Hi Ori, my first question would be whether Mercy continues to suffer urinary stones having switched from the prescription diet to a more fresh/raw diet?

If the urinary stones have ceased then that’s a good sign the change in diet is working – usually I see dry cat foods, even prescription diets, a fallacy when it comes to urinary issues.

An excess of calcium can cause urinary stones (particularly calcium oxalate stones), so if the egg shells are in excess then it’s worth reducing them or reducing how often you feed them in the mix. Personally when it comes to ratios and balance many people attempt to meet these needs in each and every meal, but I find it’s often better to spread out a balance over a period of days/week.

Bone broth is always a good idea, and even in terms of hydration should help your cat avoid urinary issues.

Hi Violet, personally I see most of these issues caused from not feeding a cat a natural diet – i.e. meat, meat fats, raw meaty bones. Hills C/D is designed to prevent these specific issues, but on the flipside when you read the ingredients they don’t feel overly appropriate for a cat.

Have you tried introducing some raw to your cat’s diet, even if it’s 20% of the diet at first. Or a brand like Ziwi Peak which is whole-prey dried raw, Frontier Pets or Raw Meow which are freeze dried raw you add water too?

Hi Miranda, I’ve corrected the link so it points to the cat food page – sorry about that!

Hill’s prescription is expensive, and more so when you look at the ingredients and see how much grain/starch there is – for your carnivorous cat. My best advice, which may also be the cheapest, is to supplement whatever cat food you feed (the best for your budget) with some fresh meats/organs/raw meaty bones like chicken necks/wings. Take advantage of reduced stuff at the supermarket.

The more you can reduce carbohydrates, and the more you can increase moisture, protein, and fat from animal ingredients, the better. Cats do need a balanced diet though, but even adding 20% fresh to their diet should be beneficial and help reduce urinary issues.

Hi Charles, did your vet assess kidneys or megacolon?

Some fibre or probiotics may help. The Frontier Pets cat food has some fibre in the form of vegetables – small amount – which may help? The brands you’ve mentioned above are rightly or wrongly low in fibre, although there’s some evidence a little fibre may be beneficial to cats. For cat probiotics I can’t say I’ve had much experience, but a quick look on pet circle and the Petz Park brand looks more beneficial in terms of ingredients.