Robin has normal urine!

We slept downstairs last night so that I could keep an ear out in case there were any fights between Robin and Smurfy. Also, in case Robin asks for help.

All was well through the night.

First thing this morning, at around 4.30am, I went out to check on Robin and believe it or not, he went to the sandbox and showed me that he could urinate!

I placed my hand underneath and ahh….the feel of a normal volume of urine from a cat!!!

How wonderful!!

Pet parents will understand exactly how this feels!

I’m still wondering how I’m going to ensure Robin eats only the urinary food for the next three months.

Last night I discussed further with my vet-friend and she does not practise giving the Urinary S/O diet to healthy cats because it will lower the pH of the urine (making it acidic to dissolve crystals), but in healthy cats, this might lead to stones formation. However, we both checked websites and apparently, it is alright to give this diet to healthy cats.

Royal Canin says this:

I’m still undecided about the above.

However, I do have a friend who is looking after more than 100 cats, and she recently told me that her vet has advised her to switch all (yes, all) her cats to RC’s Urinary S/O as their staple diet. But perhaps this was because she had 16 cats down with urinary problems. But still, to switch ALL her cats to a urinary diet would mean her vet opines that this diet can be given on a long-term basis to healthy cats.

Disclaimer: Please consult your veterinarian regarding this if you are interested.

Last night, Robin was already getting fed-up with the urinary food. So I did wonder how I’m going to ensure he eats this diet for the next three months! This morning, I opened a fresh pack and he happily ate it. Then I slowly added in the thawed remnants from last night.

Between the wet version and the dry version (kibble), I’m more inclined to give him the wet food since the first ingredients on the list are meat. For the kibble, its first two ingredients are: rice, wheat gluten. Of all the RC kibble flavours I’ve used, their first ingredients are not meat. That is a real concern for me.

I did not give the urinary food to the rest of the Catio clan. They ate their regular food. Just as well that Robin has been eating on the table. That separates him from the rest.

This is Robin’s medication: Baytril for a total of 10 days, Cystophan for the next two weeks and beyond (if necessary), Meloxicam for just three days and the other syringe is water.

I did see Robin drinking from the water bowl last night, which is good. I remember long ago, a vet telling me that the urinary food contains sodium to make the cat more thirsty so that they will drink more water.

Yes, some urinary cat foods contain sodium to make cats drink more water and produce more dilute urine. This can help reduce the risk of kidney and bladder stones. 

The fact that it contains sodium for this purpose makes me feel that it should not be given to healthy cats. Doesn’t this make sense to you?

For now, Robin’s ultrasound shows he does have crystals in his urine, so the urinary food is necessary for now. Only for now.