FLUTD

Hi there,

Our cat is about 7 years old, and was first diagnosed with Feline Lower
Urinary Tract Disorder (FLUTD) about 5 years ago.

5 years ago we were told to keep him on a diet of vet food such as Hills
'C/D' or similar. It was spelled out that we should use dry food as this
would make him thirsty and he would drink water to flush his urine.

Since including that diet he gets bouts of straining every 12 months or so.
I haven't always used the vet formula, mainly due to convenience and cost.
There are foods at the shopping mall such as Purina One that are marketed
towards FLUTD.

But every so often he does strain.

About a month ago I noticed that he was sick again, only he kind of blocked
up. I switched food over to Hills C/D straight away and he seemed to get
better within a couple of days.

But last weekend he blocked up completely. Couldn't pee at all. So we took
him to the vet. The vet gave him a canula (tube in his penis) for three
days and this seemed to clear the blockage. This cost $1000.00 USD.

Now the vet is saying not to feed him dry food, but to feed him either raw
meat or canned food and not to feed him the dry food at all.

What do I do? I cannot afford repeat vet bills like this. We adore our
cat, he has a beautiful personality and is like a part of the family. I do
want the best for him.

Any suggestions?

K,

Sydney Australia

"K..........." wrote in message
news:1114851681.65f8fd56713e80284a2fe670af9700f2@t eranews...
Hi there,

Our cat is about 7 years old, and was first diagnosed with Feline
Lower
Urinary Tract Disorder (FLUTD) about 5 years ago.

5 Now the vet is saying not to feed him dry food, but to feed him
either raw
meat or canned food and not to feed him the dry food at all.
[..]
What do I do? I cannot afford repeat vet bills like this. We adore
our
cat, he has a beautiful personality and is like a part of the
family. I do
want the best for him.

Any suggestions?

K,

FlUTD is a general description for various disorders and vets nowadays
generally advise a wet food diet and to encourage your cat to drink
more. My cat Kim has a tendency to feline idiopathic cystitis which
means there is no known cause and she is on a total canned diet and I
add a GAG supplement which lines her bladder and have a feliway
diffuser. She's not had it for a year so its a question of being
vigilant and managing it .

Alison
http://catinfolinks.mysite.wanadoo-members.co.uk/
http://doginfolinks.mysite.wanadoo-members.co.uk/

in article 1114851681.65f8fd56713e80284a2fe670af9700f2@terane ws,
K........... at wrote on 4/30/05 4:01AM:

Hi there,

Our cat is about 7 years old, and was first diagnosed with Feline Lower
Urinary Tract Disorder (FLUTD) about 5 years ago.

5 years ago we were told to keep him on a diet of vet food such as Hills
'C/D' or similar. It was spelled out that we should use dry food as this
would make him thirsty and he would drink water to flush his urine.

Since including that diet he gets bouts of straining every 12 months or so.
I haven't always used the vet formula, mainly due to convenience and cost.
There are foods at the shopping mall such as Purina One that are marketed
towards FLUTD.

But every so often he does strain.

About a month ago I noticed that he was sick again, only he kind of blocked
up. I switched food over to Hills C/D straight away and he seemed to get
better within a couple of days.

But last weekend he blocked up completely. Couldn't pee at all. So we took
him to the vet. The vet gave him a canula (tube in his penis) for three
days and this seemed to clear the blockage. This cost $1000.00 USD.

Now the vet is saying not to feed him dry food, but to feed him either raw
meat or canned food and not to feed him the dry food at all.

What do I do? I cannot afford repeat vet bills like this. We adore our
cat, he has a beautiful personality and is like a part of the family. I do
want the best for him.

Any suggestions?

K,

Sydney Australia


If you can find a good high grade canned food that would be best. I also
placed water everywhere in the house to encourage drinking. Found the "hot
spots" where they really like the water and kept those spots with water.
Feliway diffusers are really helpful. After switching to canned, keeping
water available in the favorite spots and using Feliway diffusers (to keep
stress down) Grant did not have crystals again.

How do I change from giving my cat dry food to caned food?

He is so used to dry food that he won't touch canned food. I have tried just
leaving tee canned food there with nothing else for 24 hours but he doesn't
want to touch it.

I also tried mixing just a teaspoon amount in with his normal dry food and
then he justs leaves the lot.

