Best For Sensitive Stomach: Hound & Gatos Chicken & Chicken Liver Formula Grain
- Type: Wet/Canned
- Made In: United States
Digestive issues are just as common as urinary tract health problems. Fortunately, there are a wealth of foods that address both. This recipe from Hound & Gatos is one of them. Its a moisture-rich food made from top-quality ingredients and should help to control urinary tract health. Its also a limited-ingredient food made from rabbit, a novel protein for many cats.
Like other Hound & Gatos foods, its popular among cats with food sensitivities and digestive issues.
Best Treats: Get Naked Urinary Health Crunchy Treats For Cats
All cats love treats- just because your pet has troubles with their urinary health doesnt mean that they dont get to indulge from time to time! However, you shouldnt go overboard, especially with treats that are not formulated to meet the needs of cats with urinary problems. Get Naked Urinary Health Crunchy Treats For Cats is a healthier alternative to the feline version of junk food and, to boot, it is designed to help with urinary issues rather than exacerbate them. These functional treats are made with real chicken cranberry juice, which is thought to help cleanse the urinary tract and acidify the urine, and are grain-free, so no wheat, corn, or soy in sight. The best part is that each treat is under 2 kcal, so you dont have to worry about occasional treats ruining your pets figure.
Enrich Your Cat’s Environment
A lack of stimulation from indoor environments may result in boredom, frustration, and stress for cats, which could be triggers for FLUTD. Enriching your cat’s environment is important for their mental and physical well-being and can help reduce stress. Enrichment can include adding more perches, scratching posts, and interactive feeding toys to your home.
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Supplements And Nutrients That Support Cat Urinary Tract Health
Many supplements have been recommended for cats prone to developing stones and infections. However, not all of these are backed up by science. Cranberry is often suggested, as it can be helpful for humans. However, we dont know if it affects cats in the same way. There is anecdotal evidence that it may be helpful, but we dont have any definite evidence that makes a significant difference.
Vitamin C may also be helpful, and many foods for urinary tract health have added vitamin C. It is thought to provide an acidifying effect on the cats urine, lowering the number of stones that develop. Often, brands that claim to be changing the cats urine pH are using extra vitamin C.
Cats that are dehydrated are more likely to develop urinary problems, as their urine will be more complicated. Therefore, foods with more moisture can also be helpful. Canned food is often recommended for this reason, as it is naturally higher in moisture than dry food.
Reduced minerals may also be helpful, as these are the things that can cause stones to develop and concentrate the cats urine. Reduced protein may also be suggested, as too much protein can upset the kidneys in some cats.
Wysong Uretic Dry Natural Food For Cats
This cat food has all the right nutrients that your cat needs when it is sick. It has been trusted by pet owners for many years and continues to be a favorite. It contains a high amount of micronutrients, probiotics, micronutrients, antioxidants, and much more.
Moreover, it is rich in protein with 42% protein content and 15% fat content. It has been specially created for urine health and is suitable for cats of all life stages.
If your cat is not a huge fat of wet food, you can feed the Wysong Uretic dry food to him or her. This is nonprescription cat food for urinary health, so you do not need a letter from your vet. However, this cat food does contain grain, so if your cat is sensitive to it, you should opt for another urinary health cat food.
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Some Cats Should Not Eat Urinary Food
As shown in the table above, prescription urinary formula cat food is not safe for certain cats.
- Cats under a year of age are still growing. Urinary cat food might not have enough protein, fat and minerals for them.
- Pregnant or nursing cats have increased nutritional needs. The controlled nutrients in urinary food may not be enough to support them during this physiologically stressful time.
- Cats who are already taking urinary acidifying medications like ammonium chloride may not do well with additional acidification of urine from food. Consult your vet before using both.
- Avoid feedingcats who form oxalate crystals an acidifying diet since a lower urine pH favors the formation of calcium oxalate crystals.
- Cats who form struvite crystals should avoid eating prescription urinary foods that aim to increase urine pH.
- Cats with kidney disease or heart disease might have unwanted side effects from eating urinary formula food due to increased salt present in some formulas.
Purina One Urinary Tract Health Dry Cat Food Best Value
Purina is known as a budget company. However, its ONE line is exceptionally high-quality while remaining inexpensive. For cats with urinary problems, Purina ONE Urinary Tract Health Dry Cat Food is a solid option. This food is formulated with low magnesium, which can prevent the creation of bladder stones and similar problems. This brand adds antioxidants, which may help prevent urinary problems. As a pH-reducing food, this can also keep infections at bay.
However, this food does have lower-quality ingredients than other options. This is one of the reasons that Purina can keep the foods cost so low. The first ingredient is corn gluten meal, with the second being whole ground corn. Corn is a starchy vegetable and is often considered a grain. Cats do not need it to thrive, though it does provide a few nutrients. However, cats can have difficulty absorbing and using nutrients from plants like corn, so it likely isnt doing much for your cats nutrition.
Chicken is included as the third ingredient. This is a high-quality option and suitable if your feline is not allergic to chicken. This is the best cat food for urinary tract health for the money.
