Best Cat Food for Urinary Health 2024 – Top Recipes to Avoid Bladder Stones & More
Quick Guide
Animals that have specific health needs can be incredibly challenging to care for, but that can make it all the more rewarding. We love our animals more than anything else in our lives, and that’s why we need to ensure that they are getting a complete and nutritious diet.
In the wild our cats would usually hunt for small game or fish, consisting on a diet of raw meat and fat. But many of the cheap cat food producers are filling their products with carbohydrate fillers that our fluffy friends would never usually eat.
Is it any surprise that they develop health issues?
Urinary problems are incredibly common, and cats are particularly susceptible to them. Eating too many minerals can cause crystals to form in the urine, which can lead to bladder stones eventually. These are painful for your cat and can lead to expensive and time-consuming vet visits.
What is the Best Cat Food for Urinary Health?
How To Identify Urinary Health Issues in Your Cat
If you believe that your cat is having a urinary health problem, then you should first go to a doctor so that they can give you a prescription for the type of food that they need. These specialized urinary health foods contain medication that your animals need to break down their mineral buildup so that they can relieve themselves without pain.
What is Urinary Health?
The urinary tract is the passage track that consists of the bladder and the urethra; it’s susceptible to infections but also the build-up of minerals into crystals. When these issues occur can be painful just for your cat to relieve themselves each day, but it can also cause more serious problems that can require surgery.
Choosing a Food
Cats with urinary health problems need specialized foods that give them the nutrients that they need, alongside medication, without the minerals that caused the problem in the first place. There are plenty of different options for you to choose from, all of which use the same basic principles to help to cure your little friend.
The Type
As with regular cat food, you can find urinary health food in wet and dry forms depending on what your animal prefers to eat. There is also a range of recipes to choose from, but not quite as many as you’d find for healthy adult cats.
Wet food has the advantage of being filled with water which has a variety of health benefits. Many of our animals are chronically dehydrated because they don’t drink enough water from their bowls. For this reason, pet owners choose to swap to wet food which can provide the majority of your cat’s water for the day.
However, dry food is far more convenient for the owner, especially if you are away from home often or work long days at the office. It can be poured into a bowl regularly and will keep for many months without going bad.
The Taste
Taste and flavor are often overlooked when it comes to the best cat food for urinary health, likely because as owners we don’t have to try it ourselves. But our cats care, they have natural preferences, and there are foods that they enjoy and ones that they hate.
Some owners might find that trial and error is the only way to decide on the right food, but the vast majority of cats will enjoy traditional foods like chicken, salmon, and duck. Most cats would have been able to hunt for these animals in the wild, and therefore it makes sense that would have a natural affinity for them.
Between brands, you’ll also find that unique recipes lead to chicken products tasting vastly different. Premium food brands use a higher concentration of real meat, whereas cheaper producers cut corners and opt for meat reductions or substitutes.
Your animal can tell the difference with their nose and with their tongue, which is why they might turn their face away from certain foods and refuse to eat it. To decide on a brand, we would recommend reading some of the reviews to see what other customers have said about their cat’s reaction.
The Cost
Cost is important to all of us, money doesn’t grow on trees, and it’s vital that we’re not overextending ourselves. The price of the best cat food for urinary health can add up, with estimates suggesting that on average we spend $300 to $500 yearly to feed our furry friends.
Urinary health food is often a little more expensive than usual because it is more complicated to create and it might also include expensive medications for your cat. But even between brands creating the same types of food, there is variance depending on the quality and quantity of ingredients that they have used.
Reviewed : Best Urinary Health Cat Food
Wysong Uretic Dry Cat Food
When it comes to uretic cat food, Wysong is one of the market leaders, producing excellent quality food that your pets will love. It was specially created by a veterinarian and is designed to target wellness, immune system development, and urinary system health.
This unique formulation takes advantage of the most innovative production methods available to preserve as much of the natural value of whole foods as possible. With higher levels of meats, organs, and proteins than ever before, Wyson is a comprehensive and balanced meal that gives your cat all of the micronutrients that they need.
Excess minerals are removed from the ingredients to avoid exacerbating any existing urinary health problems. Instead, it contains methionine which is naturally sourced and has been shown to help with urinary health.
The rest of the food is packed with fruits and vegetables that are similar to what your furry friend might consume if they lived in the wild. This blend of natural ingredients ensures that they get all of the vitamins, nutrients, and antioxidants that they need without the excess minerals that are causing crystals to form in their urine.
Most products designed to treat urinary health problems require you to first get a prescription from your vet, a long and expensive process. But because Wysong only uses natural ingredients without any medication you don’t need to see a veterinarian. Instead, you can buy it online at Chewy and have it at your door within one to two days.
Wysong is suitable for cats of all ages, and it uses no artificial flavors or by-products in the production of their food.
Wysong is all about health and natural products, which is why they use rosemary extract which can help to fight against allergies. If your pet is struggling with dust or pollen allergy, the rosemary in the food will help to calm their respiratory system, reducing their sneezing and coughing so that they can be comfortable.
Similarly, it contains a healthy amount of taurine which has been shown to protect from the eye and heart disease, both common in senior cats as they age. Wysong doesn’t just care for your cat’s urinary system; it provides a complete meal that gives them everything they need not only to survive but to thrive.
Within the bag, you’ll find that there is an absolute minimum of 42% protein, plenty to keep your cats, both young and old, healthy and happy. Protein is essential for cats because they are often relatively lean, consisting primarily of muscle. To retain their muscle mass, they need to eat a diet that is high in foods like chicken and salmon which is full of protein.
