Ricky has struvite crystals / wet food ?

If any of you have read my posts about Ricky, you know he's been a dry food only cat his entire life. He was very definite even at the age of 6 weeks that canned food smelled like poo to him. If he was presented with canned food he'd try to bury it. He's been finicky in general even about dry food. His dry food of choice was always EVO. I still have some EVO left, but at the moment he's not digging into that heartily any more. He has access to Purina DM but doesn't go for that.

I think he's been having urination issues for about a year. He had a urine test last year in June 2017 that was clean so they told me he didn't have a problem even though he was urinating outside the box, and crying while urinating. The vet told me he might have urethra constriction and said cerenia can help with that. So I began given him cerenia every day. He had a big dentistry in April 2018 where 7 teeth were removed, and afterward was on Bupenephrine 2x a day. He was very happy on that acting like his old self....being social, sitting on my lap, eating better etc. But after that course was over he went back to picky eating with his dry food and more meowing while urinating. Ricky would come and cry to me every morning while I was asleep at about 6am as if asking me where should he urinate. I'd take him to the bath tub and that was a place where he could walk some circles and eventually urinate. If I didn't wake up Ricky would urinate in the bedroom.

I discussed it with the vet again and he told me we should recheck the urine now. Today I got a urine sample and the vet reported Ricky has struvite crystals, but said since he's diabetic we can't do much about changing his food. The vet knows Ricky will only eat dry food. He suggests Ricky get Bupenephrine 2x f a day for pain again to help him pass crystals and flush it out. I haven't been able to ask more questions yet, but I fear that merely giving him pain med for a time isn't enough to flush out the crystals. Since this has gone for a year, how could they simply pass now? By the way there was no glucose in his urine at all.

This all makes me wish I could transition Ricky to wet food. I've thought that would be impossible and didn't want the stress of trying. However, reading what Dr. Pierson wrote makes sense. However, she also makes the point :

"Keep in mind that the best time to implement a diet change is when the cat is healthy. Trying to get an ill cat to embrace a new type of food can be problematic and a cat that is not feeling well may even develop a food aversion if they associate the new food with their discomfort. Sick cats are often not consuming enough calories as it is so if your cat has a decreased appetite due to illness, this is not the time to push a diet change with too much intensity."

I would love to transition Ricky to wet food. But he doesn't even seem to like his EVO at the moment because of the crystals bothering him. I've been worried about him not eating enough as it is now. Ricky also sleeps a lot so as far as trying to create hunger by setting feeding times, I would have to gear that around when he's naturally looking for food because otherwise he'd be asleep.

By the way to complicate matters, as we all know EVO has been discontinued. I have some small supply left that Ricky no longer seems to like much. I don't know if it's due to his crystals or if the food is some how not fresh enough. I bought it from Chewy.com. I've also been searching for other dry foods and have obtained YAZ, Dr. Elseys, and Epigen 90...... Ricky won't eat any of those at the moment.

I have two other sick cats at home to deal with so it's all overwhelming.

Any suggestions? I did read Dr. Pierson's tricks. But is this the wrong time to try something new?

Pam