Unfortunately, I don't know if I have the answer for you. My cats are currently on Science Diet Sensitive Stomach because one of them just can't handle the hippie kitty food. I tried 3 different brands and his poop was NOT happy. The vet said it was because he had a food allergy and he needed proteins easier to digest. That means no chicken. Try finding a good hippie kitty food without chicken! So far I've had 0 luck. So I'll stick with the SD food until something else comes my way.

I wish I didn't have to feed my cats meat but... it's what they are. I wouldn't want to risk their health by trying to make them vegan. And don't feel bad - cat food is the only meat in my house too! (Well, my husband sometimes buys meaty soup but he eats that at work, so no biggie.)

Meat-consumption need not be something that leaves a huge imprint on the environment. Plenty of non-vegetarians make a masterful effort at living as 'greenly' as possible, in ways that include and extend beyond their diet. Don't ever let anyone convince you that eating meat in and of itself negates the possibility of reducing one's environmental impact or carbon print or whatever.

I look at it this way: the health of my cats is as important to me as own my health and that of (other) loved ones. Therefore I plan to focus on providing them the healthiest diet possible FOR THEM, and if that means eating meat, I'm not going to think twice about it.

The problem of feeding cats a vegan diet is a blunt one: Cats are not and never were designed to eat a vegan diet and as such if you put them on one, you will have to go to great lengths to keep up their health in other ways, as their diet will be insufficient to do so. If you're not willing to go to the trouble and expense, then your cats WILL, without question, suffer health problems on a such a diet. Urinary tract problems being the most immediate.

I can understand being personally squicked by raw meat. I'm not squicked by it, but it isn't the most pleasant task in the world, I'll grant you, and it's frustrating to see the occasional bit of bone and meat get ground into my carpet. I don't know if you can stomach this any better, but prekilled prey (available from any pet store that deals in herps) would be more appropriate for cats anyway. I'm generally not bothered by it, having been desensitized to the sight of dead prey through years' worth of having various cats wake me up in the middle of the night to see the ass-end of a mouse dangling from their mouth.

I'm not a fan at all of feeding cats kibble, but I do keep some on hand for emergency situations, because of it's ease and portability. I refuse to feed the cats some cheap damn crap filled with grains and Gods-know-what, so I get the ultra-premium stuff. Right now I have a bag of Eukanuba that costs $15 for a six pound bag.

The presence of crystals in urine is a health condition I'm not familiar with. What I would recommend is that you search online for premium dry cat foods. The premium stuff WILL be more expensive, but that's because it will be healthier for the cats, period. The cheap stuff is cheap precisely because it is filled with crap. I found Eukanuba by cross-referencing the top premium brands with vet and breeder recommendations, as well as customer reviews. In your case, you would need to do the same, but look for foods that target your cats' specific issue. Obviously try finding out what the current stuff you feed has in it that helps the problem.

Another option would be learning to make your own cat food. If there's ANY sort of raw meat you can stand to look at and handle, that would be ideal, of course. The best raw meat to give cats contains bones, because crunching up and eating the bones is what keeps cats teeth healthy. Never mind the calcium and marrow and all that they get from bone consumption. But even boneless ground would be better than non-meat alternatives. You could mix it with other ingredients to give your cats as well-rounded and balanced a diet as possible.

If for some reason you did decide to feed your cats actual meat--and I'm inclined to say you won't, given your stated dislike of meat anyway--please for the love of God DO NOT cook it. Cats DO NOT NEED COOKED MEAT. BAD. SO VERY BAD.

The other option of course, would be to just keep feeding your cats what they already eat. It obviously works for them, and if you can't easily find something else that works as well, don't sweat it.

I think your best bet would be to take advantage of google and research urinary crystals to find out as much about their cause and prevention as you can. Here's some things I found after doing my own search:

www.nutrience.co.nz/health_g...m#utidiet

www.vegsource.com/talk/vega.../3566.html

It looks like the problem of crystals is one of the ph of foods.

You might also consider researching wet foods to see if those would be a better alternative for your cats. One problem of dry food is that it is of course dehydrated, whereas raw meat and prekilled prey have a water content. You'll notice usually that cats eating high-premium dry foods don't drink as much because those dry foods contain more moisture content. The same goes, moreso, for cats eating raw meat or prey animals, as well as wet food.

Good luck figuring out the best option for your babies!

"I don't like that we are feeding him a product from a company that tests on animals, but if that is what is best for him, I do it happily. Making choices about vegetarian food or buying from companies that don't test on animals is all well and good, but sometimes it's okay to make exceptions, IMO. "
well said, and not only that but since you are in this unfortunate position you could turn it into an advantage. By sending emails and letters to the company and make sure to tell them that you are a customer and would like them to stop animal tests.
It puts you in a much more powerful position...when I send them emails, they know I don't buy their products, but by letting them know that you need and like their product but are against animal tests that may have more weight to them.

Im gonna have to do some research now because I was told by the vet that
my cat had (correct spelling) -stuvite- crystals which were the most common
and they prescribed me first Hills S/D for a couple weeks, then C/D for 6 months
then told me that if all was OK I could start using the commercial urinary health brands
from there on out and methioform if the prob. came back.

he has not had anymore problems since, but I still hope I've not been given bad info by the vet !

they did tell me that it is highly debated over what causes it to happen to some
cats and not others even if they've eaten the same thing all their lives.


ALSO...
I've heard conflicting stories on whether or not euthanized shelter animals are STILL used
in dogfood in the US? I know that in the past that WAS done but still?

can somone shed some light on this grim rumor?

That's very funny! Raw pumpkin, who would've thought?