Good chin mom, crappy cat mom :(

[Laurie]

I had to take Sam to the vet today. I noticed over the weekend he was licking himself more and using the litterbox frequently. Yesterday on my way into work I caught him peeing on the bathroom rug and when I went to dab it up with tissue I saw pink on the tissue.

Naturally I freaked out! Thanks to Tab and Tawana for helping me with that.

Today he went to the vet and they found crystals in his urine and he does have an infection. They gave me clavamox for him for 2 weeks and then a canned cat food - royal canin for a month. In 3 weeks I have to bring in a urine sample.

He isn't neutered and has never been outside.

They were very nice to me and Sam today but I found out I've been feeding him bad cat food! All these years - he and Baxter are 10 - I've been feeding them Friskies for nursing mothers because they love it. I found out today it's very high in protein and not good for them.

This makes me feel really bad because I've always given quality feed and treats to my chinchillas, but I'm giving my cats bad food

The vet said, hey at least you're not giving them table scraps! And you brought him in right away - - -

but still, I feel pretty cruddy.

Hopefully Sam is on the mend. He does love the canned food so that's good, he still is very loving and snuggly and doesn't seem to be in pain from this, but the appearance of blood is quite unsettling. I'm hoping in 3 weeks his urine test comes back good, if not he may have to be on a special diet for the rest of his life--but then again, who doesn't need a special diet? LOL!

Thanks to everyone who really helped me through this icky time--Peggy, Tawana, Tabitha and Sandi.

 

[tunes]

Laurie - Don't kick yourself over the food. Do you know how many people have animals live long healthy lives who feed crap food? Pffft. Now you know better though, so you'll provide better.

Here's hoping Sam feels better soon!

 

[InkedupTara]

Glad he has meds and will be on the mend sweety! Dont beat yourself up!!

 

[alli713]

Laurie, don't feel bad! I only laughed that you were feeding males food for nursing mothers. Plenty of people feed diets that aren't "top" and their animals do fine. Actually I'll admit that right now I have our dogs on Beneful because Lila stopped eating her "good for her" food. I got desperate and gave them crap and she loves it!

 

[RDZCRanch]

Laurie - Don't kick yourself over the food. Do you know how many people have animals live long healthy lives who feed crap food? Pffft. Now you know better though, so you'll provide better.

Seee??? That's exactly what I said! The thing is, the food didn't kill them and the vet said he's pure muscle and I'm sure other than his crystals, he's very healthy. Now that you know about the food, you can change it.

Sending good vibes Sam's way so he can get back to humping Baxter soon. :neener:

 

[Laurie]

You guys are such good friends. Tab was SO helpful to me, listening to me freak out when I called her lol! I'm just a panicker what can I say????!!! Even Sandi who does not like cats has been such a good support.

I've had Sam and Baxter for 10 years, I just can't imagine my life without them.

 

[mishellyshel]

I'm glad he is on the mend. I hope his food change does the job.

 

[Dragonflye]

Now that you know, you are fixing the problem- that's the important thing!

I had my male cat for at least a month before I realized that he had a UTI. He gave me a clear signal, by peeing on my heating pad- ick. I felt really bad wondering if he had been uncomfortable for a while...But he is fine now...his crazy kitten self- He is around 2.

Hugs to you and Sam, I am sure he will be fine.

 

[Sandi]

I know Sam will be good in no time and am glad you took him to the vet quickly. You are a great cat mom Laurie and you love and spend a lot of time with all of your pets. If cats didn't make my face and throat swell up and want to rip my nose and eyes out, I would have at least 2 of them in my house for sure.

 

[ruoc]

Aldo had a uti last year, since you caught it early, Sam will be good as new in no time. We were feeding Aldo indoor weight control food which had too much protein, which is what caused the crystals. Our vet told us we chose a great brand of food for him, just the wrong formula. Hope Sam feels more comfy soon.

 

[cindyv3737]

Yay Sam! Don't beat yourself up Laurie. Now you know and he will get new food. You are still a good mommy.

 

[addictedtochins]

I caught him peeing on the bathroom rug .

Dang, that's pretty much what I do when I get a UTI :rofl:
Oh, and I :tantrum:

 

[pamszoo]

I am glad you caught it before he blocked Laurie! And don't beat yourself up, not many people realize how serious a male cat with urinary issues can be. All of my males have had issues with crystals at some point. With a few its an ongoing thing. I even have 1 that developed bladder stones from the crystals that started originally from having a birth defect in his bladder! That was a nightmare!

If you haven't already, check with the vet about putting Baxter on the same food as Sam. (They also make a dry version of it as well) Crystals and male cats go together like catpoop in a sandbox

Good luck with him and please let me know what his urine results are in 3 weeks!

 

[Laurie]

Thanks Pam, I already would like to have Baxter eating better food. I asked today and the vet tech said typically they don't like healthy animals to eat the prescription food, so I'll guess we'll have to see what the results are in 3 weeks--perhaps Sam won't have to be on a prescripted diet, but in any case I will be switching Baxter away from the nursing mother's Friskies! And of course, wouldn't you know it, I just bought a huge bag lol! I'm going to drop it off at the Humane Society this weekend, I bet they could use it.

