Question: I have a 10 month old Siamese male kitten that all of a sudden does not want to use the toilet to urinate. He also seems like he has a hard time pooping, he strains. I feed him Eagle Pack Holistic Select Chicken formula for Cats and Kittens. One of my students recommended Halo chicken dry food for indoor cats. I tried wet food but he does not like it much. He seems like he is drinking enough water though the day. Any suggestions?

Answer: Thanks for writing in. The reason your cat may not want to use the litterbox to urinate may be one of a few reasons. Many cats that experience painful defecation or constipation will shy away from the box for urination as well because they recall it as a “bad” or painful place. The Halo dry food can be an excellent choice for pets with constipation as it contains fiber-rich vegetables, prebiotics and probiotics to support intestinal health. See my article about natural remedies for constipation in cats, Natural Remedies for Constipation.

The other very common urinary ailment of cats is a condition called interstitial cystitis. This is a sterile inflammation of the bladder that causes pain and avoidance of the litter box. Increasing water intake (try fountain waterers, etc) and enriching their home environment (see www.indoorcat.org) can help with the condition dramatically. You should see your veterinarian to make sure he doesn’t have issues like stones or other bladder problems.

Good luck.
Dr. Donna Spector

Answers provided to pet owners by Dr. Donna Spector should be considered information and not specific advice. Answers are to be used for general information purposes only and not as a substitute for in-person evaluation or specific professional advice from your veterinarian. Communications on this site are very limited and should never be used in possible cases of emergency. Halo, Purely for Pets will not be liable for any loss or damage caused by your reliance on any information or content contained in a blog or article post.

Short-dated products are on the Halo web site at half price. Of course, these usually sell out extremely quickly, so grab what you can use. Currently available: Liv-a-Littles protein treats, grooming and supplements items, and even some cans of Halo Spot’s Stew. Take a look, and check back often!

Please remember, while these products are wonderful, they are not the same as what you can buy at the store. You’ll find earlier formulas, old labels, or short-dating. Short-dating means that the product will reach its “Best if Used By” date within 1-2 months of purchase.

Davey the dog’s mom switched to Halo for an important reason:

“We regularly supplement Davey’s daily diet with things like carrots, berries, apples and other whole foods,” she writes on her blog.

“So having an actual whole food in Davey’s daily meal makes me feel great about what I feed him,” she writes. “The Halo dry food ingredient list reads like a healthy grocery list and not a chemistry experiment.”

Davey, we hope you are enjoying your wholesome, well-rounded meals!!

If you haven’t joined the conversation yet on Twitter, you’re missing a lot of fun – and some great information distributed in easy-to-digest form via text message or online.

Here’s a recent conversation I really enjoyed.

Nightline — yes, the TV show — asked its Twitter followers, “What is the craziest thing you’ve seen for sale on QVC?”

Juaus4me (a woman named Jennifer Ann who follows Nightline on Twitter) responded, “craziest thing on QVC Ellen D selling Halo food and her co host was eating it ….OH YUMMIE.”

If you didn’t catch that on QVC, it made for great television! You can see a clip of QVC host Carolyn Gracie eating Halo here. This was a bit controversial when it happened – until QVC watchers started defending Carolyn because, in fact, she didn’t eat anything they wouldn’t eat!

I couldn’t help but join the conversation. So my Tweet was, “Hey @juaus4me and @Nightline – eating Halo’s not all that crazy; Read the ingredients (vs. human soup) http://www.halopets.com/soupwars.”

Next, Zissy4PetTalez sent my message to her 848 followers (know as a “re-Tweet” or “RT”).

FurandFeathers, an animal lover named Sue Giannosa, chimed in saying, “Crazy, no way. My dogs love that food. They lick the spoon when I put the Dream coat on their food also. Ingred. Are all natural.”

Rachelle Caruso, Twitter ID rlcaruso, responded, “my dogs LOVE Halo! I think they eat better than Me! Halo stew is way better than anything in the human aisle based on ingredients.”

If you’re reading this, you probably sacrifice to make sure your pet is well taken care of, and know where Rachelle is coming from!

Buy at least $75 through Feb.14th, get $25 coupon for more!

Hey blog readers, wanted to alert you of a big-time sale. Buy at least $75 online by Valentine’s Day, and we’ll send you a coupon for $25 worth of Halo products. Enter this promo code AFTER your payment information to make sure you receive the $25 coupon: 75free25. Go to www.halopets.com/shop