I've kinda given in a let him have a meal of dry food as I'm more concerned
that he will block his penis again simply from not eating and drinking.

Is there an established way of introducing a new diet to cats? He has been
eating 100% dry food now for the last 7 years and I think this may take some
time.

thanks,

Kulander, Sydney Australia.

"Karen" wrote in message
...
in article 1114851681.65f8fd56713e80284a2fe670af9700f2@terane ws,
K........... at wrote on 4/30/05 4:01AM:

Hi there,

Our cat is about 7 years old, and was first diagnosed with Feline Lower
Urinary Tract Disorder (FLUTD) about 5 years ago.

5 years ago we were told to keep him on a diet of vet food such as Hills
'C/D' or similar. It was spelled out that we should use dry food as this
would make him thirsty and he would drink water to flush his urine.

Since including that diet he gets bouts of straining every 12 months or
so.
I haven't always used the vet formula, mainly due to convenience and
cost.
There are foods at the shopping mall such as Purina One that are marketed
towards FLUTD.

But every so often he does strain.

About a month ago I noticed that he was sick again, only he kind of
blocked
up. I switched food over to Hills C/D straight away and he seemed to get
better within a couple of days.

But last weekend he blocked up completely. Couldn't pee at all. So we
took
him to the vet. The vet gave him a canula (tube in his penis) for three
days and this seemed to clear the blockage. This cost $1000.00 USD.

Now the vet is saying not to feed him dry food, but to feed him either
raw
meat or canned food and not to feed him the dry food at all.

What do I do? I cannot afford repeat vet bills like this. We adore our
cat, he has a beautiful personality and is like a part of the family. I
do
want the best for him.

Any suggestions?

K,

Sydney Australia


If you can find a good high grade canned food that would be best. I also
placed water everywhere in the house to encourage drinking. Found the "hot
spots" where they really like the water and kept those spots with water.
Feliway diffusers are really helpful. After switching to canned, keeping
water available in the favorite spots and using Feliway diffusers (to keep
stress down) Grant did not have crystals again.

in article 1114938080.c93914754bec6b32507388e1009aa8f2@terane ws,
K........... at wrote on 5/1/05 4:00AM:

How do I change from giving my cat dry food to caned food?

He is so used to dry food that he won't touch canned food. I have tried just
leaving tee canned food there with nothing else for 24 hours but he doesn't
want to touch it.

I also tried mixing just a teaspoon amount in with his normal dry food and
then he justs leaves the lot.

I've kinda given in a let him have a meal of dry food as I'm more concerned
that he will block his penis again simply from not eating and drinking.

Is there an established way of introducing a new diet to cats? He has been
eating 100% dry food now for the last 7 years and I think this may take some
time.

well, my method was trying every flavor of every premium food out there.
But, I never have been able to successfully convert Grant's sister, Sugar,
to wet. Others suggest taking the dry food and adding water to transition to
the mushy feel of wet food, but not chaning flavor, then slowly mixing in
canned. Others had success putting tuna water on the wet food and then
slowly backing off the tuna water. I know it's a pain. I swear I would never
feed a kitten dry food again. Later in life they can have a snack of it, but
it's just too hard to get them on canned which is just a LOT better. I will
say putting water dishes of different heights all over until I found the
"hot spots" was very successful with all the cats. Since I put a dish by the
big window where their cat trees are, both Sugar and Pearl have definitely
increased their drinking.

"K..........." wrote in message
news:1114851681.65f8fd56713e80284a2fe670af9700f2@t eranews...
Hi there,

Our cat is about 7 years old, and was first diagnosed with Feline Lower
Urinary Tract Disorder (FLUTD) about 5 years ago.

5 years ago we were told to keep him on a diet of vet food such as Hills
'C/D' or similar. It was spelled out that we should use dry food as this
would make him thirsty and he would drink water to flush his urine.


That's kinda silly logic. Cats fed dry food do drink more water (~6x more)
than cats fed canned food, but most of that water is lost to fecal moisture
so the urine volume is actually -less- and urine specific gravity
is -higher-. The concentration of the solutes in the urine- especially the
substances that form crystals and plugs- depends on urine volume. A higher
water intake results in a less concentrated urine and a higher water
turnover results in more frequent urination which eliminates crystal and
plug substances before they become large enough to interfere with urination
and/or irritate and inflame the glycosaminoglycan (GAG) layer that coats the
bladder epithelium.

