New to kidney isssues

S

Susan Jachino

Member Since 2026
Hello, new to kidney issues with my 7 year old boy. He spent 3 days at the emergency vet due to being blocked. Sent us home on prescription Hills Science Diet urinary formula. My question is, what do I do as he won't touch the wet food.i tried mixing a little of his usual food in it but he just walks away. Any help would be appreciated!
 
Hello and welcome!

Was your boy diagnosed with kidney disease too or just the blockage? Will he eat his regular food? Wondering if he could be nauseous. I’ve seen a lot of caregivers have more success with a slower transition to the newer food (days to weeks).

I’d imagine the reason for the blockage changes the urgency of the food transition. Did the vet say anything about the cause?

There are some tricks to entice kitty to eat towards the bottom of this link:
Nausea & Decreased Appetite

Unfortunately (or fortunately), I don’t have experience with blockages personally. Happy to learn and research along with you though. I’m glad he’s home. Maybe @SqueeM3 @Mary & Jude or @Chai&mocha will have some thoughts.
 
Max blocked at the age of 5 1/2. I fed him HillS CD at first. Then I switched to canned sliced cat foods and he never blocked again. He developed CKD when he was much older. Tim asked a good question. Does your cat have CKD? If not you need to try lots of foods and find what he will eat. Hydration is the key to prevent blockages. You can also try cooking and adding a supplement like Balance It or Superior Feline or TC Feline.
 
Susan Jachino said:
Hello, new to kidney issues with my 7 year old boy. He spent 3 days at the emergency vet due to being blocked. Sent us home on prescription Hills Science Diet urinary formula. My question is, what do I do as he won't touch the wet food.i tried mixing a little of his usual food in it but he just walks away. Any help would be appreciated!
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Hi Susan, My Jude has Feline Idiopathic Cystitis and frequent UTIs (and he's diabetic). We've had no blockages (thank goodness). His bg spikes when he is having either an FIC flare or a UTI, and then we need to treat according to which is happening (and sometimes it can be both). Was your kitty's blockage due to crystals? That's typically what happens with UT blockages, but I'm not sure if there is something else going on with your cat. I don't have Jude on urinary food as it's too high in carbs for his diabetes. And Jude doesn't have crystals, but as a precaution to developing crystals, we use dl-methionine, which is one of the substances placed in UT food to help prevent crystals. It comes in tablets that I crush and mix into his food with no issue regarding taste. The only issue so far is that I don't have him up to the optimal dose, as it takes about 6-9 (relatively small) tablets a day to reach that dose. We're working on increasing. Have you tried a topper for the UT food? Forti Flora is one we use, and my cats love its taste. Is there another type of UT food that your cat might find more palatable.

I strongly recommend that you join one of the UT groups on Facebook. Here is one I'm a member of: Facebook. They have a lot of information and can offer a lot of guidance related to blockages.
 
Did the vet specifically diagnose your cat with kidney issues? That's done with blood work. Have you discussed the recent trip to the ER with your regular vet?

Urinary issues doesn't necessarily mean kidney issues. Was it a full blockage or a partial one?

Prescription food, dry or canned, isn't needed at all. There's info here: Cat Urinary Tract Diseases: Cystitis, Urethral Obstruction, Urinary Tract Infection A supplement like d-mannose may be helpful to some cats.
 
Mary & Jude said:
Hi Susan, My Jude has Feline Idiopathic Cystitis and frequent UTIs (and he's diabetic). We've had no blockages (thank goodness). His bg spikes when he is having either an FIC flare or a UTI, and then we need to treat according to which is happening (and sometimes it can be both). Was your kitty's blockage due to crystals? That's typically what happens with UT blockages, but I'm not sure if there is something else going on with your cat. I don't have Jude on urinary food as it's too high in carbs for his diabetes. And Jude doesn't have crystals, but as a precaution to developing crystals, we use dl-methionine, which is one of the substances placed in UT food to help prevent crystals. It comes in tablets that I crush and mix into his food with no issue regarding taste. The only issue so far is that I don't have him up to the optimal dose, as it takes about 6-9 (relatively small) tablets a day to reach that dose. We're working on increasing. Have you tried a topper for the UT food? Forti Flora is one we use, and my cats love its taste. Is there another type of UT food that your cat might find more palatable.

I strongly recommend that you join one of the UT groups on Facebook. Here is one I'm a member of: Facebook. They have a lot of information and can offer a lot of guidance related to blockages.
Click to expand...
Also, if your cat is suffering specifically from UT issues, let me know, and I'll share with you the supplements that we give to aid in the inflammation of the bladder lining. Squeem mentioned d-mannose, which we give to Jude, but there are others as well.
 
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