes for freeze dried raw food and dehydrated raw food where water is often recommended to be added before serving. It's better and safer  to add water to canned food.
Why is it safer to add water to canned? I've noticed one brand I use smells bad a lot faster when I add water to it.
 

Columbine

TCS Member
Veteran
Joined
Feb 27, 2015
Messages
12,921
Purraise
6,224
Location
The kitty playground
Canned food starts out absolutely 'clean', whereas kibble and freeze dried raw may have a preexisting bacterial load. Additionally, kibble may contain some fungal spores too. These aren't an issue when dry, but water will cause these to increase quite quickly - that's why freeze dried raw needs to be eaten immediately once hydrated, and why it's not recommended to add water or other moisture to kibble.

Hope that all makes sense ;)
 
Last edited:
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #9

frankiesinatra

TCS Member
Thread starter
Kitten
Joined
Nov 3, 2015
Messages
19
Purraise
8
@LTS3  No, I know. What I said was, They eat in meals. It doesn't take them more than 10-15 minutes to finish. None is ever left over and the bowl get washed before dinner usually. So it's never ever sitting out. 
 
Top