This does require a veterinary prescription, so it is only available to felines with diagnoses of urinary tract problems.
To conclude, this is our premium pick for best cat food for urinary health available this year.
- A bit expensive
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Best Variety: Purina Pro Plan Urinary Tract Health Variety Pack Canned Cat Food
Key Ingredients: Varies by flavor | Calories per Serving: 82 to 107 depending on flavor | Texture: Wet, varies | Balance: Varies but most are Crude Protein min. 10.0%, Crude Fat min. 6.5%, Crude Fiber max 0.5%, Moisture max. 78.0% | Life Stage: Adult
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Nutritional and flavor diversity for your cat
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No prescription needed
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Meat by-products are the first ingredient
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Added color
If your cats digestive system can tolerate more than one type of food, a variety pack is a wonderful way to give them a broader range of flavors and nutrients at the same time.
Purina Pro Plan Focus Classic Urinary Tract Health Formula Adult Wet Cat Food Variety Pack comes as a case of 12, 24, or 36 cans. It can be purchased as four, eight or twelve cans each of three flavorsOcean Whitefish or Beef & Chicken, Chicken, and Turkey and Gibletsor as twelve cans each of two flavorsOcean Whitefish and Salmon.
Each recipe has low dietary magnesium and has been designed to reducing urinary pH. Purina products are also manufactured in the U.S. and are widely available and among the more affordable brands on shelves today.
Key Ingredients: N-Acetyl Glucosamine from shrimp and crab, D-mannose, cranberry extract | Calories per Serving: Not listed| Balance: Not listed | Life Stage: Adult | Texture: Soft chews
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Incorporates D-mannose ingredient known to decrease urinary tract infections
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Several inactive ingredients
Hills Prescription Diet Urinary Care Dry Cat Food Best Overall
Hills Prescription Diet Urinary Care Dry Cat Food is a solid option for cats with urinary tract problems. It does require a veterinarian prescription and is a robust food for cats with severe problems. This food has controlled levels of magnesium, calcium, and phosphorus. It is enriched with antioxidants and supports overall health. Omega fatty acids are added, as there is evidence that they may support urinary tract health overall, though the exact reason is not fully understood.
This cat urinary food is safe to eat for the long term, unlike many urinary tract medications. In fact, it is essential for preventing bladder stones from forming and encouraging urinary tract health. This food can even dissolve existing stones in a short period, which is far better than surgical interventions. It is also designed to balance the urine pH, which may help prevent infections and similar issues.
The ingredients in this urinary health cat food are so-so, however. The first ingredient is chicken, which is a high-quality option. However, whole grain corn, corn gluten meal, whole grain wheat, and brewers rice are also high on the ingredient list. These are generally lower quality options, as they are all grains. Cats do not need grains to thrive, and they dont provide much for a cats nutrition. While the addition of things like gluten raises the protein level, this added protein is low-quality and plant-based. Cats can have difficulties absorbing and using nutrients from plants.
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Cats With Urinary Crystals: Specialized Food
If you have found urinary crystals in your cats litter tray, then you may be seeing a common symptom of your cat being dehydrated.
It mainly occurs due to inadequate moisture in cat food, or more commonly a lack of drinking water.
Three standard crystals in cat urine are Struvite, Oxalate, and Urate.
These crystals form when there is more magnesium, calcium, phosphorus or protein in the urine that can be dissolved.
How Are Prescription Cat Foods Different From Regular Cat Food
Prescription cat food is specifically designed to control symptoms of illness or delay its progression. The best cat food for urinary tract health, for instance, will help lower the chance of crystal development while dissolving struvite to some extent. Also referred to as veterinary diets, they often include more carefully selected ingredients and use specific ratios to address your cats specific health requirements.
In prescription kitty kibbles, you will often find a limited number of ingredients. This is done to control the recipe makeup so that the food is safer for cats with health conditions.
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Purina Pro Plan Focus Adult Urinary Tract Health
Our first and favorite pick of the bunch is this Urinary Tract Health Formula cat food from Purina.
Purina being a household name speaks volumes about the quality of their cat foods. Well respected and loved by cats around the world, you can be sure your cat wont turn their nose up at this. And the Pro Plan range is their best-quality diet, its recommended by vets and compliant with the World Small Animal Veterinary Association nutrition guidelines.
For a wet cat food thats targeted specifically at a common health problem, its very reasonably priced.
With the Purina Pro Plan FOCUS range, you can be sure youre feeding them a cat food designed to help relieve the symptoms and prevent the causes of urinary tract infections every single day without breaking the bank.
It comes in a range of delicious flavors, each with the same urinary health benefits. You dont have to worry about your cat not liking the taste.
Their feeding guidelines suggest 1.1 oz per pound of body weight daily. You should divide this into two or more meals as you see fit, and dont feed it to pregnant cats or kittens.
Weve rated it so highly because its the perfect blend of value and efficacy and weve never known a cat to dislike a Purina wet cat food.
Check out the thousands of others who rate this highly using the button above.
