[Ms._Aaron_Turner]

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

[koriani]

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,