Help with cat food

[Mom-ninja.]

My cat was just been treated for bladder stones. He is now supposed to eat Science Diet c/d. My problem is that it is filled with wheat and barley.

 

I had been feeding him EVO which is gf. Yes, I feed my pets gf food so that *I* don't have to worry about getting cross contamination from the pet food. Yes, my celiac reaction is that sensitive that even my pet food needs to be gf.

 

My vet said not only is the Science Diet low in the particular minerals that can lead to bladder stones, but has ingredients that help dissolve the crystals. What ingredients those are I don't know. My vet didn't know of another food to feed him.

 

So, does anyone know of a food I can feed my cat that will help prevent crystals like the Science Diet c/d?

 

I have tried raw in the past. He went on a hunger strike.  

[Ellie]

My cat was just been treated for bladder stones. He is now supposed to eat Science Diet c/d. My problem is that it is filled with wheat and barley.

 

I had been feeding him EVO which is gf. Yes, I feed my pets gf food so that *I* don't have to worry about getting cross contamination from the pet food. Yes, my celiac reaction is that sensitive that even my pet food needs to be gf.

 

My vet said not only is the Science Diet low in the particular minerals that can lead to bladder stones, but has ingredients that help dissolve the crystals. What ingredients those are I don't know. My vet didn't know of another food to feed him.

 

So, does anyone know of a food I can feed my cat that will help prevent crystals like the Science Diet c/d?

 

I have tried raw in the past. He went on a hunger strike.  

 

I disagree with your vet. Evo is way better than SD.

[MistyMountain]

My cat was syringe fed the prescription science diet for a while and ended up hating it of course. It actually does not seem like the best quality based on the ingredients and calorie content. I am not sure why they reccomend it. I would think any quality wet food would be good. Cat food should not contain gluten anyway since they are carnivores but a lot brands add them.

Edited March 4, 2016 by MistyMountain

[Mergath]

From what I've read, grain-free dry food can cause crystals in male cats. If you continue with the grain-free food but supplement heavily with canned food he should be okay, otherwise you could look for a cat food that only uses rice, not wheat, and see if he does better on that.

 

From a quick Google search, maybe this would be an option? It doesn't contain wheat and helps prevent kidney stones.

 

https://www.canidae.com/cat-food/life-stages/dry/chicken-meal-and-rice

 

ETA: Never mind, that one has barley.

Edited March 4, 2016 by Mergath

[skimomma]

Raw food was the only fix for my crystal-cat.  We tried Science Diet per the vet's instructions which did seem to keep the crystals away but caused a whole host of other problems.  Within two months on it both of my cats had flakey skin, dull fur, vomiting, and constipation.  We tried grain-free wet food which quickly resolved all the secondary issues but the crystals came back.  Someone here (I think) recommended raw.   I really REALLY hate dealing with raw but they are healthy and no crystals for now over 5 years so we keep at it.  There are now many types out there.  We had to try a few different ones before we found one both of my fussy cats liked.

[Mom-ninja.]

Raw food was the only fix for my crystal-cat.  We tried Science Diet per the vet's instructions which did seem to keep the crystals away but caused a whole host of other problems.  Within two months on it both of my cats had flakey skin, dull fur, vomiting, and constipation.  We tried grain-free wet food which quickly resolved all the secondary issues but the crystals came back.  Someone here (I think) recommended raw.   I really REALLY hate dealing with raw but they are healthy and no crystals for now over 5 years so we keep at it.  There are now many types out there.  We had to try a few different ones before we found one both of my fussy cats liked.

 

So you buy your raw food? I'm wondering if I should make it as that would be cheaper. Definitely cheaper than the vet bill I just paid.....

[Alicia64]

I would not talk to TWTM (us) -- I would get a second or even third vet opinion.

 

Food can really impact a cat's health so you want to know the scoop from trained people.

 

Alley

[skimomma]

So you buy your raw food? I'm wondering if I should make it as that would be cheaper. Definitely cheaper than the vet bill I just paid.....

