Cat Health Symptoms

Feline Lower Urinary Tract Disease - how much of this is actually related to diet? What else can I do?

My cat was recently diagnosed with FLUTD; this is actually the second cat of mine thats been diagnosed and the previous one unfortunately died cause of it due to stones. Regardless, I wanted to know how much of this disease can be attributed to what food my cat is eating. My vet, since the last blockage, is prescribing one of the vet diets - is this really necessary? Also, as the question states, what else can be done to prevent this from happening? As it's costing us thousands to correct, so it would be nice to maybe maybe a bit more for things over the cats lifetime than to pay thousands every year if this, or another one of my cats, had to get it. Thanks,

Public Comments

1. I would say maybe yes if your other cat died from the same thing. The food you are providing may be the cause?? From what I have learned, urinary tract issues is usually more in male cats, but females have the problem too sometimes. Stress can bring on troubles (too many visitors, other animals in the house) too. My vet said to give my cat more wet food so she got more water intake. If your cat is a male, the cat food for urinary tract health can help. You can buy any brand at Wal-Mart, etc. They say it doesn't really help much with females, but ???
2. Stress is now believed to be an important contributor to the problem . Crystals will only develop under certain conditions. Some crystals are more soluble in an acidic environment . By changing the diets , you can change the pH of the urine , therefore dissolving the crystals. The other factor is cats normally don't have a habit of going to the water bowl . By feeding dry food , the urine will be more concentrated encouraging the formation of the crystals . To feed tin food (75% of moisture) , will be a better choice .
3. Absolutely, it's necessary to stay on the veterinary diet if the cat is having blockage and forming stones. The cheap stuff that is marked "urinary tract health" just has extra words on the label. Make sure a stone forming cat has fresh water available at all times, keeping the urine dilute is key. Also, keep his/her weight normal. A fat cat can't keep clean there and skin infections can trigger flutd.
4. everything I've read or heard suggests that using the dried cat food exclusively and the cat not drinking enough liquid plays a big part in this. putting out fresh water is all very well provided Mog drinks it. You might consider switching to some or all "wet" (canned) food.
5. I had a male cat who had this problem and as long as I kept him on a strict low-ash diet he was fine and less trips to the vets !!! It is important to get "low-ash" food for your cat as it helps prevent the urine from crystalizing and then blocking them up. I kept him on the diet because when he got sick it was awful to see him so uncomfortable , and well worth it to buy the food suggested by the vet. Good luck !
6. Feeding a quality canned food is your first place to start See www.catinfo.org for more info. And please, skip the Hills prescription products
7. It's best you give cats a diet of raw meat and/or canned food.
8. Hi Rowan...A little background about causes of FLUTD. It is caused by several factors, and combinations of these factors, which include obesity, stress, urinary pH, water and fibre intake in the animal's diet. Recurrence is common with FLUTD cats so preventive measures such a canned food diet to keep hydration levels high plus any other ways to encourage more water consumption is a must, easy access to multiple litter boxes in addition to regular check ups as well as supplementation with prescriptions depending on the severity of the condition. Cats who eat dry cat foods tend to suffer from recurring episodes and this seems to be a common denominator with cats diagnosed with various types of FLUTD. The idea is to acidify the urine because cats with FLUTD have low urine pH so your goal is to reverse this and canned foods have been known to achieve the results. Additionally, most commercial grade cat foods contain corn, corn meal which are fillers (carbohydrates) that bind the dry food together as a way of keeping foods lasting longer. Try finding cat food products which are devoid of these ingedients. The first ingredients should show chicken, chicken meal, etc. Most show the first ingredients as corn on the ingredient labels. IAMs, Science Diet, Purina, Whiskas, Friskies ...all have corn listed as the main ingredient. Cats who eat these tend to always feel hungry because the carbs don't metabolize fast enough and cats are obligate carnivores so they need a diet devoid of these types of carbs. Products such as Innova EVO, Nature's Variety Prairie, Wellness, Felidae, James Wellbeloved (for UK residents), are premium brands. Most cats who eat these find that they do not eat to eat as much because their appetite is better satiated. Most cats can maintain weight better by feeding a canned or raw food diet, which is very helpful for cats who suffer from FLUTD. For some reason the hydration in the canned or raw products helps metabolize food better and are also completely devoid of carbohydrates, which is more optimal for the feline's body and while at the same acidifies the urine pH which is perfect for cats who have FLUTD . When cats eat raw meat in the wild they get hydration from the fresh meat juices as well as some roughage from the animals who are natural herbivores. A mixture of canned and dry is an alternative for the busy lifestyle in a family always best for cats in the long-term. We are have been exposed to so many commercial ads regarding dry food for cats, but in reality it's the manufacturer's who benefit rather than the cats. Cats are not naturally designed to eat dry--the products were designed for convenience for the owner. Here's an article about commercial cat food; dry vs. canned, proper nutritional needs, etc: http://www.consumersearch.com/www/family/cat-food/review.html The Truth about Dry Cat Food: http://www.blakkatz.com/dryfood.html