really need HELP with DIET & STRUVITE CRYSTALS

[opus88]

I am at wits end with my cat.
6 year old ...male...diagnosed with STRUVITE CRYSTALS.
DIET...EVO DRY.
I have read and talked extensively with my Vet with no answers.
PROBLEM..Nemo needs to go on a prescription diet of a type of SO formula and lots of hydration.....
PROBLEM, Nemo was starving himself when I got him as a kitten it took weeks of trying EVERY food available and I mean EVERY to get him to finally eat this EVO...grain free dry food.....
So now again my Vet and I have attempted to give him EVERY food avail. in a SO formula....with NO luck.
Its not just fussiness with him, because he won't even get close to the food, he smells it from a foot away and leaves. if I mix it with his old food again he walks away, I can't even add WATER to his usual food without him walking away and I have tried all sorts of tricks.
Right now he is eating his regular diet because I don't want him to starve himself again and create other medical problems.
I am giving him extra fluids via sryinge 60mls.
What else can I do?
My Vet refuses to give him medication to alter the high alkaline PH and thus run the risk of causing oxalate stones forming.

I have found a NutraVet paste at my petstore....called URINARY SUPPORT
the ingredients per 2 grams are.....DL-Methionine 144mg,  echinacea 94 mg, cranberry concentratr 63mg,  asorbic acid 31mg, and graperoot extract 31mg.
I know the cranberry and graperoot can be helpful, however the DL Meth does alter the high alkalinity...therefore am I going to cause the oxalate crystals with this small amount?

I apologize for giving such a long discription seems like he is dealing with so much and I need to help save this poor little guy from a potential blockage.
Any suggestions would be very much appreciated.

[opus88]

well thats an interesting proposal, did a Vet tell you this?
how long have your cats eaten the dog food? and did it clear up their crystals??...was another urine test done USG to confirm this?
I don't know where I'd ever get raw goats milk, but I do feed him 2% evaporated milk mixed 50/50 with water, he loves this....my Vet doesn't recommend it...but I still think it moisture and its gota be ok for him any way he'll take it.
What kind of dog food do you feed and HOW LONG have they been on it???

[AngelMyne]

I didnt read all the replys, but Ive had male cats have urinarry issues due to cat food its self. try feeding him dog food. Theres often too much ash in cat food for males to tollerate. we had 2 the vets said wouldnt make it until we put them on dog food we used for our dogs. and ours get lots of Raw goat milk. when a cat wont touch water they will drink milk!

[opus88]

I agree, the more you read the more disgusting it becomes....all profit margins you know, put whatever in that costs the least and generates the largest return.
Can't even blame the Vets, they believe what their suppliers tell them, many never read for themselves they just sell it because they trust these companies. and so do we.....I had read alot of this before when my Opus was ill back in the early 2000's, and at that time I tried to do the homemade food route....my Vet even helped getting me all the nutrients/minerals etc that I needed to be sure and add in....I bought the raw meat and ground it up than froze in individual packets...the whole route, BUT no matter how I tried my cats refused to eat it!! and I guess I didn't persevere enough either, always just easier to buy a can of whatever and keep them fed and happy.......
but yeah just look at all the diseases that could be prevented or treated if these poor little creatures weren't fed this junk....and when they get a taste of this junk they aren't interested in eating anything else....like us humans in comparison.
I have read the catnutrition site before too......more good advice.
Have you tried EVO/Innova from Natura on your boys?...thats Nemos food of choice, only thing wrong is he'll only eat the dry form and thus the lack of water content.
I have bought the cans but he so far won't eat that I'll keep trying. Its a good food, NO grains/fillers LOW carbs and little if any preservatives.  Its one food that the Vet on catinfo does recommend....it maybe one that Abby's IBD can tolerate??
But like she also says on her site. even cheap can food is better than a high quality dry food...so I'd be happy if he'd eat any of it.
Oh well I keep up the fight.

[PrettyKitty1]

Opus,

I did not read that part. Honestly and personally, I have never liked Hill's. Other diets, even high quality ones like Wellness, Merrick etc are very bad for Abby's colon. I haven't had success with any of them. The two diets that help are the raw diet and Hill's d/d. I still try to feed them raw food but they refuse it. I really want to buy Feline's Pride, which is even sold at our local supermarkets and the vet says it is a very good diet.
I have got to do something. Abby's got like 10 lbs of fat hanging out already. I don't want my cat to become obese and lazy. Dillan is in excellent shape....but I know that even my healthy kitty needs better food and I owe them that. They are my babies.

Opus, I cannot believe how much you have learned from that website. Did you know it is one of my all time favorite? Of course, I only check the IBD and Hepatic Lipidosis parts. I'm glad she has info on Crystals :)

You know what other website offers tips on switching foods?
www.catnutrition.org
You will find tips on the FAQs part. The home page talks about Duke's story and how he almost died of IBD, and how all of her cats are now on the raw diet. She also gives facts on what's in dry and canned food, what our felines need vs. what they THINK they want,  how the Food Administration manages the release of these ridiculously bad diets etc. Did you know that the Food Administration Company tests the foods for three months only? THREE MONTHS.  And, if in three months, the test subjects (cats and dogs) do not show significant body weight loss or dehydration, they give the food companies the OKAY to go ahead and sell us the food.  What do you think? I personally think it's disgusting!! Because then you end up with an IBD, obese pet, or a pet with Crystals, diabetes, allergies…and that’s just to mention a few. The food recall in 2007…….those foods killed and compromised thousands of household pets. I have learned not to rely on anything that is not natural.

