Beau has been having some litter-box as of late. He was recently diagnosed with a Urinary Tract Infection so we have to feed him Science Diet C/D, but we don’t know how well it is sitting with him anymore. We’ve actually changed Beau’s food about 4 times this year, which hasn’t been the easiest for him.
So we had to feed him Royal Canin Urinary SO, but he didn’t take to it very well. Luckily we only had to feed it to him for a few weeks then we were allowed to switch him right back onto Blue.
So here’s when I ask you: Do you have any recommendations for a PH balanced food that is a good quality and will make sure that Beau doesn’t have any digestive issues? The vets currently on the hunt for one with us, but might as well ask you all because you might have already gone through the same issues!
Hey there! Just stumbled across your blog and wanted to share some hopefully helpful information. I have six cats, four of which are boys. Before switching to raw, I fed them Nature’s Logic in chicken and also the rabbit version. None of the cats ever got tired of it and I bought it in the bigger dog food cans of 13.5 oz. since it is the same formula as the cat versions and it is cheaper when you have many mouths to feed. To rotate proteins (to prevent the cats from developing allergies from eating the same protein (meat source) constantly), I’d also feed them salmon or sardines packed in water and only wild caught as a 3rd protein source. Make sure the ingredients are only water and fish, although sometimes salt is added, which is ok as long as it’s not fed in excess, but preferably without it, is best.
In over five years of having cats, I’ve only had one urinary issue and it was years ago and I think it was because I was offering my only cat at the time well water, which I know is very hard. I now only give them water softened water, but they drink very little to none at all since eating raw, thanks to its very high moisture content. High moisture content is what is best for cats (think birds, mice, lizards, and whatever else cats eat in the wild)
Just in case of future problems (usually at 10pm on Saturday night lol) though, after that one incident, I bought Vet’s Best Urinary Tract Support to keep on hand. The cat’s LOVE it and eat it like treats when I’ve offered it to them just randomly. At one time the company changed the formula and the cats refused them so seeing it was a widespread issue with other cat owners, I contacted the company and they sent me a new bottle that had been reformulated for taste and the cat’s once again loved it.
There is a ton of research online about feeding raw and it’s not that hard. There are also other dehydrated and pre-made raw versions out there, but I can’t give much information about them because I have a total of 10 cats and dogs so I have to be frugal and do the labor myself. 🙂 All I can say is that dry kibble is the absolute worst food for cats. I’ve been on numerous forums and groups where people have cats with kidney issues and other health problems and most of it is from feeding them a dry diet. You’ll never see that argument on TV commercials from Purina or Blue Buffalo (who was recently sued for having lead in their food…also NOT in their commercials)
Having a sick pet is the worst, and I know this post is older, but if any information I shared can help you or anyone else out there, I wanted to share it. I’ve had too many bad vet experiences in recent years to have much faith in a lot of what they recommend, especially as far as diet goes, so please don’t take everything they tell or promote as the best information. They have like one class on pet nutrition in vet school and the prescription food companies sponsor the schooling. Anyway, sorry to go on and on I’m just passionate about pets! 🙂 I do hope Beau is doing better.
Hey CC! Thanks so much for all of this information. We’ll definitely look into all of it. Beau is doing much better right now. We ended up having to put him through surgery and found out that his UTIs/crystals were inevitable due to his anatomy (he had an abnormally small urethra). We’ve also found out his urine is thicker than most cat’s and we’re trying to figure out why that is (as there may be another underlying health problem we didn’t know about that we will have to resolve.) We’ve been doing a lot of research into raw the past few weeks and are very interested in feeding him raw, however we are going to take things very slow with him for the next few months just to make sure he’s fully healthy before we try new things (with the permission of our vet.) We love Beau so much and can’t wait for him to make his full recovery. In the future I’m actually hoping to try feeding fully-raw to one of new adoptions (whenever that may be) to see if it will 100% avoid all urinary issues. Unfortunately, with Beau I’m still a bit nervous, just until we get his full-health results to see what the cause for the urine thickening is. I’m sure raw will help it anyway, but better safe than sorry, you know?
