Feline Nutrition

One very important factor for optimum nutrition in Himalayans (which are colorpoint Persians) and all other Persian cats is using distilled water. All of my cats and I drink only distilled water from the philosophy that the minerals we need in our diet should come from the food, filtering through the liver, and not from our water, filtering through the kidneys.

Below are product links/sources with photos for the foods and supplements that are recommended by Donegal Cattery for Persian cats and kittens. ROYAL CANIN and YOUNG AGAIN cat foods were chosen for their quality and for the inclusion of important ingredients in their formulas:

Potassium Citrate (for bladder and possibly kidney protection) and
L-lysine (for controlling herpetic flare ups).

Even though my cattery is PKD DNA negative, you may be interested in knowing that there has been a rodent study showing possible kidney protection from the effects of genetic PKD with potassium citrate. You can read the abstract for that study at the bottom of this page marked by an asterisk*. If you already have a cat with PKD it may be worth switching it to a food with that additive such as ROYAL CANIN and YOUNG AGAIN.

You can read about Misty, a possible potassium citrate/PKD success, on the HandiCats Donegal page of my web site.

I also recommend vitamins because I believe that all foods (cat and human) lose some nutrition from the time they are manufactured to the time they reach our homes. Combine that with an additional loss of nutrition with shelf life, and the argument can be made for vitamin and mineral supplementation. I have stayed with the brand that I chose years ago because I have seen a consistent healthy kitten yield on the Kitty Bloom vitamins.

Royal Canin Cat Food

Samples provided with kitten starter kits and adult cats placed
Available at most pet food stores such as Petsmart & Petco
www.royalcanin.us

Young Again Cat Food

Samples provided with kitten starter kits and adult cats placed.
Available online at www.youngagainpetfood.com

Use promo code #159365 for 10% off your first order
Or
Conveniently available by ordering directly from this site using the following banner link for 10% off of your first order:

Kitty Bloom VM900+3 vitamins
Samples provided with kitten starter kits and adult cats placed
Available online at
www.dogbloom.com

L-lysine enzyme supplement

Available online as a loose powder
(I use NOW L-lysine)
Or
500mg capsules
(Solaray brand, online or at health food stores, dissolves the best)
Maintenance dose for herpetic flare up prevention is 250-500mg/day. 1000mg/day can be used for acute, severe flare ups.

* Potassium Citrate abstract for effects on genetic PKD:

Journal of the American Society of Nephrology JASN 1998 Jul;9(7):1242-8.

Potassium citrate/citric acid intake improves renal function in rats with polycystic kidney disease.

Tanner GA.

Source

Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis 46202, USA.

Abstract

Polycystic kidney disease (PKD) has been shown to be exacerbated by acidosis or a low potassium intake, and there is evidence that administration of alkali might have a beneficial effect. This study determined whether ingestion of potassium citrate and citric acid would ameliorate PKD. Healthy normal and heterozygous littermate Han:SPRD rats with autosomal dominant PKD were provided with either tap water or 55 mM K3citrate/67 mM citric acid solution (KCitr) to drink starting at the age of 1 mo. Renal clearance measurements and histologic assessments were performed when the rats were 3 months old. KCitr intake did not affect body weight or urine flow, but completely prevented the decline in GFR found in untreated rats with PKD. In rats that drank tap water, left kidney GFR averaged (in microliter/min per 100 g body wt) 503 +/- 78 (n = 9) in normal animals and 242 +/- 56 (n = 6) in rats with PKD. In rats that drank KCitr, GFR averaged 562 +/- 123 (n = 7) in normal animals and 534 +/- 103 (n = 7) in rats with PKD. Kidneys of rats with PKD were approximately double normal size. KCitr treatment did not affect kidney size, but led to fewer interstitial abnormalities and smaller cysts in cystic kidneys. KCitr ingestion led to a significantly lower (P < 0.001) plasma [K+] in rats with PKD (3.3 +/- 0.2 versus 4.1 +/- 0.2 mEq/L in rats on tap water). Chronic KCitr intake in the young heterozygous Han:SPRD rat with PKD yields a modest improvement of kidney histology and a dramatic improvement in GFR. The mechanism of action of KCitr and the long-term effects of this treatment on renal structure and function in PKD deserve further study.