anybody here feed their pets Evo or California Natural?

[ccnyc]

Eden,

What kind of crystals does your kitty have... struvite or oxalate? If they are struvite crystals (the urine pH is on the alkaline side) you can add l-methionine (on a short-term basis) to the canned food. That is what the Rx foods contain to prevent crystal formation. Oxalate crystals (acidic pH) are harder to get rid of. Also, chicken or turkey gizzards are very high in methionine so it's good to add these to the diet on a regular basis if crystals are struvite.
Here's some info on l-methionine:
http://www.wellvet.com/methiphan.html
HTH,
Carol

[Eden]

Eden,

What kind of crystals does your kitty have... struvite or oxalate? If they are struvite crystals (the urine pH is on the alkaline side) you can add l-methionine (on a short-term basis) to the canned food. That is what the Rx foods contain to prevent crystal formation. Oxalate crystals (acidic pH) are harder to get rid of. Also, chicken or turkey gizzards are very high in methionine so it's good to add these to the diet on a regular basis if crystals are struvite.
Here's some info on l-methionine:
http://www.wellvet.com/methiphan.html
HTH,
Carol

Fortunately he has struvite crystals - which I understand are much easier to control with diet.

[ccnyc]

Fortunately he has struvite crystals - which I understand are much easier to control with diet.

Oxalate crystals are treated only with surgery, AFAIK. I suggest you talk with your vet about using l-methionine with you kitty's current canned food (or one w/o grains would be even better). L-methionine shouldn't be used without some supervision such as urine pH testing by you or your vet because it is possible to drive the pH too low (creating oxalate crystals) and you want to avoid that.
BTW, chicken breast meat has even more l-methionine than gizzards.

I don't know of any quality, grainless canned foods that are specific for crystals, but here are some good grainless canned/wet food brands (NOT all varieties are grainless, you need to read labels):

Nature Organics, Wellness, Nature’s Variety, Merrick, Natural Balance, EVO, Addiction, and Ziwipeak
Carol

[Eden]

Ziwi Peak is what I feed him now - though I have been supplementing with a little dry food (Natural Balance Duck and Green Pea)- that I think needs to be discontinued completely even though it is a grain free variety also. I'm not so sure that it is a coincidence that a month or two after I started using that particular dry food brand that he developed this problem! (I switched from Avoderm 2 bags ago)

I get the feeling my vet may not be too open to alternatives.... they are carriers of the Hills brand... We'll see when I speak to them. There is a newer vet there who seems more open minded.

[ccnyc]

Ziwi Peak is what I feed him now - though I have been supplementing with a little dry food (Natural Balance Duck and Green Pea)- that I think needs to be discontinued completely even though it is a grain free variety also. I'm not so sure that it is a coincidence that a month or two after I started using that particular dry food brand that he developed this problem! (I switched from Avoderm 2 bags ago)

I get the feeling my vet may not be too open to alternatives.... they are carriers of the Hills brand... We'll see when I speak to them. There is a newer vet there who seems more open minded.

My vet is strictly allopathic and sells Hills also, but he has been willing to work with me on various issues. So, ask your vet (very nicely!) for other options besides the Rx food (which there are) and see what he comes up with.

I highly recommend http://www.holisticat.com/ and http://holisticat.com/forum/ as a wonderful resource for info on holistic health and lifestyle for cats.

[bmccasland]

I'll throw this question out...
Have 3 cats, aged 14, 13, and 1. Eldest, Bonnie has hyperthyroid and is on thyroid meds 2x/day. Next oldest, Herald, is diet controlled diabetic, and eats Science Diet W/D. Youngest and newest cat, Callie is a piglet, but no health problems. Currently Bonnie and Callie eat the same diet, I was switching from Science Diet indoor to Wellness dry and canned. I've noticed that they now poop more. Callie prefers the Science Diet, and tries her best to eat Herald's food, but waits until he walks away. Since he gets specific portions per day, I discourage this because it makes it too difficult to keep up with his daily intake.

I don't own a meat grinder (yet?). And don't have a lot of freezer space. So I highly doubt I'd pasturize and grind up a chicken on a regular basis.

So, Bonnie needs more calories, and Callie needs less even though she's younger and more active. I realize cats are obligate carnivores, and this thread has made me more aware of the contents of their food.

I haven't been back to Petsmart to check out the various options, besides what I've been feeding them. And I haven't needed to take someone to the vet to pick her brain. Soon I'll need to buy more cat food, but won't be going back to Wellness dry. May or may not continue the Wellness canned. If it were an ideal world, Bonnie would get off her meds, Herald's blood sugar would stabilize, and Callie will live a long healthy life. I've buried one kitty from chronic immune system problems (Erin), and would like to keep the rest happy and healthy.

So what does the crystal ball or the jeanie in the bottle recommend?

[wackyjacky1]

This is an amazingly useful website for info on feeding cats: http://catinfo.org/

Because of what I learned there, I switched my male cat with FLUTD from Prescription c/d to PetGuard canned. He has remained perfectly healthy and crystal-free. The kitten I rescued back in August is also eating PetGuard and is positively flourishing.