Selkirk Rex urinary blockage diet advice

A urinary blockage is one of the scariest things a cat owner can go through — and in male cats it's genuinely life-threatening, so the fact that he's been seen by a vet and discharged with diet advice is exactly the right start. Diet is now the single most important tool you have to prevent this happening again. To point you toward the right food, it would help to know: what are you currently feeding him, and did the vet give you any specific guidance — for example, whether the blockage was struvite crystals, calcium oxalate, or something else?

That's really useful — struvite crystals are actually the more manageable of the two main types because they can be dissolved through diet, not just prevented. The shift from dry to wet food is critical here: dry food keeps cats in a state of mild chronic dehydration, which concentrates urine and makes crystal formation much more likely. For a male cat who's already blocked once, you want to make that switch permanent, not just temporary. What size portions is he used to, and is he a good eater or picky?

Given that he's had a confirmed struvite blockage, I'd go straight to Royal Canin Veterinary Urinary S/O wet food — the pouches or the canned loaf, whichever he takes to. It's specifically formulated to dissolve struvite crystals by acidifying the urine and diluting it, and it has a controlled level of magnesium which is the mineral that drives struvite formation. For a 4.5kg cat you're looking at around 3–4 pouches a day or the equivalent in canned. It's available on Amazon UK as a multipack and you can set up a Subscribe & Save to keep the cost down. This is the food most UK vets reach for after a struvite blockage and it has a strong track record — it's not just a 'urinary support' food, it's a therapeutic diet with clinical evidence behind it.

Realistically, yes — for a male cat who has already blocked once, staying on a urinary wet diet long-term is the safest approach. The underlying tendency to form struvite crystals doesn't go away, and dry food will always carry a hydration risk for him specifically. Some owners transition to a high-quality non-prescription wet food after six months if a recheck urine test shows the urine pH and crystal picture has normalised, but even then the Royal Canin S/O is worth keeping as the majority of his diet. It's also worth scheduling a urine check with your vet in about 4–6 weeks to confirm the crystals are resolving — that gives you a concrete milestone to work toward.

Good — getting started straight away really does matter with struvite. One practical tip: if he's been eating dry food exclusively, introduce the wet food gradually over 5–7 days by mixing it alongside the old food and reducing the dry portion each day. Some cats are initially suspicious of the texture change. Once he's fully transitioned, ditch the dry food entirely for him. He's had a serious warning and you've caught it early — with the right diet from here, the odds of another blockage drop significantly.