My little golden persian (5 years old) not only has had a second about of struvite crystals in her urine, but also has very little muscle mass (weighs 5.1 lbs). I have two persians and the boy is fine and strong and healthy. I previously fed them Hill's c/d for 1-1/2 and she was okay for two years but still very thin. I've been feeding both Avi-Derm dry and Precise wet (mixed with water). She got the crystals again. This time I had a complete workup done on her (urine and blood) and the vet found nothing wrong except the crystals and a little infection resulting therefrom. I'm feeding them both Hill's c/d dry and am trying "Sensible Choice Chicken and Rice" wet which has lower Phospherus than Hill's wet c/d. (The people at Mud Bay Granary here in Seattle are looking for alternatives to Hill's) I mix the wet with quite a bit of water (I call it "kitty soup") and I know she needs this for her hydration but doesn't help much with her low weight problem.

Questions: Can the prescription diet hurt the male who doesn't have any problems? And, how can I get some weight on the little girl without crystal formation. She is just skin, bones and fur, but is sweet, affectionate and seems happy.

All comments welcome. Ms. Aaron Turner

Sorry this reply is so late. Hill's C/D is the best thing for your kitty when struvite crystals are found. Hill's C/D is also a higher calorie food so she should gain weight on it as well.

I would stay away from other foods. That may have been why your cat reformed the crystals. C/D is specially formulated to destroy Struvite crystals and feeding other foods besides negates the whole purpose of feeding C/D.

Canned food is a must to help hydrate. More vets are now saying 50% of the diet should be canned to help prevent crystal re-formation.

If you want to help your cat gain weight, try a nutritional supplement such as Nutri-Cal which is a nutrient dense gel which comes in a tube.

I hope this helps.

Regards,