 

I have done both but now buy it.  Our local feed store carries Nature's Variety raw food.  It is expensive.  It cost about $5 per week per cat.  That does not seem like much but is far more than dry food and most wet food.  But, like you said, it is far less costly (and traumatic) than vet bills.  Neither cat has been to the vet in the 5 years since we switched and these are "elderly" cats, 14 and 16 yo.  The year before we switched, we paid over $2000 in vet bills.  Both cats were in multiple times.  It was terrible.  And I am pretty sure the Science Diet was a significant factor.

 

I have also bought whole raw chickens from local farms and processed them myself.  That was about 1/2 the cost (yay) and likely better quality food but a colossal job with a side of traumatic mess (not so yay).  I did it for a while but decided that letting someone else do the work was worth every penny.  I would do it again if I had to in order to afford it.

[Laurie]

One night many years ago I had to take our male cat to the emergency animal hospital because of bladder trouble.   The vet who treated him told me that he shouldn't eat dry food again, but no special brand or prescription diet was suggested.  

 

Our cat has been on a canned food diet since then and has not had bladder problems.  He does have other health problems (IBD) so at one time our regular vet wanted him to eat prescription food....I can tell you that Royal Canin prescription food nearly killed him so I personally don't have 100% confidence in prescription food.   For the last few years I've been buying Wild Calling canned food for him and he was able to gain back  the weight he had lost while eating the cans from the vet.  

 

This website has been helpful for me:     http://www.catinfo.org/?link=urinarytracthealth

 

Good luck finding something that will work for you and your cat! 

 

 

Edited March 5, 2016 by Laurie

[StephanieZ]

FYI, c/d is available canned. I'd imagine that the canned version would be less likely to sprinkle crumbs all over the place that would cause problems for you. So, if canned vs dry would help, switch to canned. (Any cat with urinary issues should be on canned food anyway, as higher water consumption is critical to urinary health.) 

 

 

 

There are a couple different types of urinary crystals, and they require different dietary things to manage (or even dissolve) them. So not ALL "urinary diets" are going to work for every patient, so be sure to run any choice by your vet before switching. I'm NOT a vet. Dh is, and I help manage his practice, so I do know a bit more than some.

 

There are multiple companies that sell good urinary diets. Royal Canin and Science Diet are the two big companies who create "therapeutic" diets for the veterinary market. They make dozens of very specialized diets for specific conditions. The good urinary diets are a very valuable tool to vets, FWIW.

 

I would suggest you look on the Royal Canin and Science Diet websites and read the ingredient lists for the various urinary diets. Be sure to look at canned as well as dry, as ingredients will vary for every formulation. See if any appear to be gluten free (but aren't going to be labeled as such, as I don't think you're going to find a mainstream pet food manufacturer certifying things as gluten-free)

 

If your allergy is so severe that you must be 100% certain that the food is gluten free, then I'd suggest you consult a board certified nutritionist at a teaching hospital. Ask your vet where the couple/few closest vet schools are, and call them up and find out if they have a nutritionist and if you can consult with them. That's what I'd do if I were in your shoes. The nutritionist may well know of other smaller brands of food that are appropriate medically for your cat as well as safe for YOU.

 

Also, if you don't already, be sure to encourage water consumption. Get a "cat fountain", wash the water bowl frequently, leave a faucet dripping . . . etc. It's hugely important!

 

Good luck!

 

 

[Pawz4me]

If I needed to be so strictly gluten free I would avoid any commercial food.  Almost all of them are prepared using the same machinery, one batch after another and reportedly there isn't always cleaning/sanitizing done between batches.

 

Like others have said, any cat with urinary or bladder issues should be on a diet of all wet food.

 

In your shoes I would be inclined to follow Stephanie's advice and consult with a veterinary nutritionist.  If you don't have convenient access to a vet school, you might consider the services available through PetDiets, which are highly regarded.  Dr. Remillard is a board certified veterinary nutritionist with many years of teaching experience.  I use her generic homemade diet for a healthy dog when cooking for my little guy.  And here is a list of resources from the American Academy of Veterinary Nutritionists (note PetDiets is one of their recommendations).

Edited March 5, 2016 by Pawz4me