[opus88]

Oh I know what you mean about the 'what now' look....poor Nemo I can't even pick him up to give him a hug anymore without him cringing.. makes us feel like crap.

Yeah all her story freaked the hell out of me too, no wonder they prefer the dry when its sprayed with all those chemicals just to make it smell so good! storage mites and rancid fats...makes me sick!

Did you read the part on how to slowly transition from dry to canned food?
I am going to try all the tips.
Go slowly with Abby....I understand how afraid you would be to start tampering with anything that is working for him after what he's been through....I am so afraid of that with Nemo too, he'll only eat the one food, if I start adding (even slowly) a new smell to it I am afraid he'll than turn it down too.
I don't want to see either of these boys going into starvation mode, I could see Nemo doing this also.....
all these years I've been so glad he would at last eat SOMETHING, now I am tampering with that one food.

I don't want to scare you anymore PK....just a word about the Hill's Science Diet foods, did you read what she had to say about that company on page 4 of  'know the basics of feline nutrition'?
Talking about even their canned food still being very high in Carbs.
BUT....we just can't change everything at once can we...the trick is slowly.

Now go back to your corner!!! lol

Hey everyone HAPPY EASTER

Opus, Nemo and Sami xxxx

[PrettyKitty1]

Glad to help out. One part of the web page talks about Crystals. Opus, make sure you read that and see if there is something else that you can do, k?

Please keep us posted!! I am currently feeding my cats prescription diet, d/d, dry, and I hate it, but it has helped out so so much with Abby's IBD and Dillan's skin that I am getting addicted to it myself. The raw food took care of this as well, but no matter how hard I try they still refuse to eat raw food for me. It is hard to get them to eat anything other than dry food when they can smell it. I'm just afraid that, if I do what they recommend: 'Get rid of the dry food so they will not smell it' Abigail will go into that phase of starvation again. I do have a plan tho. My cats will start to eat the same diet, but canned, so they can get more water. I will be praying so my cat won't have an upset colon this time with canned food. We should be good, if the nutrition content is the same. The food is amazing really, no corn, no rice, no yucca, no c r a p!! I will definitely be changing the diet to canned as soon as possible, because Opus, your story is freaking the h e l l outta me and Abby is good at giving me headaches!!! With him it's always like.......what now? Know what I mean?

Geez, I just made this about Abby. Got carried away. I should be grounded lol...going to the corner now...

[Jade59]

Oh, and Opus...another trick I use is to have Many water sources wherever Jade likes to be.  One by her dish inside, one outside the back door where she like to eat and one way in the backyard where she likes to sleep.  This has worked well so she doesn't have to go far if she's thirsty and is more likely to drink.  Try putting a dish of water wherever your kitties hang out in your house.  Like that site said, cats aren't big water drinkers, but if it's right there wherever kitty is, they're more likely to drink rather than go ALL THE WAY to the kitchen, lol...

[Jade59]

PK to the rescue!  Is this girl awesome or what :)  Yes, Great website!   Thank you so much!!  I just spent the morning reading it, too.  Hope this helps you, Opus.  Lots of good tips and I notice many tips you've been trying already so you're heading in the right direction.

I thank God Jade is a good water drinker and loves Fancy Feast and I may eliminate her dry food altogether and feed her only the canned.  She's a little chubby (she doesn't overeat so I don't understand) and that's why I've hesitated with this in the past since I know FF isn't the best.  You know Opus, maybe Jade didn't have any future urinary problems after her bout in 08 because I increased the canned to one whole can in the AM instead of half which helped eliminate a lot of dry food intake.  I know this girl will be thrilled to eat FF at night too, lol.

Best of luck, Opus!!!  I feel so hopeful for you! :)

[opus88]

OMG thank you so very much for leading me to this website, this should be a MUST READ for every cat owner...I sure learned a ton and I've only read a part on transitioning to canned food, excellent tips and advice. I have printed out 20 pages and I am now going to bed to read it all!!!
NOW I feel Nemo and I have a chance, maybe this won't be impossible after all....the trick perhaps is a flavor enhancer and perhaps syringing until he becomes used to the texture and taste???.....
THANK YOU SOOOOOOO MUCH PK.

[PrettyKitty1]

Oh dear,

I can feel your desperation in your words. I am so sorry you are still struggling with his not wanting to eat food. You are right, if you don't give him something he likes he will starve himself but not before his liver gets damaged. Look at my cat's case.
I wish I knew what to tell you. I know nothing about treatment for crystals except for diet change. But, here is a web page you may find helpful. It has been created by a licensed veterinarian. You can also contact her on the phone if you like what you read. Please take a minute and see if you like her posts. She says her favorite food to avoid crystals is Feline's Pride.

http://www.catinfo.org/feline_urinary_tract_health.htm