"Brian or Sharon Beuchaw" wrote in message
...
Hello,

First, let me thank y'all for the wealth of information that's been in
here and archived - it's a *wonderful* resource. It's very much
appreciated....

Just be sure you consult your vet before following any medical advice you
obtain on the internet. These newsgroups should not be used as a
replacement for professional veterinary care. Also be wary of extremists
and fanatics with agendas.


And hopefully this will be an easy question for y'all - our 5 year old
female recently developed cystitis w/o crystals (and from what I've read,
stress and eating dry food may aggravate it,

You're correct. In fact a recent study published in the Journal of the
American Veterinary Association concluded:

"Results suggest that idiopathic cystitis (IC) occurs commonly in cats with
stranguria, hematuria, pollakiuria, or inappropriate elimination and is
associated with consumption of dry foods." (J Am Vet Med Assoc 1997 Jan
1;210(1):46-50).

This doesn't necessarily mean that dry food actually causes IC, but that dry
food probably unmasks or aggravates the disorder in cats that are
predisposed to it.

In a highly regarded veterinary textbook, the same researchers at Ohio State
University stated::

"We believe that stress is important in the development of recurrence of
signs in cats with IC and may be important in precipitating the first
episode of signs in susceptible animals.".


and we just got a new kitten
a few weeks ago and she eats dry food). I've read numerous posts about
wet food being best, so we need to switch.

Absolutely! Even though cats fed dry food drink ~6X more water than cats
fed canned food, their total water intake is about *half* and their urine
volume is lower than in cats fed canned food.. Increased water intake has
several benefits for cats with IC (actually for all cats). Higher water
intake and urine volume results in more frequent urination which reduces
urine contact time with the bladder wall and dilution of any noxious
substances in the urine. Frequent urination also reduces the risk of urinary
tract infections.


Which wet food (readily
available at either the grocery store or Petsmart) would be best for
keeping cystitis at bay for the rest of her life? Or does it really
matter what brand as long as it's wet and the cat likes it and eats it?


I wholeheartedly recommend a high quality canned food that's compounded from
a fixed formula, such as Science Diet. "Fixed formula" means that the
proportion and quality of the ingredients don't fluctuate with the market
prices of the ingredients. So there's little, if any, variation in the food
from batch to batch


She's also got the herpes virus, which flared up into a swollen eye during
her first year and again about 3 years later, so we're thinking it's
possible the cystitis could recur if it's aggravated by the virus and
stress.

One last suggestion. You might want to speak to your vet about a
glycosaminoglycan (GAG) supplement (glucosamine/chondroitin). A possible
cause of IC may be a defect in the GAG layer that coats the bladder
epithelium. A defect in the GAG layer might allow urine to penetrate the
urothelium and induce inflammation. Some of the same substances present in
cartilage.are also present in the GAG layer that lines the bladder wall. So
a GAG supplement may strengthen and maintain the integrity of the GAG layer
of the bladder wall.

One of these supplements (Cosequin For Cats - [Nutramax Laboratories]) is
specially formulated for cats in chicken and tuna flavored sprinkle
capsules.
http://www.nutramaxlabs.com/veterinary/cosequincat.htm


Best of luck,

Phil