Cat Friends. I need help

Fellow cat lovers, please help!

I have a fellow who suffers with UTI's. Or rather build-up on crystals in his bladder which precipitates frequent visits to the vet to "blast" the crystals and IV's and anti-biotics to get him on his paws again.

In the past 10 months, I guess there've been 4 or 5 visits to the vet....some of them for DAYS of overnight stays, etc.

Usually, he doesn't get the build-up of crystals before several months' time, like 8 months apart. Here lately, he's falling victim about every 6 WEEKS.

In all truth, I simply can't afford to continue at this pace, as each visit sets me back hundreds, IF NOT THOUSANDS of $$$. I know it's foolish. And probably stupid. But if you love your cat friends, you understand.

This post is a plea for help with this guy. If I can't find something to help prevent the build-up of crystals homeopathically, I'm afraid the next visit to the vet is going to be his last, as I simply cannot afford to keep this up.

We had to go ALL LAST WEEK-END with a broken air conditioner because he'd just been to the vet and I was tapped out when our air conditioner just quit working and I'd just paid the rent after the vet bill.

So, as I say, unless some of my favorite cat friends (you know who you are!) can give me some expert advice on what might help this poor guy out without costing me an arm and a leg, I'm afraid his days are now numbered. I suspect he's ALREADY blocking up (in 2 weeks' time), as he's doing all the suspect behavior he does when he gets them....hiding, peeing all over the place (instead of cat box), etc.

Please help if you can. Any advice will be considered. Just to add: he's already been put on prescription food (c/d didn't work, now on Canin) - and I HATE them both, but he seems to like the Canin, although it doesn't seem to be helping either.

But I WILL NOT SUFFER FOOLS. If you come onto my thread and start giving me "cat soup recipes" and other such foolishness, YOU WILL BE GONE. No warnings. I am in no mood for that stupidity.

I'm just trying to find a way to save my precious boy's life. He's a very sweet, kind, loving fur kitty. But ultimately, he's "just a cat," and I will do what I need to rather than have him continuously suffer with this if need be.

P.S. We've been told about the "surgery" that should help, but I'm not sure I want to spend yet ANOTHER $2k for that....

WET FOOD ONLY. PERIOD. MIX WATER IN WITH IT. AVOID DRY FOOD AT ALL COSTS.

Thanks for the suggestions! Keep them coming!

I wrote out one response to breedergal, but got sent to a screen that said my thread was gone....

Hopefully all the "medical advice" isn't sending it to the GLP graveyard.

If so, I hope you all know how much I appreciate all the suggestions. I see several thing I will change immediately!

Btw the prescription food is prob just more money wasted...give him canned tuna or chicken...eggs...my cats love eggs. Healthy too

He has to get wet food only, no more dry. I know you said you have other cats, but this is the only way to try to clear this up. When he gets hungry enough, he will eat the canned food.

How about this as a compromise? I could start "wetting" his dry food (he likes the prescription stuff he's supposed to eat - dry.) HE ABSOLUTELY HATED the canned version of the same stuff. Frankly, so did I and ALL THE OTHER CATS!!! FOUR DAMN DOLLARS for one can, and NOBODY would eat it!!! I ended up throwing out the whole can save one tablespoon I'd put on a dish.

So I could start with his dry food and slowly water it until it's a mush....I think if it tastes the same, he'd still like it.

can and will they take acv

Is that Purina plan a prescription food?

I got some of those types of treats....showed them to the vet. They said they were good, but doesn't seem to be preventing this!

When I say I've tried a LOT of things, folks, I MEAN IT!!!!

No! They carry it at Petco but it can be hard to find so I always check the availability per location nearby or order via Chewy. Our cat was so sick, we were dead broke, I went into Petco, asked the manager & he walked me over to this particular wet food and our cat devoured it and has ever since. She also eats the dry food. She is 15 now! Good luck I really hope this helps!!!!

Well, as strange as it sounds to write this, partly it's HIS OWN FAULT, as he WILL NOT eat canned food (which is supposedly better for them). Only dry food. SO twice now vets have said to give him this prescription (dry) food. OK, so I bought both types. He eats it, but it doesn't seem to be preventing the formation of the crystals. SO, idk.

What is this?

Fellow cat lovers, please help!

I have a fellow who suffers with UTI's. Or rather build-up on crystals in his bladder which precipitates frequent visits to the vet to "blast" the crystals and IV's and anti-biotics to get him on his paws again.

