My male cat has urinary issues. Is raw food safe or effective?

There have not been any major studies showing that orange cats develop more urinary tract issues than other cats, but some people believe there is anecdotal evidence . Wet food with water added and stress reduction may help reduce the risk of urinary tract issues, but there have not been any major studies showing that grain free diets can help prevent urinary issues. Grain free diets may be linked to heart disease in dogs, but studies in cats are pending. https://www.fda.gov/animalveterinary/newsevents/cvmupdates/ucm613305.htm See the link below and consult with your vet about the best food for Stewart https://talkspetfood.aafco.org/rightpetfood . You may also need to make some adjustments so you can help keep your home a low stress and comfortable place for Stewart, as stress can lead to urianry issues in cats. Cats need at least one litterbox per cat plus one extra to help reduce stress associated with the litterbox. They should be placed in separate rooms, away from the food and water bowls, must be scooped at least daily (preferably multiple times a day) and washed out at least weekly with a mild soap, followed by thorough rinsing. Cats need a lot of space to explore, but keeping them indoors is much safer than letting them outside, due to the risk of injury from cars, wildlife, other animals, etc. The key is providing space (particularly vertical space for climbing, such as cat trees, ledges, and the like) inside the home. Visit http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=T&C=33&S=2 , healthcareforpets.com and https://indoorpet.osu.edu// for tips on stress reduction. Also look into Feliway, a synthetic pheromone that is available in a diffuser and spray form that promotes calm feelings in cats http://www.feliway.com

Regular food is much less effective in preventing recurrent urinary tract issues in cats which are very prone to repeat episodes - it is impossible to say how sensitive he is and without trying you will not know but there is a chance he could relapse on ordinary canned food. Urinary diets tend to be adjusted to maintain urine pH to prevent crystals and are restricted in minerals and use only high quality protein sources to minimise the risk of urinary tract issues as well as providing an important source of fluids compared to dry food. The very best option in affected cats is urinary canned food but in many cases a high quality, commercial canned food is sufficient - if he relapses on this you will have to source the urinary prescription food as a treatment and prevention

Stress related (idiopathic type of inflammation) infection and presence of crystals are the most common causes of it. Struvite crystals are very common and usually comes from alkaline urine. Specific diets can be given to acidify urine like s/d by Hill's. I would recommend to have a look at this link to have more informations about FLUTD (feline-lower-urinary-tract-disease): https://www2.vet.cornell.edu/departments-centers-and-institutes/cornell-feline-health-center/health-information/feline-health-topics/feline-lower-urinary-tract-disease. Hope this answer was helpful, but please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further. Please find the time to give us a feedback about the consultation as that will be used to improve our service.

Since constipation issues are directed at increasing water content and fiber, I would recommend sticking with the canned Purina urinary food and then adding in fiber daily with 1-2 tsp of canned pumpkin or Metamucil. Also have him checked with your vet if there is ever a time he can't go at all because he may have a condition called megacolon (enlarged colon) which would require medicaiton to treat. You can also try Laxatone over the counter. Here is a website link with more information for you.http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&S=0&C=0&A=634 I hope your fur baby gets well soon.

Without a full diagnosis of the actual health conditions it is almost impossible to advise on a suitable diet - kidney failure, urinary stones/crystals, urinary tract inflammation, incontinence and bladder tumours can all cause urinary tract symptoms in older cats and each require slightly different management - I recommend you contact your vet to discuss exactly what types of food are most likely to help Patches. When it comes to kidney and urinary issues however, high quality, specialist prescription diets are preferred as they are tailored to prevent progression and reduce severity of clinical signs and are worth the investment, even if you can only stick with them for 8-12weeks to allow stabilisation

I don’t recommend raw food diets as they can be very difficult to formulate, balance and also to safely provide without risk of gastrointestinal infection from contaminated meat. I would suggest a home prepared diet if you are interested in avoiding mainstream packaged food brands. Here is a link explain what a Home prepares siet it. There is also a source which will help you formulate a home prepared diet. https://www.petcoach.co/article/how-to-create-a-balanced-homemade-diet-for-your-pet/ For any diet change, we recommend slowly switching over to the new food by adding increasing amounts of the new food to the old food during meal times over a week. Hope this was helpful and thank you for using PetCoach!

In cats with urinary irritation, wet food is preferable to help reduce urine concentration and flush out the bladder. I strongly recommend a urine exam in order to determine exactly what is going on and to guide the most appropriate treatment (infection/inflammation etc). A sample can be collected using special urine collection litter which does not absorb urine. Petco provide a home kit for detecting UTI which can help to monitor such conditions