Feline Lower Urinary Tract Disease - how much of this is actually related to diet? What else can I do?
My cat was recently diagnosed with FLUTD; this is actually the second cat of mine thats been diagnosed and the previous one unfortunately died cause of it due to stones.
Regardless, I wanted to know how much of this disease can be attributed to what food my cat is eating. My vet, since the last blockage, is prescribing one of the vet diets - is this really necessary?
Also, as the question states, what else can be done to prevent this from happening? As it’s costing us thousands to correct, so it would be nice to maybe maybe a bit more for things over the cats lifetime than to pay thousands every year if this, or another one of my cats, had to get it. Thanks,
Hi Rowan…A little background about causes of FLUTD. It is caused by several factors, and combinations of these factors, which include obesity, stress, urinary pH, water and fibre intake in the animal’s diet. Recurrence is common with FLUTD cats so preventive measures such a canned food diet to keep hydration levels high plus any other ways to encourage more water consumption is a must, easy access to multiple litter boxes in addition to regular check ups as well as supplementation with prescriptions depending on the severity of the condition.
Cats who eat dry cat foods tend to suffer from recurring episodes and this seems to be a common denominator with cats diagnosed with various types of FLUTD. The idea is to acidify the urine because cats with FLUTD have low urine pH so your goal is to reverse this and canned foods have been known to achieve the results.
Additionally, most commercial grade cat foods contain corn, corn meal which are fillers (carbohydrates) that bind the dry food together as a way of keeping foods lasting longer. Try finding cat food products which are devoid of these ingedients. The first ingredients should show chicken, chicken meal, etc. Most show the first ingredients as corn on the ingredient labels. IAMs, Science Diet, Purina, Whiskas, Friskies …all have corn listed as the main ingredient. Cats who eat these tend to always feel hungry because the carbs don’t metabolize fast enough and cats are obligate carnivores so they need a diet devoid of these types of carbs. Products such as Innova EVO, Nature’s Variety Prairie, Wellness, Felidae, James Wellbeloved (for UK residents), are premium brands. Most cats who eat these find that they do not eat to eat as much because their appetite is better satiated.
Most cats can maintain weight better by feeding a canned or raw food diet, which is very helpful for cats who suffer from FLUTD. For some reason the hydration in the canned or raw products helps metabolize food better and are also completely devoid of carbohydrates, which is more optimal for the feline’s body and while at the same acidifies the urine pH which is perfect for cats who have FLUTD . When cats eat raw meat in the wild they get hydration from the fresh meat juices as well as some roughage from the animals who are natural herbivores. A mixture of canned and dry is an alternative for the busy lifestyle in a family always best for cats in the long-term. We are have been exposed to so many commercial ads regarding dry food for cats, but in reality it’s the manufacturer’s who benefit rather than the cats. Cats are not naturally designed to eat dry–the products were designed for convenience for the owner.
Here’s an article about commercial cat food; dry vs. canned, proper nutritional needs, etc: http://www.consumersearch.com/www/family/cat-food/review.html
The Truth about Dry Cat Food: http://www.blakkatz.com/dryfood.html
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