urinary diet

[Britney91]

Merry Christmas everyone!

My cat, a female, has had urinary issues since I got her at the shelter. Now and then she has blood in her urine, but never for long. Now she's had it a bit too long. When they checked her urine, never any crystals, but only blood cells. They came to the conclusion it's stress related. She'd always had various urinary brands like Hill Urinary C/D as her food, but she got sick of it and hardly ate anymore. Then she lost way too much weight. I got her back to good weight by getting Royal Canine Urinary Care and mixed it with Whiskas (dry food is there for her to eat when she wants to), gave her Gourmet wet food, one half in the morning, other half in the evening, or else she would not eat that as a whole either, and only paté, or else she only licks the sauce.... Thankfully, she eats really well now and seems to be in great shape and a great mood. Only issue is; the blood in the urine, a drop a day, does not go away. A few weeks ago I took Whiskas away and only give her Royal Canine Urinary Care dry food and then Gourmet paté as extra, because I learned I should not mix dry cat food? She thankfully eats just as well! So now I want her to go on a full Hills diet (dry food and wet food), at least for a while, to get rid of the drops of blood, but she REFUSES to eat the Hills dry food!

Royal Canine Urinary Care. Is that brand good enough to get rid of crystals, if there are any? Because I know Hills gets rid of it. Do the crystals dissolve because the right PH levels?

If I keep giving her that brand, because she eats it, is it okay to give her Hills Urinary C/D wet food along with it? Or can't I mix these?

It would be easier if she wouldn't be so difficult with food, but I understand she gets sick of the same diet all her life, and nomatter what brand, all urinary dry foods smell the same, I get why she's sick of it. Only Royal Canine Urinary Care she seems to like. Also, she's a great shape, great mood, great weight, best she's ever been actually since she has Royal Canine Urinary Care! It's just a blood drop every day that I don't like and don't know how to get rid of.

Help!

 

[BlackCatOp]

Several things. It sounds like your vet diagnosed cystitis or inflammation of the bladder. In cats is thought to be stress related. I would try hard to stick to one food routine as switching foods can be a source of stress for kitties. Royal Canin has several urinary foods and any food noted with the S/O index also promotes urinary tract health. I would try to feed mainly wet food as that too is better for urinary and kidney health. But truly, I think the most important factor for your kitty is to stick to a single food routine to help eliminate her stress.

 

[Britney91]

Several things. It sounds like your vet diagnosed cystitis or inflammation of the bladder. In cats is thought to be stress related. I would try hard to stick to one food routine as switching foods can be a source of stress for kitties. Royal Canin has several urinary foods and any food noted with the S/O index also promotes urinary tract health. I would try to feed mainly wet food as that too is better for urinary and kidney health. But truly, I think the most important factor for your kitty is to stick to a single food routine to help eliminate her stress.

Thank you for your reply. The Royal Canine Urinary Care she eats now is not an S/D diet, because she refuses to eat urinary S/D foods and she became too thin, but it's still urinary food and this she does like to eat. I am just wondering if this food is good enough. I don't know what to do, to get rid of her blood drops?

 

[FeebysOwner]

Merry Christmas!

You mentioned PH levels, but didn't note what her level is. A higher PH (usually considered at 7 or above) can attribute to struvite crystal formation because the urine is too concentrated. Canned food and extra water intake helps dilute the urine and also keeps her bladder flushed. If her PH level is high, that might make a difference on whether urinary care food would be of benefit to her, as they claim to help balance the PH level, thereby reducing the chance of crystal formation. If her PH is around 6, I am not totally sure what urinary care food will do to help her, other than as a precautionary measure since stress in a cat with cystitis appears to have some bearing on the formation of crystals. If the RC Urinary care food is dry only, and she likes it, you might consider seeing if she would be willing to eat it if you mix it with water - just to help increase her liquid intake.

The blood, as mentioned above, could be from inflammation in the bladder. I wonder if you might want to ask the vet if they think a course of anti-inflammatories might reduce the inflammation and stop the blood.

 

[denice]

Some people have had good luck with Glucosamine Chondroitin for stress related cystitis. It isn't a substitute for getting the diet right and fluid intake but it can help. It helps to rebuild and keep the lining of the bladder healthy the same way it helps with the lining in joints.

