Best dry food for when we go away?

[soup006]

We aren't going away for weeks at a time. I'm just talking about the future when we might go out of town for 2 or 3 days and whether I should get prescription urinary tract food for those few days or get a better grain free dry food. They have a water fountain and would have multiple bowls of water. Yes I understand that cats still don't get enough water this way but we have to have a life too and can't be expected to never leave the house. If we can't get friends to check on them, I do not want strangers coming in my home.

[MowMow]

Of course you to have a life but you have a special needs kitty and imo that needs to be allowed for.

There are pet sitting companies that have their employees bonded and come with references.

Perhaps pay a friends older children to come over and care for them. Someone you know and trust and a younger person would not want much money. In the new apartment complex I moved to I've already met 3 neighbors who I would feel comfortable coming in to care for my guys if need be. The people across the hall have two toy dogs they DOTE on, the girl downstairs is a vet tech with two giant dogs and an IBD cat (so she's used to keeping her eye on cat health) and the young man downstairs one door down is only 15 but is super sweet, my cats like him (and his 3 sisters) and he's always looking for reasons to get out of his female dominated environment and relax. I'd be cool with him coming in twice a day and letting him hang out for a few hours of play with the cats and watching TV and the cats wouldn't be lonely

[Sinatra-Butters]

Taste of the wild is a good affordable grain free food. OP wants food suggestions.

[hal1]

Originally Posted by Sinatra-Butters

OP wants food suggestions.

+1. While the suggestions may be constructive, I'm sure the OP knows his pet sitting options, or lack of, and is being responsible by asking for quality food suggestions.

[JillianS]

^ agreed. Everyone has their own opinions/thoughts re: how we raise our cats (and our kids)...

That said,I usually feel fine if it's 2 days. When I'm away for longer, I usually ask a friend to come in every other day (one comes more often, as she loves them, but if I can't get her, I have another friend who is super busy and I only feel ok asking her to come every other day).

I have a water fountain, like you. I have purchased an additional water fountain that I put out when I'm away, so there's two going, just in case. Like you mentioned, I also put out at least one regular bowl of water on top of that (just in case the power goes out, etc).

I pre-prepare all the wet food in separate bowls, cover them with tin foil, then put them in the fridge so that whoever can just come in and take three mins to put food down/water if they're in a super rush.

I feed some dry food, (mostly so that when I'm away for periods at a time, they're ok with eating dry).

For your situation:

I had a cat when I was younger who got crystals easily. Wet food was of course ideal, but we got the low-ash etc dry food specifically for cats like that, and that seemed to be fine as well. We would leave him and his brother alone at times for 2-3 days (max) with that food out, and it seemed to do them fine.

Talk with your vet, see what she/he recommends. (if it's the kind that is conveniently avail for sale in their office, do your research a bit before buying ) , but as long as your vet isn't alarmed, I wouldn't feel too guilty about leaving for 2 days. (more than that, and I'd want someone in at least every other day, but again, that's your choice)

[marie73]

Ordinarily I would agree, stick to the question asked, but since the OP's cat has certain health issues, I think voicing concerns over the situation is valid.

[soup006]

I do appreciate all replies. When the new cat came up to us, we started feeding him and giving him water. He was outdoor only at the time (indoor only now) and is 1-2 yrs old. He was extremely thirsty and drank forever when I put out water the first time. I still wonder if his lack of proper food and water contributed to his urinary blockage and he might not actually be prone to getting them when fed proper food. He got the blockage after we brought him home from the vet from getting him neutered which was odd. He just did not act right and we brought him back and he had a blockage. This was about a month ago. The vet was quick to put him on C/D prescription food but we have been feeding him the same as our other cats, wellness grain free canned and before grain 96% chicken canned.

If we stick to the original question, is it better to use prescription urinary tract dry foods when we go away for a couple days or should we use a quality grain free dry food? I have looked for grain free dry food that says urinary tract health but other than having cranberry in the ingredients, none say specifically for urinary tract health with as low ash and magnesium as prescription C/D.

Thank You.