Cat with crystals - NEED advice

Kaybie's Mom · #1 08-18-2009, 12:37 PM

Hi guys. I'm hoping someone has been in this situation before and can offer some advice. Gina (5 year old cat) has been peeing outside the litter box for the last couple weeks. We thought it was behavioral but after it not stopping, I took her into the vet this morning. She has an infection in her urine and also crystals. She's on antibiotics twice a day for two weeks and they also sold me this prescription food that is supposed to dissolve the crystals. Problem being that this food is VERY expensive....like $22 for a 5 pound bag! The vet was honest with me and told me that once cats get crystals, they are usually a life long problem to be dealt with and that staying on the prescription food for life is usually a solution. Well I bought the small bag for now but I'm out of a job and money is extremely tight right now so I know we can't afford this food indefinitely. I'm hoping someone will have some natural ways of curing/treating crystals so she can go back on her regular food? I've reading online and everything is advising me to make sure she drinks plenty of water so I put another bowl of water out that only she can reach without being bothered by the dogs. Also, I'm reading to feed her more canned food instead of always dry. We have a couple cans of cat food here...should I feed her those instead of the prescription food and just take that back and get my money back? Any insight or suggestions would be very much appreciated. Thanks in advance.

kayboxer · #2 08-18-2009, 01:26 PM

I wouldn't worry about the high dollar food from the vet. I had a female cat several years ago that had crystals. First and foremost, you need to make sure you give your cat plenty of water. The more the cat goes to the bathroom, the less chance the crystals have of forming in the bladder because they are emptying their bladder more. Water is probably the number one tip for avoidance. Yes, canned food does help because it has more moisture in it (I would ditch the dry and go canned). Also another thing that is suggested is not free feeding your cat because it keeps the urine alkaline up all the time which supposedly encourages crystals to form. If I were you, I would find a quality canned food and feed your cat twice daily, not leaving the food out all day. Make sure you cat has access to fresh water at all times. I would pick a premium canned food though, such as Halo Spot's Stew, Wellness, Natural Balance, etc. I would find one with a lower ash and magnesium content. I'm sure you can find a good canned food for less than a bag of the vet recommended dry food. I would try this before going on the restricted vet diet.

Holden's Mom · #3 08-18-2009, 02:57 PM

My Pinky had frequent utis, often with crystals. We would treat with antibiotics, and of course, the vet recomended special food. Pinky would have none of the special food. I tried the prescripton S/D kibble, and she would not eat a bite. She ate a bit of the Purina Pro Plan kibble for urinary tract health, but stopped after a week or so. That food is available at PetSmart with no prescription. I ended up feeding her Friskies canned, the special diet flavors. They are low ash and magnesium, and have more of a gravy than most canned foods. She liked the lamb and rice, and the beef and liver flavors best. Fresh water is very important; encourage drinking water. One other thing to watch, cats often clean themselves after urinating, and when they have infections and do this, those infections will not clear, even on antibiotics. I oftened used baby wipes on her when I saw her leave the litter pan. She didn't seem to mind the "help".

Pinky had other health problems, but the utis with crystals were painful for her. I also gave her a supplement (from the vet) to acidify the urine. It was similar to the cranberry extract that people take for urinary tract health. I crushed the pills and gave them in low sodium broth.

I feel sorry for your kitty as I know these things are painful. And I hope things look up for you in this very tight job market.

Pam and Autry

Gruntsmom · #4 08-18-2009, 04:09 PM

Sending lots of healing vibes to your Gina. I've heard that canned foods are much better for the kitties.

Kaybie's Mom · #5 08-18-2009, 06:22 PM

Well after talking it over with my boyfriend, we have decided to skip the prescription food (I'm returning it tomorrow) and we're feeding her canned food more often and making sure she drinks more often also. She will get her urine retested in 2 weeks so we'll see if there are any improvements...if not, then we might consider the vet food. Wish us luck!

kayboxer · #6 08-19-2009, 07:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kaybie's Mom

Well after talking it over with my boyfriend, we have decided to skip the prescription food (I'm returning it tomorrow) and we're feeding her canned food more often and making sure she drinks more often also. She will get her urine retested in 2 weeks so we'll see if there are any improvements...if not, then we might consider the vet food. Wish us luck!

I would just totally switch to can food, forget the dry. She needs all the water and moisture she can get.

Good luck!

Kaybie's Mom · #7 08-19-2009, 08:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kayboxer

I would just totally switch to can food, forget the dry. She needs all the water and moisture she can get.

Good luck!

I tried giving her canned food last night and this morning and she'll eat it but only if I mix a few pieces of her normal kibble in with it. I also added in some warm water to make it more gravy texture and she's drinking all that too so that is great! She's also using the litterbox again already!!! Thank you for all the advice!