hello i am looking for advice about diets. my 11 year old tom is currently at the vets being treated for a blocked bladder. i have been told that he may need a prescription urinary diet for the rest of his life. i have also heard that urinary diets are sometimes not the best and that cutting out dry food can be just as effecive and healthier. obviously i want to do whats best for him!!
any advice??
p.s he had the same problem about a year and a half ago

I would agree with whoever told you prescription diets are not best and cutting out dry food will be more effective. Dry foods are low in moisture (obviously) which increases the chances of a repeat problem. Hill's prescription diets are a load of cack in my opinion, the first two ingredients of their C/D food are Brewers Rice and Corn Gluten Meal, not the best primary ingredients for a true carnivore. What food(s) are you feeding at the moment?

My advice would be to switch to a raw diet which is a natural way of solving the problem, all bases covered in one fell swoop. Alternatively find a high quality wet food with a quality protein source, no grains/cereals and if possible a reduced magnesium content in comparison to the current diet, feed small meals frequently and have fresh water readily available. You can also mix extra water into the food to up his moisture intake.

Totally agree - these "prescription" diets are a complete waste of money and will not solve the problem. Cats with urinary problems must be taken off all dried food and given a high quality wet diet, either good quality commercial food (NOT whiskas, felix or any of the "leading brands!) - and/or raw meats.

see Feeding Your Cat** Know the Basi for further information.

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i'm sorry but i have to disagree with you lot here. It really depends on the cat and the reason the cat is getting the UTI's. some get it from inflamation of the urethrea from an infection. some get it from malformed urethrea. some get it from struvite crystals. none of these really matter if you cat is eating wet or dry in fact there are wet and dry diets for urinary problems! Royal Canin make a brilliant new formula for urinary problems called High Dilution. I've seen fantastic results from it. One lil guy we thought we were going to have to amputate his penis off but he's fine now.

here are some articles you can have a look at that might give you a better look at things.
Reducing Struvite & Calcium Oxalate in the Urine of Cats

feline urinary tract disease in cats


also here is a cool new thing you can use in your litter to give you a heads up on your lil ones infection so you can get treatment sooner!
Nullodor Health indicator cat litter with colour coded early detection system.

he eats meat and biscuits at the moment, he has always preffered biscuits but since his last illness i have tried to include more wet food in his diet. they have got him on a urinary diet at the vets at present and he is due home tomorow. i'm not sure that i want to keep him on it tbh.

i got my cat (zahn) home today. apparently no crystals were found in his urine but a " plug of debris" stopping him passing urine. as he is getting older they reccommended that he lost a little weight and ate senior variety of food. what do people feed there older cats here?

All my cats have either raw minced beef, raw chicken wings, raw rabbit, cooked fish or chicken and Natures Menu pouches or Hi-life 60% meat pouches. They get Royal Canin biscuits too. As Kozykats and aj have suggested to give your cat wet food only, maybe you could try some of them and see

ive decided to cut biscuits out of zahns diet. i dont want a repeat of his latest episode and i tried a couple of samples of prescription dry and he turned his nose up at all of them! i really want to research what foods are best and give him the best diet possible so thanks to everyone for your help and advice! now if i can just get him to take his medicine.........

I would accede with whoever told you decree diets are not best and acid out dry aliment will be added effective. Dry foods are low in damp (obviously) which increases the affairs of a echo problem. Hill's decree diets are a amount of cack in my opinion, the aboriginal two capacity of their C/D aliment are Brewers Rice and Corn Gluten Meal, not the best primary capacity for a accurate carnivore. What food(s) are you agriculture at the moment?

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Quote from Cat Nutrition.Org
"The cat does not have a very strong thirst drive. This lack of a strong thirst drive leads to low-level, chronic dehydration when dry food makes up the bulk of their diet.

Cats are designed to obtain most of their water with their diet since their normal prey contains approximately 70 - 75 percent water. Dry foods only contain 7-10 percent water whereas canned foods contain approximately 78 percent water. Canned foods therefore more closely approximate the natural diet of the cat and are better suited to meet the cat’s water needs.

A cat consuming a predominantly dry-food diet does drink more water than a cat consuming a canned food diet, but in the end, when water from all sources is added together (what’s in their diet plus what they drink), the cat on dry food consumes approximately half the amount of water compared with a cat eating canned foods. This is a crucial point when one considers how common kidney and bladder problems are in the cat."

Again showing that dried foods, including expensive prescription foods, are totally wrong for the cat! Until cat owners begin to realise this, the food companies and the vets will continue to get rich while our beloved cats continue to be sick.

I have tested diabetic prescription foods on my own cat, to try to show my vet/friend just what a difference correct feeding makes to that disease. She fortunately has been won over by the results, but theres a lot of vets out there who are just too set in their ways to change.

Dry food is responsible for a hell of a lot of illness in cats. Illnesses including Kidney disease (CRF), Cystitis, Bladder stones, Diabetes, Obesity and Inflammatory bowel disease.

We all think we are doing the best for our cats by feeding them either what the vet recommends or another expensive dried food, but good food doesnt need to be expensive. The best food you can give a cat is a raw diet, if thats not possible, then a good quality wet food with less than 6% carbs.

http://www.catinfo.org/#Cats_Need_Pl...ith_Their_Food