Help!! Elmo is about 3 years old cat. He is neutered. He started squirting everywhere. I took him to vet thinking he had a urinary tract infection. They called and told me he is acting more like crystals in his urine. They are telling me he will need to be locked up in a bathroom or something for a couple days until this resolves. I am guessing he will be on medication as well. (I pick him up later today). My question is, they are recommending I put him on Science Diet CD. I have read on Wiley's that SD is not the best food. I don't know if it is different for this specific disease. Does anyone know a different food for this problem to help promote urinary health. We feed the dog (Max) Nature's Variety Lamb and Rice.
The problem is, we have 2 other cats. I recently changed them from Nutro Max Indoor Hairball Management because of the recall. I put them on Proplan salmon and rice. It was highly recommended at the pet store. I am now wondering if that isn't what caused Elmo's problem...I think I have included everything. I would really like a food they all 3 can share. Any suggestions would be great. Thanks everyone!!

Our cat had very bad crystals years ago, and was on SD for years, did fine on it, although I did not like having him on it, if we took him off he started to get blocked up again.

Now I have him on Evo, an all meat based diet, which is offered at all times of the day, and he gets a can of food every day as well. Crystals are caused, by not drinking enough liquids so the wet food helps with that. It has been a few months like this and he is fine.

OMG!!! Elmo is a stinky mess. I have a long haired cat that dribbles all day. Yuck! I have him in our huge corner shower in the bathroom. He has more room than he had in the crate. I can't stand the smell though. I just tried to get poop off his hair, it was smeared everywhere. Oh help me get through this one. Anyone with any smell good ideas? I can't wait to give him a great bath. lol...that should be fun. (a cat in the bathtub)ha ha...

If you have male cats, it's best to feed them either raw or canned because of the moisture. This ensures they get the moisture they need as cats aren't thirst driven. Sounds like your cat has struvite crystals which are often accompanied by an infection. Did your vet prescribe antibiotics?

Also, certain minerals can increase the likelihood of crystals - one being magnesium. Fish has a high level of magnesium and is usually not reccommended for cats prone to crystals. Fish is not a natural food for cats either. Regardless, Science Diet does make a chicken formula and a seafood formula of c/d. I'm not a big fan of c/d but feed it until the crystals are gone and then find a food that is not fish-based and has a low magnesium content. Grain=free canned foods are good choices.

Hi. Thanks for your reply. Yes, Elmo was on antibiotics. He finished them. He is doing much better. He is eating pretty well. He is not really fond of the c/d. I have to lock him in the bathroom to eat. Otherwise, he will try and eat the other cat's food. He doesn't seem to be having any residual effects. I am going to have to check into something else to eat once this is over. Thanks for the suggestions. Raw isn't an option for me with 3 cats and a dog. I am going to look and see what else I can find besides raw. Any ideas please feel free to IM me. Thanks

As you are finished with the antibiotics, I would suggest that you go have a urinalysis done to make sure the crystals are gone. I know it's another expense but it's worth it because you don't want the crystals to multiply and stick together which will create stones which then may cause a urinary blockage.. you DEFINITELY DON'T WANT THAT! That costs huge bucks! And you have to take your cat in immediately as toxins can build up in his system and well, you can figure out the outcome!

Anyway, sorry I don't mean to scare you....just trying to be proactive. My dog had crystals and she was supposed to have been eating the c/d - I tried a couple of cans but the amount of poop and gas she had, I couldn't take it. So what I did was, I fed her her raw patties and added Wysong's Biotic ph- to them. Biotic ph- is a supplement which is supposed to help acidify the urine - this is what you want to do with struvite crystals, which like I said, I am assuming your cat has since he's on the c/d. If the crystals were calcium oxylate, I'd add Wysong's Biotic ph+ which increases the alkalinity of the urine. Google Wysong biotic ph- and see if you can get it somewhere. It has all natural ingredients and you can feed her a regular food. It's not something that can be used all the time but there is something called Urine-ease (sp?) which is a paste that is supposed to help maintain urinary health. I use it with my cats. You can put a bit on his paw so he licks it off or just on your finger. It's made by NaturVet. And I think you can use it every day for urinary support.

As for food, look for one with no more than 0.025% magnesium. You also want to look for a food with relatively low phosphorus. And add some chicken or beef broth to your cat's water and food to increase his water intake. (low sodium or make your own without salt) I made a huge pot of broth - just boiled a chicken - simmered for an hour and added a bit to her food and water.

You can also buy ph strips so you can test your cat's urine periodically. I've seen them in some pet stores and they're not cheap (where I am anyway) but they would be worth it in the long run to make sure his urine stays neutral.

Good luck and keep us posted on his progress!