Question:
Our kitten, Marshmallow, is 2 years old and has always had urinary problems. I had all my cats on Royal Canin SO 30 dry cat food for most of the time. I fed various canned cat foods every other day. The cats get chicken, lean beef, fresh grass and homegrown catnip. I have eight clean litter boxes and several sources of fresh water.
Last time I had Marshmallow to one of my vets, she had crystals and thickening of her bladder wall. He told me to give her Royal Canin SO 30 canned food plus 85 days of Dasuquin. It took more than two months, but her urine cleared and increased in amounts.
Recently, I decided to switch my cats gradually to the Wellness brand dry food. After only two weeks, Marshmallow is starting to strain a little, and her urine is darkening. I thought Wellness was good for urinary tracts. What should I do?
Also, my beloved 17-year-old cat, Lucky, has kidney failure. Any of your golden advice to make her more comfortable would be much appreciated.
J.Z., Ayr, ND Sep 27, 2011
Answer:
You have learned from Marshmallow what happens to many cats who are fed only a dry food diet. Since she was doing well on the canned food brand, I would not switch to another. Encourage her to drink plenty of water, even flavoring it with a little milk or boiled chicken juice. Adding a drop of fish oil, such as Nordic Naturals for cats
, to her food every day will help soothe her bladder because of the anti-inflammatory properties of fish oil. Gradually increase the amount to one-half teaspoon.
Old Lucky, suffering from kidney failure, would also benefit from fish oil and, under veterinary supervision, from being given a phosphate binder plus potassium, a drug such as benazepril (to lower blood pressure) and a vitamin D supplement.
Administering fluids under the skin periodically is a cheap and effective form of kidney dialysis and benefits many cats suffering from kidney failure. Some veterinarians offer kidney transplants from healthy donor cats, but I am not in favor of this for medical and ethical reasons.
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