There are different brands of medicated foods - Both Hills Science Diet and Royal Canin make them. You might try a different brand of dry and see if she likes it. My problem with the medicated foods is they are really not that high of a quality of food. Compare their ingredients to the kind of food you are currently feeding and you will see the difference.

I had a cat with kidney issues and I compromised. I fed the dry prescription Hills and the canned high end food. I knew he needed the moisture of the canned, but he wouldn't touch any of the prescription ones. It seemed to work ok as he lived another 2 years after the diagnosis. I'm not sure if this compromise would work with crystals or not.

It might be worth it to find a "holistic" type vet to see if there are any other alternatives. I love my vet, but he is a firm believer in Science Diet and Royal Canin and doesn't look much beyond them when it comes to diet. I have worked with the owner of small independent pet food store and she has helped me with diet issues.

If your vet doesn't carry the different medicated foods, they should be able to write a prescription that you can use somewhere like Petsmart.

Good luck - dealing with cats and foods can be very trying!

I have a cat with kidney disease (he's doing amazingly well for years!) and one that gets bladder crystals.  It was FUN for a while way back when.  Our girl (crystals) had them cleared up with special food and they haven't come back, she must have been around three or so and she's 12 now.  Our boy is on special kidney food (Science Diet) and we only buy the kidney food, dry and wet, for both cats.  It causes big girl to be a bit over-weight but not too much so and keeps boy kitty at a normal weight.  They get a good serving of wet food with some dry each morning/evening.  And the food causes them to drink more water than normal, so we have a good size water bowl in our bathroom for them I keep clean and fresh.  Hint:  Cats don't normally drink where they eat.  Try putting water in another location they pass by frequently.  Away from their food and litter.

I have two male cats and males are more prone to crystals in the urine and having long term issues with it. Luckily you have a girl but I do know if cats get blocked badly enough they have to do intense surgery.

When you gave her the dry food did you give it to her right away? They suggest you start with introducing the food slowly by mixing it with their current food and over time less and less of the old stuff and more and more of new stuff till you do not mix at all.

I had to ix the urine food with the kitten food when I got my second cat because my oldest had blockage and was on the special prescription food and he would eat the kitten food instead of his. SO I mixed them and eventually went to regular prescription food. They changed the formula and both of them just flat out stopped eating the prescription (Hill's brand from the vet). I went to the hill science diet with urine and hairball, dry food. I give them those gravy packets they sell as a treat every so often in a small bowl.

If the kitty is having issues it is best to find a urine food she will like and remember to mix it and just not switch in it all at once. Gotta love kitties but they are picky little things when it comes to their food. best of luck.

Also my kitty has not had issues in over three years and the little one he is good to and fat.

I've had males who were prone to kidney crystals. Females don't tend to have the same issue as bad as males since the anatomy is different. As such it’s really surprising she got them and it was such a problem. Normally females can actually pass them pretty easy if they do get them.

I'd say make sure the food is high quality. We had to switch ours from the prescription to non because we moved and the new vet didn't carry it. I just use Blue now as a basic rule. They have some stuff that's meant for urinary tract health I believe but that may only be available in dry. There’s also Wellness which I really liked but they were more expensive than Blue. We use Blue Wilderness but Blue Basic or Freedom seem decent too and are a little cheaper than the Wilderness but my cats LOVE Wilderness and I like the ingredients.

Science Diet and Prescription Diet are both made by Hills Pet foods

Prescription Diet is sold by your Vet. Science Diet is sold by a good pet store and is cheaper. You can check Hills pet web site and fine a science Diet that is equivalent to Prescription Diet food.  And get it at the pet store and if lucky may be on sale.  I found that out years ago

I think the quality of Blue changed when they went public. All those ads they are running have to cost a great deal. They are in the process of being sold to General Mills so they will no longer be a small, family run company. I would expect further negative changes in the food quality once that happens.

For cats I've had good luck with Wellness.

Wet food is best for cats. Yes it may be stinky, but it is way more nutrious and healthy than dry food - especially for cats. They are carnovores and have not really developed a sense of "drinking" as most of the moisture they need comes from the food they eat. This is why a cat on dry food diet is prone to crystals in urine sometimes. Whilst you have sorted the food issue it is best that you watch that your cat is hydrated too. It appears your cat is doing this via wet food to the chagrin of your nose and house aroma

On medicated food it is best to speak to your vet as to which brands/formulations are short term diets and which are long term.Some formulations are specifically designed to clear up kidney issues and not suitable for long term diet. You need to have your cat on a kidney health maintenance diet. Then with the best selection the cat may not like it... They are weird like that. If kitty is eating dog food make sure the percentages of meat - not just "protein" - is higher because cat diets require higher percentages of protein than dogs.

On the crystal issue - if your cat has crystals it is best to take a urine sample (and the cat) to the vet. There are around 6 common crystals that may be formed in cat kidneys and the sample is used to test what treatment the cat requires. Different crystals are formed under different conditions - eg kidney disease is different to dehydration crystals. Asimple look at a urine sample under a microscope will tell your vet a possible cause of the crystals. (The different shape and colour is obvious.) This can be confirmed by a pH test and of course a physical examination of the cat. So the reason for the crystal formation can vary too - you just need to pinpoint the cause for effective treatment.

Your kitty sounds like a happy camper! Thank  you for being a good cat momma!!

paw gel.   So far so good on the crystal front, but 11 yr old male does tend to get bunged up so I give him a weekly dose of paw gel.  I also have a water fountain that I put the dental water additive in.  Makes drinking water more attractive to pets.