In the past 10 months, I guess there've been 4 or 5 visits to the vet....some of them for DAYS of overnight stays, etc.

Usually, he doesn't get the build-up of crystals before several months' time, like 8 months apart. Here lately, he's falling victim about every 6 WEEKS.

In all truth, I simply can't afford to continue at this pace, as each visit sets me back hundreds, IF NOT THOUSANDS of $$$. I know it's foolish. And probably stupid. But if you love your cat friends, you understand.

This post is a plea for help with this guy. If I can't find something to help prevent the build-up of crystals homeopathically, I'm afraid the next visit to the vet is going to be his last, as I simply cannot afford to keep this up.

We had to go ALL LAST WEEK-END with a broken air conditioner because he'd just been to the vet and I was tapped out when our air conditioner just quit working and I'd just paid the rent after the vet bill.

So, as I say, unless some of my favorite cat friends (you know who you are!) can give me some expert advice on what might help this poor guy out without costing me an arm and a leg, I'm afraid his days are now numbered. I suspect he's ALREADY blocking up (in 2 weeks' time), as he's doing all the suspect behavior he does when he gets them....hiding, peeing all over the place (instead of cat box), etc.

Please help if you can. Any advice will be considered. Just to add: he's already been put on prescription food (c/d didn't work, now on Canin) - and I HATE them both, but he seems to like the Canin, although it doesn't seem to be helping either.

But I WILL NOT SUFFER FOOLS. If you come onto my thread and start giving me "cat soup recipes" and other such foolishness, YOU WILL BE GONE. No warnings. I am in no mood for that stupidity.

I'm just trying to find a way to save my precious boy's life. He's a very sweet, kind, loving fur kitty. But ultimately, he's "just a cat," and I will do what I need to rather than have him continuously suffer with this if need be.

P.S. We've been told about the "surgery" that should help, but I'm not sure I want to spend yet ANOTHER $2k for that....

Animal doctors are profiteers of misery and suffering. Abandon all protocols of veterinary "aid". Feed the kot fresh clean food (home cooked chicken for ex.) and water. Let nature fix the rest.

...and make sure the water is FRESH at least once a day (depending on how many are using) in a CLEAN stainless or ceramic bowl, NO plastic. You can also add the silver right to the water.

My boy had this problem. He was so bad that he couldn't urinate at all and they would have to drain his bladder. The vets did the "prescription" food thing, but I found it was super high in salt which allegedly makes them just drink more water. I knew this was not healthy and it wasn't fixing the root problem either. One cruel vet actually wanted to surgically remove his penis! NO WAY!

So I did tons of research, and I found out that it is the GRAINS that they put in the dry cat food causing the issue. Cats are not built to eat or digest grains! He absolutely LOVES his kibble, so since then I have only bought him the best quality grain free dry food that I can find. Ever since switching him to grain free 11 years ago (he is a healthy 14 year old now), he has not had even one crystal issue!

Do some online searches that rank the best grain free cat foods and which ones to avoid. For example, he ate Blue Buffalo for a couple of years but then I found out it was killing cats (recipe change? China ingredients?). Right now I order him dry food online from Open Farm. It was the best one (best ingredients that are open sourced) that I could find that wasn't causing vomiting or diarrhea like some other brands started to do (looking at you, Dr Elsey's!).

Give grain free a try. I truly believe you will see the crystal issue disappear. Oh and always make sure he has readily available fresh water. I have one of those pet fountains. Also, I do give him high quality wet food along with meat from our local free range rancher that we buy our meat from. All dry food is really not good for cats, since they tend to not drink enough water.

Stay away from vets except for trauma situations.
If there is an infection give colloidal silver. If there are crystals currently you can mix ascorbic acid into the wet food to help break them down and boost the immune system. I don't remember the dosage so you need to research. Feed a quality(no "natural flavors", non-gmo, etc.) canned food if you can't do the homemade. I've had two out of six boys who were very prone to crystals and the key was dry food must have a guaranteed analysis of <.1mg magnesium and <7% ash for protein under 40%. Wet food <.03magnesium, <2.25 ash for protein 10%. Now the "new science" will say this is old hooey but it's worked for all my cats. NO crystals or UTIs. If a food does not list these ON THE LABEL, pass it up. That's my rule of thumb for a quality food. And the more you spend on the food – you won't have vet bills.

Thank you, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!!! I wrote down the numbers and will check labels on all the foods.

I'm researching the ascorbic acid numbers now....