Urinary Diets On A Budget?

[remyshuman]

I just joined this site, so sorry if I'm not posting in the right spot, but recently my almost 4 year old male cat had some bladder issues where his pH wasn't right and was burning the inside of his bladder since he doesn't drink enough water. The vet wanted him on Hill's c-d prescribed canned food but as a college student, paying $2 a can isn't really an option :'-)

So I switched to Purina's dry food made for urinary issues and then moistened it with water since he didn't really seem to mind at first. However, I think the smell of the food really turns him off of it and it takes him quite a long time to finish his food, and I know you're not supposed to leave moistened dry food out for too long.

I was contemplating switching to just a generic wet canned food, but honestly that's a bit out of my price range too. So, I was wondering about people's opinions on feeding a completely dry meal in the morning with a canned meal (with probably some added water) at night?

Thanks for all the help! A new cat mom really appreciates it :-)

 

[remyshuman]

Also just want to add that he is a stubborn little baby and literally will Not drink from his water bowl. We're working on getting him a cat fountain, but of course that got lost in the mail and we have to sort that out now :'-)

 

[leechi]

If you're not going to feed the prescription foods, you have to at the least feed all wet food. Can you not even afford friskies? If your cat has a history of urinary issues, you should not feed any dry, that is completely counter productive.

Btw, I have a female cat that cannot eat dry. Females are not as at risk as males for a complete blockage, but she had extreme difficulty urinating and blood in her urine when I fed her a high quality dry for just one meal. She has no issues on an all raw/canned diet.

 

[hell_storm2004]

You might think about switching to raw. It might be a little more cost effective. If you can buy wet cat food in bulk to cut the costs down, cant you? Or look up some deals maybe?

 

[duckpond]

If feeding a dry food i would only feed the one the vet approved. Is she ok with the Purina? i would also talk to her about any wet foods you want to feed, some will be fine, others maybe not. I know Purina has some urinary health cat foods that don't need a prescription, but im not sure if they are right for your cat? Is his ph to acidic, or alkaline?

I think when we feed foods to change the PH we can cause more harm than good if we are not working with a vet, and testing the urine. Some cats need food to raise the Ph, some need food to lower the Ph?? Talk to your vet, see what over the counter foods she would suggest.

Many say their cats do well on the prescription Urinary dry formula. Just be sure to keep out a few Fresh, filtered bowls of water. In different areas, not too close to his food if this bothers him, some cats will not drink if the water is close to the food, or a litter box.

Water fountains are also very good. i have one i like quite a bit, and they are pretty cheap these days.

 

[sweetblackpaws]

Glad you are considering the fountains - they are awesome. I have a few of the Original Drinkwells, but I know there are many fountains to choose from.

Purina Focus makes wet food formulated for urinary tract health. I have never tried it, though.

You may want to discuss with your vet about using a urinary acidifier if you are not going to have him on special food. The prescription foods contain an acidifier that creates a PH making crystals hard to form. Whatever you do, don't use an acidifier with food already formulated for urinary health!!! I would not use an acidifier without consulting with vet.

I hear you about the cost of Rx food. It's crazy. The stuff works, but the pricing is insane.

 

[shadowsrescue]

You really really really only want to feed wet food, raw or a homemade cooked diet. I have a 5 year old cat that developed a urinary blockage last year. He was in the vet hospital for 5 days and blocked again. He had to have surgery that cost us thousands of dollars when all was said and done. It was a very difficult situation. I was told to never feed him dry food again. This also means no crunchy treats. I decided to home cook with appropriate supplements. I then add an additional 1-2 T of water to each meal.

Since you are on a budget I would feed him only the best wet food you can find. Look for coupons. Go onto the websites of the manufacturers and see what they have to offer. Wet food is best.

I have a fountain too, but he rarely drinks from it. The other cats do, but he rarely if ever will drink water. Just try wet food only and add additional water if needed.

