Urinary issues male cat 5 years

Hello since my last post got some really good advice can I bend your ear about my boy? 5 year old cat neutered Ralphy Beau, he is a standard domestic short hair cat in 2021 he had some crystals in his bladder apparently his urethra or something like that was spasming and there was a slight blockage which was successfuly treated. My local vet recommended C/D Hills urinary care dry food which he has been on since. Anyway, he went to the vets for his annual check the other month and the vet took a sample of his urine by a needle and when he tested it it was really alkaline (the C/D food is supposed to make his urine acidic to keep away stones) and his urine was also packed full of protein. No bacteria present. The vet said to keep him on the C/D food and to watch out for blockages. And since this I have introduced cystease and wet food. Is there anything I can do make his urine normal? Also I struggle to pill him with the h u g e cystease tablets is the benefit of the tablet outweighing the stress of pilling him? He now also has cranberry treats to help. Thanks for your help

Hello!  You should be aware of the role of stress and pain (including from cystitis) in the pathogenesis (cause) of urinary spasm.   Most people at this point say 'but my cat doesn't seem stressed!'  However the signs of stress in cats are obscure and difficult to spot (they do not behave like stressed humans) so it's a topic that you might find is well worth reading about.  Our blog may have some interesting articles and also Sarah Candy's blog, vet professionals.   Stress is now cited as the number one cause of cystitis.

Edit:. Sarah Caney wrote the blog.  Please excuse my spell check!  

The point is that there are changes that you might be able to make at home, to make daily life easier to cope with for your cat and reduce cystitis.