Non prescription replacement for Royal Canin Fibre Response

Question

Question
I would like to try transitioning my cat off of Royal Canin Fibre Response and on to something non prescription that will work with his chronic constipation. It works for my cat - but it's very expensive and prescription only. I've read several studies on it which all confirm that it works but not why and not that something else might work equally well. Multiple vets have brushed off the question and for the reasons set out below I'm slightly sceptical about vets in my city. The somewhat specific ingredients seem to be chicory, psyllium, and unspecified fructooligosaccharide.

He will not eat wet food. He gets a good amount of water but we're still working on exercise.

Background
My cat (domestic shorthair, fixed male 9 years old) has been hospitalized twice with suspected urinary blockage. The first time I was told there weren't crystals, then that there were crystals, only to be told by a later vet that no, that wasn't at all clear from the records that there had ever been crystals. The final diagnosis was severe constipation was mechanically blocking his ability to pee.

I'm sceptical because I was pushed by multiple vets to buy one type of expensive prescription food and told it was both the only way to solve and a surefire cure for his problem - which was the crystals which didn't end up existing. Then two other vets demonstrated how that hadn't been the problem in the first place, but then insisted that only this prescription cat food would resolve the constipation. I'm really suspicious of the whole model wherein the vets push barely-studied expensive food you can only buy from them even though there is no reason (other than profit) for it not to be commercially available. It seems like a conflict of interest.

Answer 1

Food is a really tricky topic with pets, and unfortunately often boils down to trial and error. But that can be a scary (and expensive) thing if your cat has serious issues. I certainly cannot give you a definitive answer. Vets may be hesitant to recommend something else, because it could cost you more if that food doesn't work and you have to bring the cat in with another blockage.

Here's what I recommend - crunch some numbers. If you're willing to do some trial and error, figure out how much in total you spend on your cat's food over a year, if you stuck with the prescription diet. Then, calculate how much a vet trip would cost if your cat got another blockage (this might be both monetary cost, and emotional cost given the stress on both you and the cat).

If you're willing to take the risk, I would recommend with starting out on more expensive, higher-end, off-the-shelf foods to start. Look for high fiber content, both water soluble and insoluble. Lean towards grain-free foods. You could look into purchasing the actual supplements like chicory and psyllium, and adding those to foods that don't already contain them, or not in the quantities you'd like, but I'm not able to advise on specific amounts.

If you decide to try a different food, or try out supplements, I would still recommend running what you decide by your most trusted vet (or all of them for variety). Do some research on the food and budget you feel comfortable with. Then go to your vet with ideas - this will give them something specific to advise on, instead of the default they already know helps.