 

[Willowy]

For now, yes, try giving him 1 can a day of any canned food (pretty much any pate type will be decent, it's best to avoid the chunky or shredded kinds though), with water added if he'll accept that, and dry food to fill out the rest of his calories. If he's of average size he won't need a lot of dry food, maybe 1/4 cup or so. If that doesn't work try all canned.

In most cases feeding canned food of any type will help urinary issues, but sometimes a lack of water isn't the cause and then it can get complicated.

 

[leechi]

For now, yes, try giving him 1 can a day of any canned food (pretty much any pate type will be decent, it's best to avoid the chunky or shredded kinds though), with water added if he'll accept that, and dry food to fill out the rest of his calories. If he's of average size he won't need a lot of dry food, maybe 1/4 cup or so. If that doesn't work try all canned.

In most cases feeding canned food of any type will help urinary issues, but sometimes a lack of water isn't the cause and then it can get complicated.

Why mess around with dry food? It will make the cat more likely to have urinary issues, and need expensive vet care. Potentially emergency vet care if he gets totally blocked. Much better to spend money on food to prevent this

 

[Furballsmom]

Hi - welcome!!
You've gotten some good advice...
While your water fountain is being dug out of the 'black hole' of the shipping systems, try ice cubes in the water bowl, try running a light stream of water in the bath tub, the bathroom sink, the kitchen sink and as mentioned, multiple water bowls, even have one or two at a different level like on a table.

Here's an article or two that may help sort things out for you. These articles aren't lengthy, they're packed with good info and there are also some other article links embedded - there might be one or two duplicates from what I posted for you.

Tips To Increase Your Cat’s Water Intake
18 Awesome Cat Feeding Tips By Thecatsite Staff Members
Homemade Food For Cats: Consider Your Recipe!
Raw Feeding Cats: Types Of Raw Diets & Feeding Options
How To Choose The Best Dry Cat Food?
How To Choose The Right Food For Your Cat

 

[Willowy]

Why mess around with dry food? It will make the cat more likely to have urinary issues, and need expensive vet care. Potentially emergency vet care if he gets totally blocked. Much better to spend money on food to prevent this

I agree, I was just going by what the OP said about not being able to afford more than 1 can a day. He may not need more than 1 can, depends how big he is. But, yeah, it is cheaper than the emergency vet bills, that's worth thinking about.

 

[Furballsmom]

Depending on where you're located, take a look at these, both canned and pouch...
at Walmart, take a look at GoodLife, PureBalance and Special Kitty and also Delectables treat pouches. King Soopers has Pet Pride, Sheba sticks, Luvsome and Abound.
As an example, you could buy a bag of Primal Pronto nuggets and add those to the rotation, say, once a week or something which would keep the overall cost down but still provide some benefits.
Also, keep a bag of bonito flakes around (available at pet stores) - these can help a lot as a topper when a certain feline gets finicky

 

[sweetblackpaws]

I have to agree with Willowy. Some kitties are more prone to crystal formation despite their diets. My boy was on a combo of wet and dry and developed severe blockage and required emergency surgery. You need to have a serious discussion with your vet and tell them prescription food is not an option (at least the canned variety). Unfortunately, just a "wet" diet sometimes is not enough (although, sometimes it can be enough). There are options out there - non-prescription foods for urinarly tract health or a urinary acidifier, plus the water fountain, should work out fine for your boy. But in addition to the advice here, you must speak to your vet about non-prescription food alternatives.
Also, crunch your numbers. You may find that for one kitty, prescription kibble alone, with no wet, may end up being cheaper than a combination of wet foods and kibble. My boy has been on prescription kibble (no wet) and it has kept his crytals at bay for over a year now.
Thank you for caring about this sweet boy, you are a new cat mom, but you are a good cat mom.

 

[lalagimp]

Some people say Dave's Restricted has worked out well for them. It's less than $2 a can.
daves restricted - Cat - Free shipping at Chewy.com
Tommy got blocked and immediately came off the dry food onto cans. Then I couldn't afford the cans I was feeding him and moved to making his food myself every month as a raw diet. After supplies I feed both my males on $85 a month, and these guys are 13 lbs. We're using rabbit and turkey.