urinary tract infection

Hi guys... I'm new here although I've been trolling the forums for a few months now. I've found so much useful information. I'm so glad there is a place I can come that is knowledgeable and can help me with my wonderful cats.

So here's the issue. One of my cats, Jackpot, has a history of urinary tract infections. He actually hasn't had one in a few years, but just got one a few days ago. We got him on antibiotics to clear it up. We have all of our cats on a 9 Lives dry food that says plus care and is supposed to be for urinary tract health. It seemed to be doing a good job and all the cats seem to like it. But now with Jackie getting another infection I feel that it might be a good idea to switch to a better brand/formula so I was wondering if anybody had any suggestions on a good dry food that's not too horribly expensive. I don't mind something from the pet store, but I am on a budget, so it can't be too outrageous. I was looking around and found Purina Pro Plan Extra Care. It looks pretty good, but I was wondering if anybody had any experience with this.

Any help would be appreciated. I love my cats and want them to be happy and healthy.

By the way... here are a few photos of my kitties.

This is Jackpot...



This is Dynamite and Jackpot again. Dynamite is on the left. They're best friends :-)


and this is our new little adoptie girl as of 3 months ago, Cuddles

I suggest this:

Don't feed them 9 Lives or Purina, they are very poor quality foods. You need to feed them something healthier, without by-products and fillers and with meats as the first few ingredients. There are a ton, Nutro, Chicken Soup for the Cat Lovers Soul, Wellness, Premium Edge, Evo, Innova, Felidae, those are the first ones that come to mind.

You also really need to feed them wet food. Introduce it slowly but make that a main part of their diet. Many cats don't drink enough water. This leads to problems (along with such poor quality food) such as UTIs and crystals and things like that.

You will find that these foods are probably a big more expensive then you are used to. I feed Chicken Soup and Premium Edge and I know that is it only a couple dollars more expensive then Purina. So not too bad. But in the long run, it will fill the cat up with good ingredients sooner so the cat will generally eat less. Also it will keep them healthier in the long run, saving you on vet visits in the future.

Welcome to TCS! UTIs are such a drag, I know as I get them, too I agree with Jen, and I have my crew on Innova & Fancy Feast w/gravy. JC was showing signs of being prone to UTIs and the food really helps. They do eat less, and there is less waste in the box, so in the long run, the cost seems to balance out (plus the added benefit of fewer vet visits).
Your boys are gorgeous such exotic looking coats- do they happen to have some bengal in them??? And congrats on new lil sis Cuddles - what a calico cutie I look forward to reading more about them in the forums! Susan

Thanks for the help. I will look into those other brands. I'm going to stop by the pet store sometime tomorrow and I'll take those brand names with me and look for them.

I have no idea what my cats have in them, but thank you. We actually rescued Dynamite from a dumpster he was living in; it took us 3 weeks of coming back every day until he was willing to let us catch him. We found Jackpot in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico as a kitten. He and his mama were fighting over dead bugs for food. We fell in love and brought him back over the border, after a few expensive doctors visits and kitty plane ticket, lol. And finally, we found Cuddles huddled on the side of an office building starving and dirty. You could see her spine practically sticking out. I'm happy to report though that she's up to a normal weight, with just a slight pudgy tummy now, lol. But she's TINY. Only 6-7 pounds. She's our eternal kitten, lol.
So yeah, we know nothing about out cat's background or breeding except that they were in desperate need for a good home. They've been as much of a gift to us as we are to them :-)