We switched Alladin to a commercial raw cat food diet just about a month ago, for weight loss (it worked– he’s lost a pound). Since Friday, he had been having litter box trouble– going often, and eventually, not getting much out. By the time I got him to a vet yesterday, his urethra was completely blocked with crystals, and needed the catheter surgery to remove it. But his bloodwork came back great. He’s been acting fine all along, but definitely seems better today. We still have to watch carefully this week, and give him a follow-up urinalysis in 2 weeks (when, of course, we plan to be out of Jacksonville). He also has an infection, which is uncommon with crystals/blockage.
The vet wants us to feed him the commercial anti-crystals food. Our research indicates that stress of any kind, including switching from one food to another, can trigger the crystals to form, and that raw food is usually the best diet for cats with this problem. We are probably going to go against doctor’s orders on this one and keep him on the raw food, and keep the case of prescription food in case we are wrong down the line. In all other ways, he is a healthier cat on the raw food– more energy, losing weight, and his already-soft coat has turned into silk.
Sigh. Anyway, that’s what’s going on with the cat. He is right now trying to figure out what kind of mischief he should get into while his breakfast defrosts.