At one time we had lots of kitties running around. Every stray in the neighborhood knew that I would feed them! So once we moved into a place with a one pet limit, I had to choose one cat to bring with us and find homes for the rest of the strays that we had come to love. Our sole cat is a beautiful long haired Maine Coon cat and is our baby. He never had health issues but was really picky about his food. His preference was Friskies and even when we received free samples of cat food in the mail, he would sniff and walk away ...until this cat treat http://www.epinions.com/review/Feline_Greenies_Ocean_Fish_Flavor_3_oz_Ocean_Fish/content_412751597188?linkin_id=8003929 . So once he started having issues and the vet suggested only Hill's Science Diet Hill's Prescription Diet Feline C/D http://www.epinions.com/review/Hill_S_Prescription_Diet_Feline_C_D_4lb_Bag/content_432721071748 , I was worried that he would refuse to eat.

The problem started with him not using the litter box. He would urinate everywhere else though with a preference for beside of the kitchen garbage can. I thought he was trying to tell me something! So I started watching him more carefully for a couple of days. He continued going to the bathroom outside of the litter box and then something startling occurred making me run him to the vet immediately. When he urinated, drops of blood could be seen in his urine. Scared to death, I called the vet and told them what was going on and asked that he be seen right then. He was urinating frequently but the blood seemed to be more and more in his urine. The vet saw him, administered IV fluids causing a backpack of fluid buildup on my cat's back, gave him some antibiotics, explained to me about Feline Lower Urinary Tract Disease, then recommended only this prescription cat food for the future. I was told to keep him on the canned moist prescription food (Hill's Science Diet Prescription Diet Feline c/d with Seafood Canned) for a week, then change over to the dry prescription food
http://www.epinions.com/review/Hill_S_Prescription_Diet_Feline_C_D_4lb_Bag/content_432721071748 . Also the vet told me to put torn up newspaper in his litter box until the blood stopped being in his urine. I was also coached on how to check for urine retaining in kitty's bladder if he was not able to empty his bladder. My cat seemed to feel much better after the IV fluids and started using the litter box the same day. The first purchase I made was of the smaller bag of the dry food (since I did not know if my cat would accept it or not) and a week's worth of canned food then went back for the larger bag of dry food later.

I was worried about him not wanting the prescription food but he took to it and still eats it well to this day, months later. The vet said many people use only the moist canned food exclusively after this happens as it has a higher concentration of water in it which is good for kitties' urinary tract. My cat would eat the canned food but liked the dry food much better. I could not see keeping him only on canned food as he would not eat a can of it at a time so would probably be going hungry. It is more of a treat for him. He did eat it for a week exclusively as the vet suggested to me but he would dabble in it here and there, not eat it all in one meal. This canned food was a little over $1.00 for each can of it at the vet's office and they only had the seafood flavor in stock. This canned food looks similar to other cat's canned foods. I did notice that it seemed moister and not as condense as others. The scent of it was stronger and I can see it appealing to kitties but mine is just different and would prefer dry cat food than canned. A fishy smell that might be offensive to your own nose but cats love fish!

His health has been fine. Playful as a kitten and no more blood in his urine at all. After he felt better, he stopped going outside of the litter box. The vet has examined him and says he is in great urinary health now. He did say some people go back to regular cat food but the problem could occur again at any time and cats have died quickly from blockages. This prescription cat food is only available at the vet or online with a prescription. Yes the cost is more than regular cat food but if it keeps my cat healthy, I am all for it. The health crisis was scary and life threatening for my cat.

The vet may recommend this food for other conditions in cats but in our situation, it was recommended due to Feline Lower Urinary Tract Disease which is common in older male cats. It can happen to younger cats as well. If left too long, the cat can die from painful urethral blockage. So if you notice your male kitty straining while urinating, urinating in odd places, not urinating (dry litter box), or blood in his urine...get to the vet NOW. There is no time to wait as if you wait until the next day, it could be too late for kitty. We were very lucky as I did wait because I did not know about this condition and understand that it was life threatening for kitty. My cat did not seem in pain at all but was going outside of his litter box and the urine was full of blood. What causes it? Some of the causes are crystals in the cat's bladder blocking urine flow, some type of infection, trauma, or sometimes we just do not know why. The vet told me that it was most likely due to crystals in the cat's bladder and this cat food would help with that. It must have because my cat is fine now.

This is what Science Diet says about why this prescription cat food is good for cats with this disorder: Prescription Diet c/d contains reduced building blocks of struvite and is high in moisture to increase your cat's daily water intake which leads to a healthy urine volume. Prescription DietŪ Feline c/d with Seafood provides a texture and taste your cat will love. Prescription Diet c/d also produces an acid urine pH, further lowering the chance that struvite crystals will form. I was warned by a vet tech not to let my cat overeat on this food as it is so high in nutrients that he could develop a weight issue. So now I am more careful about how much I am feeding him each day. This canned food should be refrigerated if kitty does not eat all of it at one time. Cats can eat this canned food exclusively with no additions of dry food. The vet told me to feed my 14 pound cat two cans a day for a week until we changed over to the dry prescription cat food.

What is so good about THIS item?

Helps sick kitties get healthy and stay healthy, my cat ate it! Is moister to help kitties' urinary tract

What is unique about this item?

By prescription only.

Is it worth the price?

Yes, definitely. Cheaper than I expected.

There has to be some bad to this item, right?

My cat just does not like canned food as much as dry.

Any warnings people should be aware of?

Overeating can cause weight issues in cats.

Final verdict:

Saved my kitty's life when he almost had a urinary blockage by feeding him moister food until he got better. By prescription only from the vet.

Having problems grooming your long haired cat? Try this http://www.epinions.com/review/Brampton_Grooming_Gloves_For_Cats/content_425924857476

pablo the pet owner
Cats seem to go on the principle that it never does any harm to ask for what you want. Joseph Wood Krutch


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