Urinary tract issues can be very painful for a cat to endure and expensive for a cat owner to remedy. Eukanuba describes the warning signs of urinary tract issues as including urinating outside of the litter box, straining or meowing while urinating, and bloody urine. It is very important to maintain the urinary tract health of your cat. Struvite stones—composed of magnesium, ammonium, and phosphate—can occur in cats with urinary health issues. There are multiple brands of cat food for urinary health which maintain low levels of these nutrients and can be purchased with or without a veterinarian prescription. If you are concerned about your cat’s urinary health, maybe one of these urinary tract cat foods is right for your cat.
Hill’s Prescription Diet c/d
Hill’s Prescription Diet c/d Multicare Feline Bladder Health is formulated to treat the root cause of many urinary health problems: crystals and bladder stones. This cat food for urinary health contains balanced levels of magnesium, phosphate, oxalate, potassium citrate, and calcium in order to limit the formation of painful bladder stones. The c/d Multicare Feline Bladder Health has a low magnesium level of 0.056 percent, is available in both dry and wet formulas, and is available in chicken or seafood flavor. This brand is the most expensive of the brands reviewed, averaging $20 for a four pound bag and $30 for a pack of twenty-five cans. For cats who already have bladder stones, your veterinarian may recommend the s/d formula which is designed to dissolve stones.
Purina ONE Urinary Tract Health Formula
The Purina ONE Urinary Tract Health Formula states it will maintain urinary tract health while reducing pH levels in urine and providing a low magnesium content of 0.08 percent. Magnesium is the only nutrient that is lower in this food in comparison to the Purina ONE SmartBlend. This urinary tract cat food is readily available in most pet stores as a dry food only. Local pet stores offer 3.5 pound, seven pound, and sixteen pound bags ranging from $8 to $18. Most veterinarians, however, recommend cats with urinary health issues to consume a wet formula rather than dry to assist in the flushing of the bladder according to Cat-Health-Guide.org.
Pro Plan Urinary Tract Health Formula
Purina Pro Plan also has developed a cat food for urinary health which will help keep your cat’s bladder health in check. The formula comes in a chicken flavor in both wet and dry forumlations. Very little information is given on the nutritional components of the formula, but it does note that there is only 0.2 percent potassium and a very low 0.022 percent of magnesium. The low level of magnesium makes this cat food for urinary health a good choice, but the lack of nutritional information makes a consumer worry. The dry formulation is available at local pet stores in 3.5 pound, seven pound, and sixteen pound bags ranging from $12 to $38 or in three ounce cans at $20 for a pack of twenty-four.
**UPDATE: Since the writing of this article, Purina has added more information to their website, including a guaranteed analysis for this product. Purina guarantees a max Magnesium of 0.075% and min Phosphorus of 0.6%.**
Friskies Special Diet
Friskies Special Diet urinary tract cat food is available in two seafood flavors, two beef flavors, and two chicken flavors. All of the flavors are available in a wet formulation only. The variety of flavors provides options for cat owners with finicky cats. This cat food is also designed to keep the urine pH level low through low magnesium levels. The magnesium level is 0.022 percent, but, just like Purina Pro Plan, not enough nutritional information is given. This brand is the least expensive of those reviewed, averaging only $13 for a twenty-four pack of 5.5 oz cans.
**UPDATE: Since the writing of this article, Purina has added a guaranteed analysis for this product also. It is listed as a min Magnesium of 0.024%.
I can personally relate to anyone whose cat is enduring urinary health issues as my cat Rocky underwent two bladder flushing procedures to rid him of crystals. Fortunately, he has been crystal free for over four years. It is imperative that you take your cat to the veterinarian immediately if you see any of the signs of urinary health issues. Problems can escalate quickly, and each case will be treated differently. Laura Eirmann, DVM, DACVN, is a veterinary nutritionist at the Oradell Animal Hospital and told me through email that “medical and dietary management depends on the underlying cause.” Once the cause has been identified, your cat can be given “special therapeutic diets available from your veterinarian designed and tested for cats with these specific medical conditions.” It is important to note that not all urinary tract issues are the same, and they do not all require the same treatment. For example, if your cat has an upper urinary tract issue, these special diet cat foods “could be detrimental” to your cat. Even if your cat doesn’t have any urinary health issues, it is important to monitor them closely. Read this Guide to Maintaining a Healthy Bladder for Cats for more tips.
Sources
Eukanuba, “Feline Lower Urinary Tract Disease,” http://www.eukanuba.com/en-US/ cat-guide/Feline-Lower- Urinary-Tract-Disease.jspx The Cat Health Guide, “Cat Food Urinary Health,” http://www.cat-health-guide. org/cat-food-urinary-health. html Laura Eirmann, DVM, DACVN, Email Interview, Oradell Animal Hospital Nutrition Service