Expert: KC - 1/18/2008

Question
QUESTION: I have 2 male Maine Coon cats; same parents..different litter.  They are 6 and 7.  About 6 months ago, the 6 year old had trouble urinating and a bit of blood in urine.  Vet switched them to Royal Canin food which seemed to stop the problem.  However, I want a food that is grain-free and by-product free so I switched both cats to Wellness brand.  They do not like beef, so they have been eating the turkey and chicken.  I do sometimes add a bit of turkey-salmon, but I like to keep them away from fish.  They also get some EVO dry food.  My thought was that a good, premium food would be best.  They eat approx. 80% wet and 20% dry.  In any event, the 6 year old once again is having issues urinating.  Although I am not happy going back to Royal Canin...I don't know what else to do to address the urinary issues which I feel are much more dangerous than the by-products and grains.  Any suggestions?

ANSWER: Hi Kathleen,

I'm surprised to hear that he's still having the problems on one of the premium foods.  I've seen so much success with switching to those brands that this really does come as a surprise.  Is he having recurrent urinary tract infections, crystals which are causing blockage, kidney infections or what?  I'm wondering what the source of the blood is...and could something possibly be going on with his immune system which is causing recurrent infections?  I'm sure you must be keeping fresh water out all the time and no doubt freshening it up throughout the day to encourage him to drink.  However, do you have them on only a twice a day feeding schedule?  Allowing them to nibble on dry all day tends to keep them drinking smaller portions of water after meals.  However, when they eat larger quantities less often, I've noticed that they are all much more prone to drinking much more water through out the day which keeps them better hydrated and helps flush the kidneys.  Are you giving them a different brand of treats or is there anything else that they are eating?  Also, if you are on a city water system you might want to experiment with just offering them bottled water for a while...just the cheap water that comes in the gallon jugs is appropriate.  I read one case where everything was done possible for a cat, swithing diets didn't work, and ultimately the owner stopped using tap water.  ...the cat no longer had recurrent problems.  The owner swore it was due to the fluoride content in the water which has in recently years supposedly been linked to causing calcification in the kidney's of some people...so...I honestly can't say I support this theory but as a last resort might be worth trying.  You also may want to eliminate the dry food for a while...the canned has a much higher moisture content.  Also, if I remember correctly, it's the EVO that has a higher phosphorus content that some other brands of dry.  If you do choose to keep feeding a dry, pick one of the premium foods that you mentioned but get the one which has the least amount of phosphorous.  It's normally perfectly fine, even in larger amounts.  However, if a cat has kidney problems (if this is due to his kidney's), the you want to choose a premium organic food that has the least amount in it.
Sorry I can't be of more help...

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Yes, they have fresh water and although it originally comes from the tap...I first put it into one of those water purification systems.  Amos is the 7 year old and Andy-Andy is the 6 year old with the urinary issues.  Amos is very big on drinking water...Andy-Andy is not.  However, I mix water into his wet food (and always have) to aid him in getting more water and he enjoys this and always drinks it right up.  They do not get any treats of any sort at all and they each get only 1/4 cup of dry food a day and it is not left down for them to "nibble".  I thought that EVO was a good one because it is grain free.  Amos typically eats his meals all at once.  Andy-Andy first drinks the water in his wet food then goes back and forth and eats a little bit at a time of the actual food.  He is a picky eater.  Amos is what I call a "good" eater...not picky.  Tonight I mixed water into their EVO.  I will try the bottled water in the future.  I am not sure the cause of the blood in his urine...I'll need to ask his vet.  His first urinary issue was in November 2006.  He was not given any meds...just the change of diet to Royal Canin.  (They had been eating the Nutro Max food up until that time which is what the breeder had fed them.)  Once they were on the Royal Canin...Andy-Andy's problem went away.  I never did ask the vet what the urine culture showed.  After about 2 months...I switched them to Wellness...only the grain free type.  So, they have been on Wellness since about Feb., 2007 and they have been doing just fine until now.  I was not aware that phosphorous was an issue...the vet told me a low "ash" food...hence the Royal Canin.  What I would like to find is a low ash food that is also grain free...

Answer
You might want to check out these article and the products listed:
http://www.acreaturecomfort.com/cathealth.htm
http://www.acreaturecomfort.com/grainfreepetfood.htm
The EVO is an excellent food.  However, all foods, even the super premium ones are going to vary slightly in their ingredients and in the levels of minerals that they contain.  The only reason I know that EVO contains a higher phosphorus level is from having to compare many individual products for a cat with diabetes.  
This is also an awesome product that I swear by:
http://www.felinespride.com/home/home.aspx
If you find that your cat will eat Feline's Pride..which is a supplemented raw.  You can make your own at home and I can recommend a supplement to mix with the raw.  

I'm delighted to find pet owner's like yourself who are looking to do everything possible for the health of your pet!  Many people will take a vet's advice and leave it at that.

Best of luck with your cat!