Royal Canin Veterinary Diet Feline Urinary So Canned Cat Food
This canned prescription food primarily consists of chicken, with pork as a second ingredient. Even when purchasing online, youll need a vets prescription. This formula also comes in a diet formulation. According to Royal Canin: This diet promotes a urinary environment unfavorable to the development of both struvite and calcium oxalate crystals . The low levels of magnesium, increases urine volume, and encourages a healthy level of pH, while preventing painful bladder stones.
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Hills Science Diet Adult Urinary Hairball Control Dry Food
Again, with this dry variation of the Hills Science Diet Urinary & Hairball cat food, you get much of the same benefits as with the Royal Canin.
You get more for your money, a longer lasting product, and the same nutritional value. Its down to you to ensure your cat has a constant supply of fresh water and that theyre drinking it, something which some owners find hard to accomplish.
With Hills dry cat food, you get a considerable amount more for your money than you do with the Royal Canin, but the reasons are much the same as they are for the wet foods reviewed above.
You still get the same increase in fiber content that the wet food offers, and an optimal level of magnesium to help correct any imbalance in your cats urine pH levels.
As with all Hills products, there are no artificial colors or preservatives, just healthy natural ingredients with added vitamins, minerals and amino acids .
Its one of the best dry cat foods out there, and the added benefits of dissolving urinary crystals and hairball reduction make it a food worth trying for any loving owner.
Purina Pro Plan Adult
Purina Pro Plan Adult is one of our top picks as Purina is a well-known and trusted brand.This product comes in a wide selection of delicious flavors with similar urinary health benefits. Hence, you can be sure that your kitty wont turn her/his nose up at this.Purina Pro Plan FOCUS is specially designed to relieve sickness symptoms and prevent the cause of urinary tract infections. Furthermore, its price is fairly reasonable, so you wont be bankrupt when curing your cats disease.According to the Purinas guideline, you should feed your cat 1.1 oz per pound of body weight daily and divide the food into 2 or 3 meals.Like other Urinary foods, dont feed these foods for pregnant cats or kittens.
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Signs Of Urinary Tract Disease In Cats
If your cat experiences any of the following signs, youll need to visit your vet ASAP:
Blood in the urine. A mass in the bladder, bladder stones, urinary tract infection, or interstitial cystitis can cause blood in the urine. The urine can be pink-tinged or even look like straight blood in severe cases.
Straining to urinate. As the bladder walls and urethra become inflamed and swollen, it becomes more difficult for cats to urinate. Straining to urinate can appear similar to constipation in cats, so watch carefully to determine which is the true issue.
Frequent urination. Cats with an inflamed bladder feel like they have to go all the time, so theyll be in their litter box to urinate frequently.
Urinating outside the litter box. Urinating is painful when the bladder is inflamed. Some cats associate this pain with their litter box and then opt to use the bathroom in a new location.
Small amounts of urine. If your cat is urinating frequently, they wont have time to build up a full bladder. Just a few drops may be eliminated during each trip to the litter box.
Excessive drinking. If your cat is urinating more frequently, theyre likely drinking more as well.
Overgrooming. Many cats groom themselves in an attempt to soothe away the pain. You may notice fur missing around the genital region or on the sides of your cats abdomen.
How Much Magnesium And Phosphorus Is In Royal Canin Urinary So
Now lets take a look at another of one of the biggest prescription diets out there and see whats inside Royal Canin.
Heres whats inside the canned version of Urinary SO on a dry matter basis :
- Magnesium: 0.4%
- Phosphorus: 0.8%
Heres what the Royal Canin website has to say for the dry version of Urinary SO:
- Magnesium: 0.1%
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Materials Of The Non Prescription We Cat Food For Cats With Urinary Crystals
We advise not to buy products from brands that dont specify the materials they use unless were sure the product is made with good quality materials. Its important to be confident about a purchase before you make one, so when the materials used arent clearly specified, it makes us doubt the products quality.
Its imperative to consider what material will work best for your requirements before you make an investment since you could find yourself wasting your money.
Buyers Guide: Choosing The Best Cat Food For Urinary Health
As you can see, you have many options when it comes to cat foods for urinary tract health. For example, there are both wet foods and dry foods made for urinary tract health as well as all-natural foods, and grain-free choices, just to mention a few. A good rule of thumb to follow when choosing the right food for your cat is to think about his habits. Does your cat only like crunchy cat food thats dry or does he prefer soft and wet food?
The flavor is another big consideration. Some cats love fish and others hate it. Think about your cats favorite flavors and the type of food he eats so you can narrow down your choices. Cost is another factor to consider, and especially if youre on a tight budget. Some of the cat foods in our reviews are on the pricey side while others are more affordable.
If youd rather not pay a high vet fee just to get a veterinarian authorization to buy food, skip over any special cat foods that require it. There are plenty of choices that dont require veterinarian authorization. In a nutshell, the most important factors to consider when buying cat food for urinary tract health include:
- Your cats food type preference
- The flavor of the food
- The ingredients in the food
- The cost of the food
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