dry food and urinary issues

[Jen & Squeak]

Recently (November) I was at a new friend's house...they had a lovey 18month old ginger cat. We got talking about diet and I mentioned the dangers of dry food.

Saw the friend again yesterday, and she mentioned that her poor boy was dead. Two weeks after I mentioned the concerns about dry food, they found him unwell and took him to the ER. His bladder was ready to explode it was so full; he had kidney and bladder stones. Turns out (?) that orange cats are more prone to stones/crystals (I had no idea) and 18 months of dry food was enough to basically kill him. They chose to euthanize and were devastated. The ER vet told them that it was the dry food.

My friend later went back to her vet who pushes dry food (tried to push it on us once too) and the vet said that dry food is only a problem in cats who are prone to issues.
How the heck do you know they are prone till they are almost dead?

So one more piece of anecdotal evidence that cats do not need dry and that it can cause problems

 

[KPassa]

That is so sad! Did your friend switch him over to wet food after you guys talked or did she continue on with the dry? If she didn't switch, I'm sure she's also feeling guilty about it. Heck, I still struggle with feelings of guilt about feeding my previous kitties dry food (which I'm positive is what caused the CRF/CKD that killed them so young), even though I didn't know any better at the time. I wish I could give her a hug! :YMHUG:

 

[Jen & Squeak]

not sure but by that point it would have been too late as he was full of stones

Now, I'm not saying that this will happen to everyone's cat as obviously it doesn't, but it does go to show that dry food can cause problems and you have no way of knowing until it happens

 

[jt and trouble (GA)]

I feel fore warned is fore armed. Thanks Jen for posting this.
j.