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From: AmyH (pool-70-17-40-185.pskn.east.verizon.net -70.17.40.185)
In Reply to: Re: Cat Food and Crystals - Jena and Emily posted by Jena on February 2, 2006 at 7:54 am:
I truly understand your fear. Years ago, before the internet, we had a cat block as well. He didn't have to have the surgery, but it took him a good 3 months to fully recover. He spent the rest of his life eating prescription food because we didn't know there were other options. Talk to your vet about switching your cats over to wet food. If you work closely with your vet, it may help alleviate some of your fears. When our vet first said we should feed C/D, I was positive he would object when I said I wanted to go with a high-quality canned diet instead. Much to my surprise, he was supportive of this choice, and learned a few things himself! I think vets tend to be automatically programmed to prescribe C/D. You can also monitor your cats' urinary pH at home with test strips; that way you can catch anything very early before problems actaully start if the pH is off. And if you do a switch, running urinalyses (frequently at first; not so frequently once you are sure things are stable) at the vets will also help make sure you are on the right track. I came to the "wet food" conclusion by generally doing a lot of Googling on "struvite crystals in cats" and "feline nutrtion" and pretty much all the sources pointed to high-quality wet food as the ideal diet for cats - for a multitude of reasons in addition to the urinary issue. The most comprehensive source is at the link I provided (www.catinfo.org) - it is a great site about feline nutrition, and it is written by a well-known vet. I also joined the Yahoo Cats with FLUTD discussion group and learned a lot there. Also, because the C/D is so high in carbs, it does tend to cause weight problems. Our Mr Kitty ballooned up to 22 lbs while eating what one would consider a "reasonable" amount of that food! And, of course, that can lead to other problems such as diabetes and CRF. I also know exactly how you feel about going to the vet. While I've never fainted, I do get awfully edgy and sweaty even if we're there for simple annual exams. We also went through treating Mr Kitty for lymphoma (the same cat who blocked), so I am extra, extra sensitive about going to the vet. We have to take the boys in next week for their annuals and I am dreading it. I always make my husband go with me for moral support (he loves the cats as much as I do, so it's really not hard for him to do!) ~Amy
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