 

[3CsMommy]

That Humane Society donation is a great idea. They'll def. be able to use it. :thumbsup: And not knowing better just means that now you know for next time. You're not a bad cat mom; bad cat moms would keep feeding bad stuff and not bother with a vet while complaining about the peeing on the rug.

In the mean time, look for Blue Buffalo or EVO at pet stores and specialty stores around you. They have moderate and low protein versions that aren't as overly processed and full of grain as Friskies etc., so are better for both boys now that they're getting into their senior years. Keeping the wet food in their diet can help prevent these problems in the future too.

 

[Cassi]

http://www.chins-n-hedgies.com/forums/showpost.php?p=179647&postcount=7

If you can, please, please switch to a canned food diet for your kitty babies! Whether it be low quality or high, it's still better then the highest quality dry food.

 

[addictedtochins]

In any case I will be switching Baxter away from the nursing mother's Friskies! .

Please tell me you are not still breast feeding Stewart :laughitup:

 

[ABBY W.]

My cats started on canned C/D when they were only two (they are brothers, both with ongoing urinary tract issues). Their teeth started to get really nasty from the constant wet food, and there is no way I could get them to let me brush their teeth. It was like WWF live in my living room each week! We switched to dry C/D when they were about four and they loved it. They've been on it ever since with no problems. They are fifteen now.

You can do all canned food, and that is effective for urinary tract issues, but the biggest reason is because it's about 80% water. Most cats start having UTIs from their urine being too highly concentrated, and then crystal formation. You can do the same thing as canned food by adding warm water to the dry food. We started adding about 1/2 cup of water to their food each feeding (we meal feed in the morning and at night) so they had to drink the water before they ate the food. We also started taking up the food after 15 minutes so they learned to eat all their food right away, rather than grazing all day.

 

[6Dusters]

My boy cat Spencer passed away some years ago. He had urinary problems from time to time. So I put all my cats on the RX diet. He was on it for about a year and all the cats hated the change. Spencer did not pass from uninary problems. But I wanted to add this story. I don't mean to take over the thread. But its an important peice to add.

Then my senior cat WB ( who just celebrated his 14th birthday ) developed diabetes, the vet once again said use an RX diet. Well he hated it. Hated them all! My other cats didn't care for them either. So back to Iams I went. I knew this could not be good so I called my friend.

She uses those fancy foods. At that time I had no idea what fancy food she used. My friend asked what kind of food are you using. I told her. Then she said read the ingredients out loud. I did. She then asked if I would eat it. I said NO! So she read what was in her animals feed. Asked me if I would eat that. I said yes.

So I found Nutro Natural Cat Food at Petsmart. I started feeding it to WB and my other cats. And yes I did eat a kibble! He liked it and the rest liked it. He is now into nearly year 4 of being a diabetic. His scabs went away when I started using this feed. My cat Peep had mild scabs. They went away too!!! And Violet stopped barfing all the time.

Now keep in mind when I took WB in for his first diabetic check up I told the vet my story about switching feed. She was NOT happy. Told me I should look through her book and pick another feed out. I looked through the book and said I was keeping him on Nutro. I did so based on the ingredients list. WB continues to get two shots a day. No change's in the amount. And his tests continue to be consistant with MY FEED CHOICE.

My neighbors dog this spring started with scabs too. I have watched her dog and he always leaves food in his bowl all day long. Eats the one cup all day long here and there. So I told Amanda my story about WB and his feed. She went out and bought some people grade food. Her dog plowed throught the bowl. And within a few weeks his scabs went away. She said she felt so bad because for years she had been feeding him food he didn't like.

Homeopathy tells us that symtoms can show themselves on the outside of the body. In these cases I can tell you bad food was surfacing on the body. And inside as well.

Note: This story is not written to tell you how to treat your animal. But many people ( including myself ) didn't know there are whole food ingredients in fancy feeds. And poor choices in some of the most popular feeds. However they are a bit expensive depending on how many you are feeding.

Iams first ten ingredients: Corn Grits, Chicken Liver, Chicken By-Product Meal, Chicken, Herring Meal (source of Fish Oil), Brewer's Rice, Dried Egg Product, Chicken By-Products, Dried Beet Pulp, Chicken Fat

Poultry by-product meal is a high-protein commodity used as a major component in some pet foods. It is made from grinding clean, rendered parts of poultry carcasses and can contain bones, offal( waste products) and undeveloped eggs, but only contains feathers that are unavoidable in the processing of the poultry ...
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicken_by-product_meal


Nutro's first ten ingredients: Chicken Meal, Corn Gluten Meal, Ground Rice, Poultry Fat (preserved with mixed Tocopherols, a source of Vitamin E), Wheat Flour, Natural Flavors, Herring Meal, Dried Plain Beet Pulp, Sunflower Oil (preserved with mixed Tocopherols, a source of Vitamin E), Soybean Oil

Chicken meal, according to the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO), is the dry rendered product from a combination of clean chicken flesh and skin with or without accompanying bone, derived from whole carcasses of chicken, exclusive of feathers, heads, feet and entrails.[citation needed] A meal in general is "an ingredient which has been ground or otherwise reduced in particle size."[