Cat with Struvite Crystals

[Libra]

I have a cat prone to forming urinary crystals that create life threatening blockages in his urethra. I was already feeding him higher quality canned cat food, like tiki cat and blue buffalo, but I guess it wasn’t really that great. Since his vet visit, I’ve been feeding him the stuff the vets like to push, the special formula “prescription” foods because I’m terrified he will get sick again. I suppose they are formulated so that he is less likely to form these crystals, but it’s like slop. It doesn’t seem like the healthiest cat food and he does not like it at all. He almost always turns his nose up at it.

So I wanted to ask, if anyone knows of any good pet food brands that are good for preventing these crystals? Or if anyone knows a good homemade cat food recipe that isn’t difficult to make and promotes a well rounded nutrition for a cat? When he was a kitten, he was sick with constant diarrhea and a leaky anus. My ex had a meat grinder and I would grind slightly cooked chicken and bone and add vitamins into it and it turned his health around permanently in regards to that issue. But I’m also hesitant to try that again, and I would have to invest in a meat grinder. But I’d be willing. I also remember a cat food recipe on here, but I can’t seem to find it anymore.

Any advice is appreciated!

 

[GG Allin]

I have a cat prone to forming urinary crystals that create life threatening blockages in his urethra. I was already feeding him higher quality canned cat food, like tiki cat and blue buffalo, but I guess it wasn’t really that great. Since his vet visit, I’ve been feeding him the stuff the vets like to push, the special formula “prescription” foods because I’m terrified he will get sick again. I suppose they are formulated so that he is less likely to form these crystals, but it’s like slop. It doesn’t seem like the healthiest cat food and he does not like it at all. He almost always turns his nose up at it.

So I wanted to ask, if anyone knows of any good pet food brands that are good for preventing these crystals? Or if anyone knows a good homemade cat food recipe that isn’t difficult to make and promotes a well rounded nutrition for a cat? When he was a kitten, he was sick with constant diarrhea and a leaky anus. My ex had a meat grinder and I would grind slightly cooked chicken and bone and add vitamins into it and it turned his health around permanently in regards to that issue. But I’m also hesitant to try that again, and I would have to invest in a meat grinder. But I’d be willing. I also remember a cat food recipe on here, but I can’t seem to find it anymore.

Any advice is appreciated!

I wouldn´t trust any animal food brand, if you see what they allready put in the human food, you can think of what they are able to put in the animals food. Cats are carnivore animals just as you did write buy some fresh meat (don´t cook it) and mix in some vitamins. Or buy Liver / innards they have more vitamins. I once read about a human who would only eat goat meat, he did raise them by him self/ butcher them and eat everything raw, it was said especially he did eat the innards because of the vitamins in them. (He had some strange health problem he wasn´t abel to eat anything beside what I did mention)

 

[Shannon]

I have a cat prone to forming urinary crystals that create life threatening blockages in his urethra. I was already feeding him higher quality canned cat food, like tiki cat and blue buffalo, but I guess it wasn’t really that great. Since his vet visit, I’ve been feeding him the stuff the vets like to push, the special formula “prescription” foods because I’m terrified he will get sick again. I suppose they are formulated so that he is less likely to form these crystals, but it’s like slop. It doesn’t seem like the healthiest cat food and he does not like it at all. He almost always turns his nose up at it.

So I wanted to ask, if anyone knows of any good pet food brands that are good for preventing these crystals? Or if anyone knows a good homemade cat food recipe that isn’t difficult to make and promotes a well rounded nutrition for a cat? When he was a kitten, he was sick with constant diarrhea and a leaky anus. My ex had a meat grinder and I would grind slightly cooked chicken and bone and add vitamins into it and it turned his health around permanently in regards to that issue. But I’m also hesitant to try that again, and I would have to invest in a meat grinder. But I’d be willing. I also remember a cat food recipe on here, but I can’t seem to find it anymore.

Any advice is appreciated!

Hello, how long havs your cat been through this problem?
Has he or she been on a dry food diet in the past?

How often does your cat drink water?

 

[Libra]

Hello, how long havs your cat been through this problem?
Has he or she been on a dry food diet in the past?

How often does your cat drink water?

He’s been on a wet food diet his whole life, but I’ve given him dry when I am not able to feed him at a usual time, like if I’m gone for the night, out of town, and I have given it to him as a treat before I knew better. He seems to drink plenty water and I like to use a fountain. He seems to like to drink out of that more. He is around five years old and neutered.

So far, it has been a one time thing, but it happened really fast. I hadn’t noticed anything wrong before he had a full blockage and I had to take him to the vet to get a catheter. It didn’t fix the problem completely as it was an emergency vet really late on a Sunday, and I had to take him somewhere else before the blockage was completely gone. One of the vets told me the type of cat he is are especially prone to this happening.

He hasn’t had any issues since and it’s been almost a year but I don’t want to put him through that again either. On top of that, the prescription food just sucks and I’m confident he doesn’t need it and it’s just a marketing ploy for crappy cat food. I am also living with people that feed their cats dry food and they have not been too cooperative with helping me keep him out of it while I am gone for work. I’m doing other things to work out of that situation. I just want to keep my cat safe and healthy.

 

[Libra]

I wouldn´t trust any animal food brand, if you see what they allready put in the human food, you can think of what they are able to put in the animals food. Cats are carnivore animals just as you did write buy some fresh meat (don´t cook it) and mix in some vitamins. Or buy Liver / innards they have more vitamins. I once read about a human who would only eat goat meat, he did raise them by him self/ butcher them and eat everything raw, it was said especially he did eat the innards because of the vitamins in them. (He had some strange health problem he wasn´t abel to eat anything beside what I did mention)

Some of the homemade recipes I have researched call for adding both vitamins and organ meat like liver. Even without the health problems my cat has, I’ve considered it. It’s just easy to get caught up in the day to day, I rarely even cook much for myself, especially since I live with many other people. It’s an excuse, I know. I can make it work, I just have to do it.

 

[Anonymous]

I just want to share my experience with the same issue. I use the food made by Hills company, the Urinary c/d which is absolutely fantastic in dissolving struvite crystals. It's expensive, but it's totally worth it. My cats have done great with this food and they were peeing blood. There are other varieties of the Urinary food, so look them up see which one suits your cat. I know this is an old topic but I thought was worth mentioning my experience. Hope your baby is doing great