Cat lovers need your expert help

[scarletlib]

I have two beautiful cats a brother and sister who are 7 1/2 yrs old.

Last fall in Sept. and again in Feb. the male got a blockage in the bladder. the first time he nearly died. the second time i got him to the vet right away.

Since february I have been feeding him canned IVD Dissolution formula. He doesn't really like it but will at least eat some of it. He doesn't like the Hill's Prescription Diet Control canned formula at all, except that he will eat the Hills a/d brand which is really more for very sick cats.

He is now ready to stay on a 'control formula'. He likes the the Hills Science Diet Dry Control and also likes, very much, the IVD Dry Control formula. I have trouble finding the IVD dry.

I was looking in the pet food store to see what else he might could eat. I looked at the ingredients on several varieties of good cat food-- Natural Balance, Max Cat and Natural Choice. The list of nutrients/analysis is very similar to the breakdown by fat, protein, etc. to the IVD and Hills Science Diet Canned Control Forumulas. The only difference is that the control formulas have phosphorous--about 8 to 10 % in total in them.

So what is the phosphorous for? If this is vital to his bladder health can I supplemment this in some way?

I am trying to find him a canned food he will eat as it is important that he not just eat dry.

His poor sister whose health is good has to be on the same diet and I would like for her to be able to enjoy her food as well. (She is okay with the dry)

Both of these cats are fussy eaters. Neither of them will eat much table food.

So any ideas or help would be appreciated. I sure do not want him to have another blockage in his bladder. But I would also like to buy food he will eat and not just go to waste.

[skygazer]

1. I would call your vet and ask him/her

It seems your male cat is prone to this sort of thing so you definitely want to be sure. It would be better to get the info straight from someone who is familiar with his history rather than rely on the people on a message board.

[sui generis]

3. best advice! also

ask your vet if it's okay to (once or twice a week) mix some human tuna (low sodium) in with their food - it'll keep them guessing and they might actually eat a bit more of what's good for them.

But do talk to your vet - or else order your cat's food on line to have it delivered if the kind they like is scarce in the store.

[purr]

2. When my little cat (rip) had that

he was near death when we brought him into the vet. The vet told us it was directly related to his food, and to get a LOW magnesium cat food. He lived a good life after that and never had another bout of the urinary problems.

Now that I only have female cats, I still only buy the Science Diet. They really like the Ocean fish flavor and HATE the weight formula (my calico weighs 14 lbs).

When/if you change foods, make sure you do it gradually :)

[scarletlib]

4. well magnesium in all of the canned foods I looked at exactly

matched the magnesium in the prescription diets. the only real difference was the phosphorous in the prescription diets.

[purr]

5. hmm.. I'd really give your vet a call tomorrow

I know the magnesium thing kicked my cats urinary problems... Keep up on your vet about him :)

[City Lights]

6. I think cats who suffer from CRF should be on a diet low in phosphorus,

but your vet would know for sure. FWIW, we feed our cats Natural Balance and they love it.

[SOteric]

7. But CRF is a type of renal failure in cats.

I had a cat who succumbed to it last year, poor little dude.

A bladder blockage and renal failure are two completely different things.

I would definitely agree that the original poster should seek a vets opinion, - or maybe Google for an online source of the dry food the cat really likes.

[City Lights]

9. You're right. I mis-read the post.

Thanks for pointing it out.

[LisaL]

8. Besides talking to your vet, you could contact the food

companies directly and ask these questions. The companies all have vets working for them, so they should know if it's o'key or not, I presume.