hi iv'e got a rescue persian who is about 10/11 beg of sept had an emergency op for (uti)urinary tract infection,given a special diet from the vet.mega upset got symptons again another op only just over two weeks ago.can't believe it had to take him again today they may do an xray to try and find out why the food is not helping.Has anyone had experience of this with their cat.Did they need a special diet forever? Any ideas how i can help him as this situation is killing me,he can't keep having ops it's just not fair on him.This will be his 3rd op.HELP

Aww I don't have any advice, just hope he/she gets sorted soon :)

What diet were they on before they got ill?

Ask you vet to be honest with you about whats going on here, If you arn't happy get a second opinion.

My Merlin was on a prescription diet her whole life for FLUTD. Thankfully she responded well to the Hills c/d and so she never got as far as needing any surgery because she started with the symptoms aged only a few months old and so the food prevented the physical damage.

My heart goes out to you. All I can say is to agree with teeny that if you're unsure, get a second opinion if your vet can't explain what's going on and why (but make sure that you've got a proper write up from your vet about what they have already done, the results of tests that have been performed etc, so that they have a history to work with and aren't starting blind with needing to repeat blood tests and the like).

I know of a number of cases where vets have referred animals on for specialist care, so maybe that needs to happen in this case. My cat Merlin (the one who had FLUTD) also had a heart problem later in life so we saw a cardiologist regularly, so I would think that there are also vets who specialise in urology or kidneys that your vet could refer your cat into, if that's any help.

he's fed on a relly good diet don't feed my cats or dogs on rubbish.Was told sometimes it just happens mainly to males and it's a more common problem than you'd think.some cats get this problem at some point in their life and some are lucky and never get it.

Nobody's suggesting that you feed your animals on a poor diet. If your cat has FLUTD then he needs a food which alters the pH of his urine to eliminate the uric acid crystals in his urine (which cut their bladder and urethra when they wee and let infection in). Ordinary food, however good it may be, isn't likely to do that job and if your cat is not responding to treatment then he either needs to be on a different prescription food, or he needs different treatment from the vet.

If your vet can't change the treatment that is being offered then your cat needs to be referred on to someone else who is more specialist.

Oh I wasn't for a moment insinuating anything, I was just curious as to wether it was wet or dry food, thats all :)

just rang the vets for an update the op went well again which is good news,will go and see him in the morning and discuss things with the vets to see what the next step is.just so relieved he's come through it again,thanks for you help.you all know what it's like when you love your animals to bits.

Aw thats good news, it must be awful for you, they rely on you so much, and you them.

been to see boris today he's doing really well,eating and had a poo,they decided to take a wee sample and have it tested to identify which they are,. so will have to wait for the results back,he will have to stay in for couple more days so can make sure he can wee by himself...so relieved still got him well pleased.