| Paw Colors | Points |
|---|---|
| Grey | 0-49 |
| Red | 50-149 |
| Orange | 150-299 |
| Green | 300-599 |
| Magenta | 600-1499 |
| Purple | 1500-4999 |
| Blue | 5000-9999 |
| Brown | 10000-24999 |
| Black | 25000+ |
I’m having some serious deja vu with my B-Rock…
I’m currently awaiting the results of B-Rock’s urine test… For the past couple of weeks, he’s started demonstrating the old familiar signs of a UTI - excessive licking of his genitals (again!), straining to urinate (again!), and limited urine output (again!). We got him to the vet before it could escalate into the elimination-outside-of-the-litterbox stage.
Fingers crossed that I’m just being paranoid and he’s ok…
So, in the mean time, suggestions for fish-free foods? I’m sure my vet will try to push me back onto the Royal Canin prescription diet - but obviously that didn’t do the trick last time (and it contains fish meal). And has anyone experienced success with cranberry extract? If so, what forms have you used it in?
Also, I spoke with a friend whose dog had chronic lower urinary tract issues. They actually went in and created an opening above his urethra so that the urine exited his body “higher up” in the urinary tract… Has anyone heard of surgeries like this in cats? If B does have a UTI, this will be the second one since June. He’s not even 2 years old yet; I don’t like that frequency.
So here we go again…
Keywords: cranberry, cranberry extract, diet, fish, fish-free food, prescription diet, urinary tract infections, UTI
Answers to this question
3 Answers
4
What kind of food are you currently feeding him? I\\\’ve heard about cranberry juice but have never tried it with my cats. Mix 1-2 tablespoons of 100% cranberry juice with his wet food. It works for humans.
There is a HUGE difference between regular cat food and any prescription cat food designed to manage urinary tract disease. HUGE. If your vet recommends a prescription product, giving him regular cat food is just going to make his problems worse. Prescription urinary diets are specifically formulated to dissolve certain stones and to prevent the formation of all types of stones. Regular cat food, even those designed for urinary tract health, cannot do that. It is quite a bit more complicated that simply being low ash. ALL cat foods are now low ash, and many are produce a slightly acidic urine which is good for preventing struvite stones. However, most cats are now producing calcium oxalate stones because of the regular cat food. Only prescription diets can control the formation of BOTH types of stones.
Perhaps he\\\’s at the point where he needs surgery to enlarge the urethra. I did have a couple cats years ago that had the surgery. They were fine afterwards. Our cats were also young and we were told it was our only option to help our cats.
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B\\\’s back home after a fun-filled day at the vet…
Turns out he doesn\\\’t YET have an infection. YET. But when they tested his urine, it had LOTS of struvite crystals. So he\\\’s basically on the verge of an infection (or worse - a blockage!). 
They gave him some sub-cutaneous fluids to help flush out the bladder, an antibiotic shot & take-home oral antibiotics to prevent any pending infections, and a life sentence on prescription diet urinary SO 33.
I guess we\\\’ll play the wait-and-see game… Hopefully being permanently on the prescription diet will be enough to combat his body\\\’s natural propensity for these crystals. *sigh*
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Ugh. Sorry your cat is having such troubles. The only advice I can give you, is get the canned version of the prescription food to up his water intake.
Catsofmany is right though, he may well need the surgery done. Some cats unfortunately just have a tendancy to chronic urinary tract problems, and sometimes diet can\\\’t control it. I suspect there\\\’s a genetic component to it but who knows. You definitely want to discuss the option with the vet. It may be premature at this point, see what the vet says, but it\\\’s an option you should consider.
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