Cranberry For Urinary & Bladder Health?

[minka]

Originally Posted by Ducman69

Getting pestered by your cat?

Solution: Autofeeder!

Great for when you have to head out or are on vacation too, and they get used to the schedule quickly and will hover right next to the feeder rather than you. Wesley slaps it sometimes when he's impatient close to feeding time, but better annoy an inanimate object than me heheh.

Whats that green thing in the middle btw?

 

[carolina]

To the OP - I am curious.... What is this food you ordered, that is comparable to a prescription food in benefits to urinary health, is marketed as a diet food, and yet has no grain and no by-products?
Sounds quite different......

 

[auntie crazy]

Originally Posted by Babs' Slave

I've heard that it's more frequent in females but much more dangerous in males. I think you are blessed that you got him to the vet in time. I give him a prayer for his restored health.

The prescription food I gave to my cat was evidently very tasty, and supposedly very good for urinary tract health, I don't know about bladder. Big problem is that it is very fattening. So, as you can see by this thread, I found a substitute food that was approved by my vet, being very similar to the food he prescribed.

If the owners and mods of the site are okay with it, I will tell you the food 's name, with the caveat being of course that I recommend you tell the ingredients to and get approval from your vet.

Hi, Babs' Slave. Welcome to TCS!

Since your need is the same as My2catsabc, I'm going to give you the same info and resources. I think you might be surprised at some of the information.

First, the most important step you can take for urinary tract health is to remove kibble from your cat's diet. Truly! Cats evolved from desert animals and don't have the drive to drink when they're thirsty, so cats fed kibble are chronically dehydrated. This puts stress on their organs and concentrates their urine - suspected to be the single biggest cause of urinary tract issues.

CatInfo.org has a very detailed article titled Feline Urinary Tract Health: Cystitis, Urethral Obstruction, Urinary Tract Infection:

If I could have the reader of this webpage take away just one word from this discussion, it would be "water". If your cat is on a properly hydrated diet of 100% canned food - and no dry food - you stand a very good chance of never needing to read this webpage.

Always keep in mind that water flowing through the urinary tract system is the most important factor in keeping it healthy.

Note that I said "water" - not "crystals" or "urine pH" - or any of the expensive prescription diets often recommended by veterinarians.

A cat's normal prey is ~70% water. Canned food is ~78% water. Dry food is ~5-10% water. Cats have a low thirst drive and do not make up the deficit at the water bowl. They are designed to get water with their food.

Little Big Cat (Dr. Hofve) has several articles on this and related topics: "Urinary Tract Disorders in Cats" and "Kidney Disease in Older Cats" are just a couple of them (the former includes a discussion on veterinarian prescription diets):

There are many medical diets made to dissolve struvite stones and to prevent recurrence of struvite and calcium oxalate stones. These include Hillâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s s/d, c/d(s) and c/d(o), Purina CNM-UR, Walthamâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s Control pHormula, and others. These are only available through veterinarians since they create specific acid-base conditions in the catâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s body that should be monitored by your vet. Canned versions of these foods are vastly preferable to dry, although none of them contain the high quality ingredients we recommend and consist mainly of by-products and grains.

In one study, 60% of cats on a single dry food were symptom-free for a year, compared to 90% of cats eating one canned food. Homemade, organic, natural diets are always on the top of the “good†list for treating this and other chronic disease conditions, but only if they can be fed consistently. Diet changes must always be made gradually to minimize stress on the cat.
...
Cranberry extract is beneficial for many animals, especially dogs, who tend to have actual infections of the bladder. Cranberry is thought to prevent the attachment of the E. coli bacteria to the bladder wall. Because bacteria are not present in most cases FLUTD, it may be less beneficial for cats. However, cranberry has still been helpful in many cases, even those without any evidence of bacteria. Cranberry capsules are available at the health food store (typically in 250 mg strength which is a good once-a-day dose for cats), and are very safe to give long-term.

Little Big Cat has another article titled "Selecting a Good Commercial Pet Food" that you might find helpful, and Feline-nutrition.org has a nice article in their Nutrition section dissecting pet food labels to get to a real understanding of the product's ingredients called "Reading a Pet Food Ingredient Label".

Good luck with your girl!

AC

 

[babs' slave]

Originally Posted by Carolina

To the OP - I am curious.... What is this food you ordered, that is comparable to a prescription food in benefits to urinary health, is marketed as a diet food, and yet has no grain and no by-products?
Sounds quite different......

Hi, It's Castor & Pollux. There are many varieties available. It's not marketed as diet, but it contains an ingredient it says helps break down fat.

 

[babs' slave]

Originally Posted by Ducman69

Getting pestered by your cat?

Solution: Autofeeder!

Great for when you have to head out or are on vacation too, and they get used to the schedule quickly and will hover right next to the feeder rather than you. Wesley slaps it sometimes when he's impatient close to feeding time, but better annoy an inanimate object than me heheh.

Hi, thanks very for that info. That looks nice!

 

[babs' slave]

Originally Posted by Auntie Crazy

Hi, Babs' Slave. Welcome to TCS!

Since your need is the same as My2catsabc, I'm going to give you the same info and resources. I think you might be surprised at some of the information.

First, the most important step you can take for urinary tract health is to remove kibble from your cat's diet. Truly! Cats evolved from desert animals and don't have the drive to drink when they're thirsty, so cats fed kibble are chronically dehydrated. This puts stress on their organs and concentrates their urine - suspected to be the single biggest cause of urinary tract issues.

...

Good luck with your girl!

AC

Thanks very much for all that info; there's a lot to digest there.

Frankly, I'm confused about the dry food issue. Vets I know say they need some, but then I many read things like you have quoted that state the opposite.

My current cat is indoor only, except the rare occasions when she wants to go out and play in the "cat run" I had built for her. But my dear Stubbs was an indoor and outdoor cat who lived 19 years on a diet that was about 60% dry and $40 wet. And she was healthy until the day before she passed away.

Don't get me wrong; I'm not trying to argue. I present Stubbs' story as part of the puzzle of why I'm confused about the issue.

Thanks again for the info!

Mike

 

[minka]

Originally Posted by Babs' Slave

Thanks very much for all that info; there's a lot to digest there.

Frankly, I'm confused about the dry food issue. Vets I know say they need some, but then I many read things like you have quoted that state the opposite.

My current cat is indoor only, except the rare occasions when she wants to go out and play in the "cat run" I had built for her. But my dear Stubbs was an indoor and outdoor cat who lived 19 years on a diet that was about 60% dry and $40 wet. And she was healthy until the day before she passed away.

Don't get me wrong; I'm not trying to argue. I present Stubbs' story as part of the puzzle of why I'm confused about the issue.

Thanks again for the info!

Mike

Dry food was created for the convenience of people, not the health of animals. It doesn't even remotely resemble a natural diet for cats or dogs. The companies making it then used marketing to convince pet owners that table scraps are an unhealthy diet for pets and that they should feed kibble instead. The companies secured their place in society by brainwashing veterinarians by paying colleges to allow them to give presentations to their students.

Cats don't have a thirst drive sufficient enough to allow for proper hydration when on a dry food diet. We just had a fellow member lose their kitty to a blocked bladder that was most likely caused by improper diet.