Frequent urination also results in less time that urine is in contact with
the bladder wall. This can reduce and often eliminate symptoms of
interstitial cystitis in cats that might have a defect in GAG layer that
might permit urine to penetrate the urothelium and cause inflammation.

Many studies over the last 20 years have shown that cats fed canned food
have a -higher- water intake and water turnover than cats fed dry food. So,
this isn't simply an opinion.



Since including that diet he gets bouts of straining every 12 months or
so.
I haven't always used the vet formula, mainly due to convenience and cost.
There are foods at the shopping mall such as Purina One that are marketed
towards FLUTD.

Even though dry urinary diets are similary formulated, they're less
efficacious than canned. All dry foods have the same disadvantages. Also,
dry food is less digestible than equal-quality canned food- so, the cat must
eat more food and in doing so, takes in more magnesium (as well as other
minerals). Urine pH determines if struvite will form, but the amount of
magnesium determines how much struvite will form. The magnesium content
only becomes important when urine pH rises above 6.1-6.2.



But every so often he does strain.


This can also be caused by inflammation caused by crystals or a leaky GAG
layer. Inflammation causes a nervous sensation that mimics the feeling of a
full bladder. The nervous impulses that control the urge to urinate are
constantly stimulated by inflammation so that the urge to urinate is
constant whether the bladder is full or empty. This is why many cats that
are rushed to emergency vets because they seem to be straining to pee
actually have empty bladders. However, whenever a male cat appears to stain
to urinate, you should always assume the cat is blocked and get him to a vet
ASAP. A urinary tract obstruction produces a pathophysiologic state
equivalent to oliguric acute renal failure-- which can become fatal very
quickly.




About a month ago I noticed that he was sick again, only he kind of
blocked
up. I switched food over to Hills C/D straight away and he seemed to get
better within a couple of days.

But last weekend he blocked up completely. Couldn't pee at all. So we
took
him to the vet. The vet gave him a canula (tube in his penis) for three
days and this seemed to clear the blockage. This cost $1000.00 USD.

Now the vet is saying not to feed him dry food, but to feed him either raw
meat or canned food and not to feed him the dry food at all.


The vet is absolutely correct.


What do I do? I cannot afford repeat vet bills like this. We adore our
cat, he has a beautiful personality and is like a part of the family.


He's not 'like' part of the family; he *is* part of the family- at least
that's how I feel about my cats.

I do
want the best for him.

I believe you. That's why I'm taking the time to give you the best advice I
can.



Any suggestions?

Try adding a very small amount (1 tsp) of water to his dry food and
gradually increase the water every few days after he adjusts to the slighly
moistened food. This must be accomplished s l o w l y and very gradually-
if you rush it you'll blow it. After he's eating a mix that's pretty close
to the consistency of canned food, you can gradually introduce the canned
food to the mix (removing the same amount) so he can gradually adjust to the
taste.

Another method that works with some cats is grinding the dry food into a
powder in a Kithchen-Aide or blender and sprinkling the powder over the
canned food.

You can also accustom him to canned food by smearing a dab of canned food on
his nose (not near or blocking his nostrils). The smell will satiate his
olfactory system and when he licks it off he'll satiate his gustatory system
so the food will become 'familiar' to him. You can also smear the canned
food on his belly. The more canned food you get him to eat, the quicker
he'll adapt to eating it voluntarily.

Cats' texture preferences are deep-seated and very strongly influenced from
kittenhood and and very hard to change. Some cats adapt very quickly, but
most cats take a bit more work.

One last suggestion: Feed your cat only twice a day- 12 hours apart.
Feeding releases bicarbonate that causes transient alkalinization of the
urine (postprandial alkaline tide) that could promote struvite formation.
Feeding at 12-hour intervals allows the cat's natural acidity to return and
dissolve struvite. All-day grazing keeps the urine alkaline throughout the
day and could allow struvite to form.

Best of luck,

Phil

"Phil P." wrote in message
...

That's kinda silly logic. Cats fed dry food do drink more water (~6x
more)
than cats fed canned food, but most of that water is lost to fecal
moisture
so the urine volume is actually -less- and urine specific gravity
is -higher-.

