Food for struvite kitty

My male kitty who is almost 3 had fequent utis I finally got a urine culture on him and he had struvite crystals so of course the vet put him on a prescription diet of royal canin SO.

My question is is there a homemade or another food that is better quality. I'm feeding this for now bc I don't want him to become blocked or get stones but it kills me feeding him this.

Talk to your vet about Dave's restricted diet:

https://www.chewy.com/daves-pet-food-restricted-diet/dp/101617

I rotate it with Natures Variety canned duck or rabbit:

https://www.chewy.com/natures-variety-instinct-grain-free/dp/34870


This site is a wealth of information on cat nutrition:

http://www.catinfo.org

Be sure to partner with your vet before making any dietary changes so that they can monitor your cats urine for crystal production after the food switch...this part is very important as each cat will react differently to each food.

In addition to dietary changes, there are environmental changes you should consider which can impact crystal formation:
1. Water: Make sure water is available in multiple locations around your home to promote water consumption. Consider purchasing a water fountain to promote water consumption
2. Stress: Stress is thought to play a role in crystal formation. Consider using a Feliway diffuser in your home:

https://www.chewy.com/comfort-zone-...ne&utm_term=&gclid=CN20xq6bls4CFU6Vfgodj6ACPg

And look for opportunities to enrich your cats environment and have at least one daily scheduled play session with your cat.

Good luck...I hope some of this helps [emoji]128522[/emoji]

There may be alternatives. See these TCS threads:

http://www.thecatsite.com/t/254489/alternatives-to-expensive-urinary-so-food

http://www.thecatsite.com/t/317556/royal-canin-rx-urinary-so

http://www.thecatsite.com/t/297496/getting-her-to-eat-royal-canin-so

If you are interested in raw or home cooked diets, see this thread: http://www.thecatsite.com/t/301470/raw-homemade-diet-for-cat-on-royal-canin-so

Are you feeding the dry SO or the canned? The canned would be a better choice over the dry because the high water content will help keep your cat's urinary system working properly and may prevent crystals from forming. The SO canned might not appeal to some cats because of the high liver content. This thead has suggsetions on how to add toppers and such to the canned SO: http://www.thecatsite.com/t/299952/adding-more-appealing-canned-food-to-rx-royal-canin-urinary-so

You should discuss alternate diets with your vet first. But be prepeared for the vet to insist on only the SO food. Nutrition isn't taugh much in vet schools so many vets don't know about proper nutrition and how it affects the body. If you do not want to feed the SO because of the price or quality of ingredients, you don't have to. Just disagree with the vet about diet.

For sure you could look into a raw or homecooked diet rather than RX foods. EZcompete might be something you'd want to try. If you hop over to the raw and homecooked threads you'll see lots of info about that.