 

[countrygalof6cats]

I've had 2 cats with the bladder problems. First cat had it for 9 years until she passed but not due to that problem. The other cat has had it for 12 years. Have you tried using Feliway? It helps to calm them down. I use the plug in and sprays. They get Cosequin twice a day. Do you have a water fountain dish for your cat? They need to flush their bladder with lots of water. I have 2 fountain dishes. Both of my cats peed blood and the one dripped blood. Took a few months but they got to where they had more good days then bad. Oh, they also get a Adequin shot once a week. Don't keep changing the food too. That is a big stressor for them and can upset their stomachs as well. Mine won't eat any other bladder dry food then the Royal Canine brand.

 

[Mr. Meow]

Was FIC (feline idiopathic cystitis) ruled out, or was stress diagnosed as the cause? Sounds similar to what a previous cat of mine had. Cleared up with a round of anti-inflammatories. If it's stress related, were there any big changes that have happened that could have caused this?
I agree with keeping the food the same, and if she becomes bored or tired with a food, it can become "new" again by simply adding a "gravy" or "sauce" to it, which can be found in just about any pet store.

 

[Britney91]

Merry Christmas!

You mentioned PH levels, but didn't note what her level is. A higher PH (usually considered at 7 or above) can attribute to struvite crystal formation because the urine is too concentrated. Canned food and extra water intake helps dilute the urine and also keeps her bladder flushed. If her PH level is high, that might make a difference on whether urinary care food would be of benefit to her, as they claim to help balance the PH level, thereby reducing the chance of crystal formation. If her PH is around 6, I am not totally sure what urinary care food will do to help her, other than as a precautionary measure since stress in a cat with cystitis appears to have some bearing on the formation of crystals. If the RC Urinary care food is dry only, and she likes it, you might consider seeing if she would be willing to eat it if you mix it with water - just to help increase her liquid intake.

The blood, as mentioned above, could be from inflammation in the bladder. I wonder if you might want to ask the vet if they think a course of anti-inflammatories might reduce the inflammation and stop the blood.

Is there a way I can check out her PH levels myself? Or does a vet have to do that? Thank you for your reply!

Some people have had good luck with for stress related cystitis. It isn't a substitute for getting the diet right and fluid intake but it can help. It helps to rebuild and keep the lining of the bladder healthy the same way it helps with the lining in joints.

I am going to look into that, thank you!

I've had 2 cats with the bladder problems. First cat had it for 9 years until she passed but not due to that problem. The other cat has had it for 12 years. Have you tried using Feliway? It helps to calm them down. I use the plug in and sprays. They get Cosequin twice a day. Do you have a water fountain dish for your cat? They need to flush their bladder with lots of water. I have 2 fountain dishes. Both of my cats peed blood and the one dripped blood. Took a few months but they got to where they had more good days then bad. Oh, they also get a Adequin shot once a week. Don't keep changing the food too. That is a big stressor for them and can upset their stomachs as well. Mine won't eat any other bladder dry food then the Royal Canine brand.

I think I used it once when we got another cat to join the household years ago, but I didn't feel it worked. I have indeed been thinking about trying it again. I have one fountain, and she usually drinks there. I will keep the food this way, I just hoped by doing the Hills urinary diet, I could fix the blood problem. It's a tricky thing. Thank you for your reply!

Was FIC (feline idiopathic cystitis) ruled out, or was stress diagnosed as the cause? Sounds similar to what a previous cat of mine had. Cleared up with a round of anti-inflammatories. If it's stress related, were there any big changes that have happened that could have caused this?
I agree with keeping the food the same, and if she becomes bored or tired with a food, it can become "new" again by simply adding a "gravy" or "sauce" to it, which can be found in just about any pet store.

It was diagnosed as a stress urinary problem because they could not find anything anywhere. Nothing in particular has happened, she has always been this way, even at the shelter before I got her. She always goes to the bathroom countless of times, almost neurotic. She's doing better these days, except for the blood drips. It's such a puzzle... Thank you for your reply!

 

[FeebysOwner]

Is there a way I can check out her PH levels myself? Or does a vet have to do that? Thank you for your reply!

Yes, you can! Here is just one example, I am sure there are others on the market as well.
Amazon.com : 10 Parameter Test Strips for Pets (1 Bottle) : Pet Supplies