Phil, can you explain why this is? I don't disbelieve you, I know you're
correct, but it seems counter-intuitive that fluid intake via water will be
lost in fecal matter but fluid intake via canned food would go through the
kidneys. Why does it work that way? Thanks.

Hugs,

CatNipped

"Catnipped" wrote in message
...
"Phil P." wrote in message
...

That's kinda silly logic. Cats fed dry food do drink more water (~6x
more)
than cats fed canned food, but most of that water is lost to fecal
moisture
so the urine volume is actually -less- and urine specific gravity
is -higher-.

Phil, can you explain why this is? I don't disbelieve you, I know you're
correct, but it seems counter-intuitive that fluid intake via water will
be
lost in fecal matter but fluid intake via canned food would go through the
kidneys. Why does it work that way?

Gastrointestinal absorption. Dry food must absorb more water to move it
through the digestive system leaving less moisture for urine. That's why
dry- fed cats usually have a lower urine volume and a higher USG- and why
dry-fed cats are more prone to crystalluria and urolithiasis than canned-and
meat-fed cats. Dry-fed cats also become constipated quickly if they don't
drink enough water... which they usually don't.


Here's an excerpt from the NRC:

"A number of studies have been conducted in which the ratio of free water to
dry matter intake of cats has been measured (Carver and Waterhouse, 1962;
Thrall and Miller, 1976; Holme, 1977; Jackson and Tovey, 1977; Seefeldt and
Chapman, 1979). Anderson (1983) summarized these data and showed that for
commercial dry foods the ratio of water to dry matter intake varied from 2.0
to 2.8.1 and for canned foods from 3.0 to 5.7: 1. Kane et al. (1981b), in a
study of eating and drinking patterns of the cat, reported lower ratios of
water to dry matter intake for two purified diets (1.1:1 and 1.4:1) than
those reported by Anderson (1983) for commercial diets. However, they found
similar ratios to those reported by Anderson (1983) for commercial dry and
canned foods (1.9:1 and 3.5:1, respectively). In these studies cats given
dry commercial food ad libitum drank water about the same number of times as
they ate (16 - 0 versus 15.7 times/day, respectively). All studies on water
and dry matter intakes of cats indicate higher total free water to dry
matter ratios for cats given commercial canned food diets than for cats
given commercial dry foods. That is, cats given dry food do not voluntarily
consume water to equal the ratio of water to dry matter of cats given canned
diets containing about 75 percent moisture. "

You can find more information about water balance in the cat on my site:

http://maxshouse.com/feline_nutrition.htm#Water Requirements


Phil


"On a Cat Ageing

He blinks upon the hearth-rug
And yawns in deep content,

Accepting all the comforts
That Providence has sent.

Louder he purrs and louder,
In one glad hymn of praise

For all the night's adventures,
For quiet, restful days.

Life will go on forever,
With all that cat can wish;

Warmth, and the glad procession
Of fish and milk and fish.

Only-the thought disturbs him-
He's noticed once or twice,

That times are somehow breeding
A nimbler race of mice."

SIR ALEXANDER GRAY

"Phil P." wrote in message
...

Gastrointestinal absorption. Dry food must absorb more water to move it
through the digestive system leaving less moisture for urine. That's why
dry- fed cats usually have a lower urine volume and a higher USG- and why
dry-fed cats are more prone to crystalluria and urolithiasis than
canned-and
meat-fed cats. Dry-fed cats also become constipated quickly if they don't
drink enough water... which they usually don't.

OK, now that makes sense, thanks! I'm glad my girls are finally, not only
getting used to, but looking forward to their canned food twice a day. It's
funny, and maybe it's because they were so used to eating the same flavor of
dry food all these years, but they seem to like only one flavor of canned
(beef). It took a while and trying many different flavors to find one that
they enjoy eating and will eat all of instead of trying to "bury" it. ;
I'm still trying other flavors every once in a while in case they decide
they like something else, but it's mostly wasted, and at the cost of premium
canned food now-a-days, I hesitate to waste it.

