Vet recommended cat food, need advice!

My cat had a urinary blockage, and was treated by the vet. He is recovering, but still needs care. He was placed on a special diet of 'Hills SD' dry cat food, for the first week, then changed to 'Hills CD'. <yeah, even cats have CD's now> Anyhow, my question is this: The vet said I can only buy this from the vet office, and it is quite costly. Can this be boughten at any pet store??? (where)?

Also, what makes this any different from 'Hills Science Diet' or other Hills cat foods?

Finally, if anyone has any information about these Urinary track problems, and/or the feeds used for them, in text form, please send them to me. -or- If they are on a Web Site, let me know!

Please email all comments, if you can, since I am not able to get on here very often, and will miss news messages!

Thanks in advance

George

After my elderly cat had a UTI, the vet recommended CD for her. I asked what other food would also be good for her and he told me Science Diet, which is what she now eats. She hasn't been sick since then.

Susan S

hi george,

my cat (died last year) was on hill's for appx 11 years. i used to buy it at the humane society (non-profit).

Since I have a cat with this problem, I'm looking for info also.So far I've turned up:

an excellent article from the Cornell Feline Health Center, Cornell University, College of Veterinary Medicine,Ithaca, New York
http://web.vet.cornell.edu/public/fhc/urinary.htm

From the Internet Vet a recipe for making your own food.

Shlomit Schuster asks:

One of my many male cats has FUS. He is on a Ph-control diet and has to stay on it. Next to the diet food out of a tin, my vet says that I can feed him rice and potatos. What else is good for him in this condition. Can I make something that would replace the can food?

Hill's has a homemade diet for this purpose. The ingredients are as follows:

FELINE RESTRICTED MINERAL AND SODIUM DIET

1lb regular ground beef cooked 1/4lb liver (beef, chicken or pork only) cooked 1 cup cooked white rice cooked without salt 1 teaspoon of vegetable oil 1 teaspoon (5g) of Calcium Carbonate (from healthfood stores) 1/8 teaspoon KCL (salt substitute)

Makes approx. 1 3/4 lbs.

Also add a balanced supplement which fulfills the feline MDR for all vitamins and trace minerals, and 250mg taurine/day. (Clam juice is a good source of taurine.)

Feed 1/4lb per 7-8lbs of body weight daily.

Hope this is helpful for you.

Eric R. Lewis, D.V.M.

This site may be helpfull.

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Hi George,

My five year old cat has been on CD since his first year of life; just recently he was switched to the Hill's RD diet because he is on the tubby side. After switching him to the CD, we didn't have anymore problems with FUS and I was so happy that he didn't have to sit forever in his litter box, straining to urinate.

With the CD, you don't have to feed as much of it as with grocery store dry foods so in the long run it isn't as costly as you might think. Our cats and dog all are on some type of the Hill's foods and even with our retirement budget it doesn't kill us as we don't have to pour as much in their bowls.....plus, they seem to stay healthier!

I've only been able to find the CD at the Vet as it has to be prescribed for the cat before you can buy it....(at least here!).....ask your Vet about a program they have for getting discounts on your cat's health care if you stay with the Hill's foods. I was given a package with coupons for money off on the food, as well as for discounted Vet services......you might want to check into this.

Hope your cat is feeling perky again soon.... take care, Phyllis Lee, w/PrettyBoy & Sputnik

I buy CD canned and CNM-UR dry (less calories than the CD dry) at a petstore that is owned by veterinarians. Maybe there is a store like that near you. It is definately less than buying at a vet's. You didn't say where you lived. If you live in the Berkeley-Oakland area, go to Pet Food/Pet Vet on Broadway south of 51st Street.

Good luck!

But did you have to supply a prescription? I did.

George if you notice it's called Hill's Prescription Diet (if I recall correctly) and requires a prescription from your vet. However, there is a brand called Hi-Tor in Ca at least which is a non-prescription food covering most (if not all) of the Hill's prescription foods. Kate

I have been told the same thing about one of my cats and have only been able to purchase this from vets. Natasha had to have surgery when a diverticular pocket developed on her bladder (and the vet could only determine after surgery what the exact problem was - the x-rays [which required a special dye because the regular x-rays didn't show anything] only showed that the urine wasn't going to the bottom of her bladder). When I tried feeding her regular cat food (and this was the type sold in natural food stores), she started squatting alot again with nothing happening. When I took her to the vets a urine test indicated her PH was up, so I switched her back to the prescription cat food.

Debbie T.

You may want to consider adding a supplement called PalCare to your cat's diet since it is specifically formulated to help control the Ph in the digestive system.

You can read more about it at our web site <URL:http://www.petpals.com>

Steven Fletcher

My Pet Site <http://www.petpals.com> My Home Town <http://www.syix.com/yubacity>