Thank you again for your detailed comment, we appreciate it a lot <3
We’re sorry to hear Beau is having some issues. We agree that wet food is better than dry. We’ve been fans of the Weruva foods and the Wellness foods. The Fancy Feast classics may not be too bad because they are low in carbs and don’t have any grains. But only the classics. Maybe you could try to mix a little bit of dry with the wet to get Beau to eat more wet.
I’ve tried the mixing already and it works every so often, but not enough for his full meal. I’ve actually started looking into freeze-dried raw. I got some samples today and will see how those go!
Poor Beau ! Wet food good quality is better for cats than dry food. We hope Beau feels better soon. Purrs
We hope to find a good quality one that he likes. Beau is very hit and miss with wet food. He will eat one a few times and then will completely disregard it. I’ve been trying to get him to eat wet ever since we rescued him 2 years ago, but man is it tough. So far we’ve tried Blue, BFF, Cats in the Kitchen, Truluxe, Wellness and he’s only eaten 2 cans of Cats in The Kitchen. We tried Fancy Feast, just to see if he would eat it, and he loved it… but we all know that isn’t the best for him… so we haven’t fed him it since 🙁 Why, oh why do they always like the bad ones! 🙁
Ohhhh Beau Mom tired that once on me. I had to put all four paws down to let her know this kitty does not like orange foodables. I had my first UTI last fall. OMCs was it NOT fun!! I had red pp which freaked mom out totally. They shoved me in my PTU at 6:30 on a Friday night off to the ER vet we went. Thankful we have it under control with antibiotics; however, the lining of my bladder was so aggravated it took a few weeks to get the red blood cells out of my pp. I’m on a weekly Adequan shot ( it is for inflammation) and is also used on humans who have chronic UTIs paws and eyes crossed it is doing the trick
Kitty purrs madi and mom
Luckily my UTI is pretty much gone now! The food worked miracles… if only it didn’t make my tummy feel weird though! Luckily I like the orange goop! But hopefully this all does the trick. I’m tired of being sick 🙁 Mew!
dood…….sorry you’re having troubles; we are going to reply today in “non trout” !! we have heard that pumpkin is beneficial for cats as it helps with both constipation and loose stool; but not sure of the hows or why since it’s two different matters. we have also heard that fish is the perpetrator in urinary issues. over the years we’ve had cats on dry only; wet only and a mix of the both and no two vets are going to agree on the same type of feeding routine. the kitty across the street eats pumpkin in wet food, received a bit of pro bio tics and eats hills dry. daisy wont touch kibble, and tuna eats both; all grain free….sorry we’re not much help… ♥♥
It’s no worries! Thank you for sharing your experiences! Yeah, no two cats are alike and no two vets agree. We’ve been recommended SO many different types of food for our little one and I’m surprised he’s been having this many issues as of late! It’s funny because Walker and Avery have NEVER had any of these issues!
Hello! I’m new here, but I’ll tell you that our Chucky has had urinary tracts issues and constipation over the years. Once we switched him to wet food only, he really improved. Kibble is not good for cats; they have such a low thirst drive, and kibble dries them out even more. We even add extra water to the canned food, making is soupier, and the cats just slurp it up! We were feeding them Limited Ingredient Natural Blance Venison & Green Pea, and now BFF Talipia & Tuna (our holistic vet says fish is best for cats). Hope your baby gets better!
We’ve been working on getting Beau to eat wet food. He’s super picky and rarely ever wants it. A lot of times he won’t touch it for hours. A few months ago we finally found one he liked, but now he’s not touching it. I don’t know what makes him like kibble better, but we’re trying all we can.
We haven’t tried N.B. yet, but so far he’s not a fan of BFF at all 🙁
Thank you for your best wishes, and I’m hoping too!