Your vet says your cat has crystals in his urine and a diet change is in order to prevent further problems such as urinary obstruction and bladder stones.
What next?
How do you know what to feed your cat?
Your vet may recommend one or more types of cat food to treat this problem.
I have compiled some information to help you in the search for the best cat food for urinary crystals.
Felix might be showing symptoms such as straining to urinate, urinating only small amounts, urinating frequently or taking a long time to urinate, crying out while urinating, excessively licking the genital area, urinating outside of the litter box or having blood in his or her urine.
This problem is especially dangerous in male cats, who have a much narrower urethra than female cats and can have a life-threatening blockage or inability to urinate.
It is very important to have your cat examined by a veterinarian.
If he or she recommends a diet change to one that is made for treating and/or preventing urinary crystals, then you can make an informed decision on which diet is best for your cat.
According to the Compendium of Veterinary Internal Medicine, December of 2009, for cats with urinary crystals, your goal is to have your cat produce more dilute urine and that is best done by feeding canned cat food.
If your cat will not eat canned food, then you can feed dry food but add moisture to his diet by increasing his water or fluid intake.
The Compendium also recommends that the diet be low in minerals such as Magnesium, Phosphorus, Calcium and Chloride, and produce a urine that has a pH lower than 6.5.
To help you in your quest for a new diet for Felix, I have compiled the following list of diets for felines with urinary tract crystals that are available on Amazon and Chewy.
The 5 Best Dry Cat Foods for Urinary Crystals Reviews
1. Royal Canin Urinary SO Morsels in Gravy
This canned cat food has boosted potassium and sodium chloride to increase urine volume, is formulated to produce a urine pH of 6.0 to 6.3, is low in magnesium, phosphorus and calcium, and also enriched with antioxidant to boost a cat’s immune system.
The Royal Canin Urinary SO Index promotes a urinary environment unfavorable to the development of both struvite and calcium oxalate crystals.
This diet requires a prescription from your cat’s vet and comes in cases of 24-3oz cans.
It comes only in one flavor, which is pork and chicken.
Royal Canin Urinary SO also comes in a larger, 5.8oz can size, and a moderate calorie version for cats who are prone to being overweight.
These are pork and chicken flavored products as well.
2. Hill’s Prescription Diet c/d Multicare Cans for Urinary Tract Crystals
This food has controlled levels of calcium, magnesium, phosphorus and oxalate, is rich in fish oil to help promote healthy skin and a shiny coat, has added potassium citrate and increased levels of vitamin B6, and is low in sodium.
This diet requires a prescription from your cat’s vet and comes in cases of 24-5.5oz cans.
It comes in chicken, ocean fish and vegetable, tuna and rice stew, and chicken and vegetable stew flavors.
3. Purina UR Urinary Canned Cat Food
The main features of this cat diet are that it acidifies the urine, promotes increased water intake and increased urine volume, and has added taurine.
Therefore, it helps dissolve struvite bladder stones and promotes an environment that is unfavorable for both struvite and calcium oxalate crystals.
This diet requires a prescription from your cat’s vet and comes in cases of 24-5.5oz cans.
It comes in original flavor (liver and chicken), turkey and giblets in sauce, and salmon in sauce varieties.
This might be the best cat food for crystals in urine.
Felix and your cat deserve an informed decision, so let’s read on.
4. Royal Canin Feline Urinary SO Dry Food
Here is an option if your cat won’t eat canned/wet food.
This diet increases urine volume to decrease struvite and calcium oxalate levels, and also dissolves struvite bladder stones.
It requires a prescription from your cat’s vet and comes in 7.7 and 17.6lb bags of dry food.
There is only one flavor, which is chicken.
This is a good choice for feeding your cat after a diagnosis of urinary tract crystals.
5. Purina UR Urinary Tract Crystals Dry Cat Food
And here is one more option if your cat won’t eat canned/wet food.
This diet promotes an increased volume of dilute urine, helps to dissolve struvite bladder stones and helps reduce the risk of both struvite and calcium oxalate stone recurrence by promoting a urinary environment unfavorable to the development of struvite and calcium oxalate crystals.
It requires a prescription from your cat’s vet and comes in 6 and 16lb bags of dry kibble.
It comes in chicken flavor (the only flavor available).
You don’t have anything to lose by trying this food for your cat, it might just do the trick.
Conclusion:
According to the Catnip Newsletter, the April 2018 issue put out by the Tufts University School of Veterinary Medicine, urinary crystals may irritate the bladder, causing inflammation and then bloody urine, straining, etc. and male cats are particularly at risk for urethral obstruction, which is a life-threatening emergency.
It occurs when crystals in the urine coalesce to form sand.
The sand combines with mucus and other inflammatory debris in the bladder, forming a plug in the urethra (the tube that leads from the bladder through the penis).
This obstructs the flow of urine.
Urine flow must be promptly restored, or the cat will not survive.
When this happens, the cat needs to be treated immediately by a veterinarian and may need to be hospitalized for a period of time.
These treatments and hospitalizations can cost a cat owner, hundreds and even thousands of dollars, and the problem can be a recurring one.
It has been found that dietary modification can help treat and prevent recurrence of urinary crystals.
Yes, these diets are much more expensive than regular cat food, but in the long run, they, in most cases, save your cat from recurrent, possibly fatal urinary issues and are less expensive than repeatedly having to have your cat treated for urine crystals and the problems they cause.
So, what is the best cat food for urinary crystals?
The five listed above are all good choices.
Experts agree that canned/wet foods are best, but if your cat won’t eat it, try a dry variety and add water in other forms to your cat’s diet.
Don’t forget to consult with your veterinarian before changing your cat’s diet and to make sure that this is what your furry friend truly needs.