Hugs,

CatNipped

Here's an excerpt from the NRC:

"A number of studies have been conducted in which the ratio of free water
to
dry matter intake of cats has been measured (Carver and Waterhouse, 1962;
Thrall and Miller, 1976; Holme, 1977; Jackson and Tovey, 1977; Seefeldt
and
Chapman, 1979). Anderson (1983) summarized these data and showed that for
commercial dry foods the ratio of water to dry matter intake varied from
2.0
to 2.8.1 and for canned foods from 3.0 to 5.7: 1. Kane et al. (1981b), in
a
study of eating and drinking patterns of the cat, reported lower ratios of
water to dry matter intake for two purified diets (1.1:1 and 1.4:1) than
those reported by Anderson (1983) for commercial diets. However, they
found
similar ratios to those reported by Anderson (1983) for commercial dry and
canned foods (1.9:1 and 3.5:1, respectively). In these studies cats given
dry commercial food ad libitum drank water about the same number of times
as
they ate (16 - 0 versus 15.7 times/day, respectively). All studies on
water
and dry matter intakes of cats indicate higher total free water to dry
matter ratios for cats given commercial canned food diets than for cats
given commercial dry foods. That is, cats given dry food do not
voluntarily
consume water to equal the ratio of water to dry matter of cats given
canned
diets containing about 75 percent moisture. "

You can find more information about water balance in the cat on my site:

http://maxshouse.com/feline_nutrition.htm#Water Requirements


Phil


"On a Cat Ageing

He blinks upon the hearth-rug
And yawns in deep content,

Accepting all the comforts
That Providence has sent.

Louder he purrs and louder,
In one glad hymn of praise

For all the night's adventures,
For quiet, restful days.

Life will go on forever,
With all that cat can wish;

Warmth, and the glad procession
Of fish and milk and fish.

Only-the thought disturbs him-
He's noticed once or twice,

That times are somehow breeding
A nimbler race of mice."

SIR ALEXANDER GRAY

"CatNipped" wrote in message
...
"Phil P." wrote in message
...

Gastrointestinal absorption. Dry food must absorb more water to move it
through the digestive system leaving less moisture for urine. That's why
dry- fed cats usually have a lower urine volume and a higher USG- and
why
dry-fed cats are more prone to crystalluria and urolithiasis than
canned-and
meat-fed cats. Dry-fed cats also become constipated quickly if they
don't
drink enough water... which they usually don't.

OK, now that makes sense, thanks!


Another reason: Dry food is less digestible than equal-quality canned food.
The lower the digestibility of a food, the more the cat must eat to meet her
energy needs. The more the cat eats the more feces produced. The more
feces produced, the more water retained in the intestinal tract and excreted
in the feces-- which results in less water excreted in the urine and a
higher concentration of urinary solutes.



I'm glad my girls are finally, not only
getting used to, but looking forward to their canned food twice a day.


That's great!


It's
funny, and maybe it's because they were so used to eating the same flavor
of
dry food all these years, but they seem to like only one flavor of canned
(beef).

Its a good practice to rotate flavors *and* brands so they don't develop a
fixed food preference. This becomes very important later in life if the cat
needs to be switched to a prescription or special diet.



It took a while and trying many different flavors to find one that
they enjoy eating and will eat all of instead of trying to "bury" it. ;
I'm still trying other flavors every once in a while in case they decide
they like something else, but it's mostly wasted, and at the cost of
premium
canned food now-a-days, I hesitate to waste it.

My cats usually eat the trial cans of a new food-- but give it the nose-up
*after* I buy a few cases! Their last okey-doke was with Wysong- they got
me good on that one! I swear they plan the rejection just so their
conspecifics in the shelter get a special treat-- I think they know I bring
the food they don't like to the shelter. Smart ladies- but I'll get
even.... I'll take the money I spend on food they don't eat out of their
catnip money! ;-)

Try the Pet Guard Turkey & Rice and the Rabbit- great nutrient profiles and
a lot of cats love rabbit. My cats are on their third cycle of Rabbit
(every 6 days)... They're probably eating it because I haven't bought a
case yet! LOL!

Phil

http://maxshouse.com/feline_nutrition.htm#Water Requirements


Phil


"On a Cat Ageing

He blinks upon the hearth-rug
And yawns in deep content,

Accepting all the comforts
That Providence has sent.

Louder he purrs and louder,
In one glad hymn of praise

For all the night's adventures,
For quiet, restful days.

Life will go on forever,
With all that cat can wish;

Warmth, and the glad procession
Of fish and milk and fish.

Only-the thought disturbs him-
He's noticed once or twice,

That times are somehow breeding
A nimbler race of mice."

SIR ALEXANDER GRAY