It also contains upwards of 15% fat, another critical part of their diet. The western diet is often wary of fat, but for cats, it’s a vital energy source that they need for their health and wellbeing. Wysong food is tasty and delicious, but it’s also been strategically created by a vet to give your animal the support that they need to get better.
Right now, you can get a 5-pound bag of Wysong uretic food for less than $14, an absolute bargain for dry food designed to help to heal your pet. They recommend that to begin you start by using Wysong as only 10% of their diet, increased each week gradually.
At this pace, a single bag can last you for months while you heal and support your animal back to optimum health.
Pros
- No need for a prescription
- Cheap compared to other prescription foods
- Delicious taste
Cons
- Doesn’t use medications for treatment
Royal Canin Veterinary Diet Urinary Dry Food
Another great dry food for cats dealing with urinary tract health problems is the Royal Canin Veterinary food. Unlike the Wysong bag, the Royal Canin food contains medications which help to break up the formation of harmful crystals. To get access to this product you must first go to a vet who can give you a prescription for this type of food.
Specially created by veterinarians to support your felines bladder and urinary health, it provides optimal nutrition without excessive minerals which could make the problem worse. It’s highly recommended for cats that are at risk of developing urinary health problems, or who have suffered from the afflictions in the past.
The food works by increasing urine output, which will help to flush out the build-up of struvite and calcium oxalate crystals before they can become large. Doing this helps to prevent an issue before it can arise.
But this food isn’t just for use when your pet is sick because it is a comprehensive meal plan containing all the vitamins your cat needs, it can be used regularly.
The vets and scientists who worked to create such a wonderful product developed it using a low RSS (relative supersaturation) method for cats that are prone to struvite and oxalate urinary issues.
Prescription food is expensive, there’s little doubt about that, but Chewy helps to reduce that cost by giving you access to brands like Royal Canin. At Chewy you can get a 17.6-pound bag of prescription cat food for less than $63.
Compared to generic food, it’s insanely expensive, but relative to other urinary diet foods this is an absolute bargain. Not only that but if you don’t give your pet this type of food, they will suffer in pain until the condition becomes more severe and demands veterinary visits, all of which cost money.
For this reason, investing in Royal Canin urinary food can help you to save money in the long run, while reducing the pain for your fluffy friend and allowing them to relieve themselves normally.
This particular product is chicken flavored, a popular choice among felines, and contains upwards of 32.5% protein. For those who don’t know, protein is an essential building block which helps your pet to build and retain the muscle that they need to get around comfortably, enjoy their lives and pay with their new toys.
It also has over 13.5% fat, an important source of fuel for cats as they are running around the house and enjoying themselves. Plus, every bite is packed with vitamins like B12, D3, and B6, all of which help your feline to feel and look better.
Pros
- Packed with a range of vitamins
- High percentage of protein
- Cats love the taste
Cons
- Need to get a prescription from a vet
- Dry food contains very little water
Royal Canin Veterinary Diet Urinary Gel Canned Food
The same brand, Royal Canin, also offers their dietary urinary food in a canned gel form which some cats prefer to dry food. While it’s a little less convenient than dry food, you can quickly mix some of this gel into their existing wet food so that they can’t tell the difference.
Lower urinary tract disease in common, especially in older cats, as the crystals and stones have had years to develop in their bodies. This diet promotes a healthier urinary environment which makes it difficult for both struvite and calcium oxalate crystals to form inside their bodies.
You’ll notice that after they start eating Royal Canin Urinary food, they will begin urinating more frequently, which helps to remove small crystals before they can become more substantial. Proactive management of the condition in this way is often more efficient, simpler and cheaper than more complicated treatment options.
Royal Canin isn’t just a temporary medication food either, it provides a complete and balanced diet that gives your animal all of the nutrients they need without the excessive minerals.
Right now, at Chewy, you can grab a case of 24 cans each weighing 5.8 ounces for less than $42, an absolute bargain for this type of prescription food. The cost works out at less than $1.90 per can, far less than you spend on your Starbucks each day!
The can itself is simple to open and doesn’t splinter or leave metal shavings in the food. Your cat is going to go wild for this food, which is must tastier than many prescription foods which taste artificial and dry.
Head to your veterinarian today and get a prescription for urinary diet food so that you can head to Chewy and take advantage of this offer. Plus, you can save an extra 5% at the checkout if you opt to set up an automatic shipment each month.
Pros
- Easy to open cans
- Tasty food that your furry friend will love
- Effective at dissolving stones
Cons
- Canned food is more expensive than dry
Hill’s Prescription Diet Multicare Urinary Canned Food
Finally, you might also consider Hill’s Prescription Diet Food for cats with urinary health conditions. This product uses real chicken that your pets will be excited to eat, but the real magic is what it can do for their health conditions.
Each can is made with a clinically specialized nutrition formulation that helps to support your cat’s urinary health, lowering the recurrence of most common urinary symptoms by 89%. That means less pain for your pet and fewer worries for you.
Eating a can of Hill’s food each day can help to dissolve stones in their bodies which can cause excruciating pain when passed. On average, it will take 27-days for the stones to disappear, but some cats show significant progress within a week.
By eating this type of food, you can dissolve any existing stones that your pet might have, while simultaneously making it more difficult for them to form again.
The medication in the food promotes a desirable pH level in their body by controlling the levels of magnesium, calcium, and phosphorus that they are consuming. Each bite is enriched with antioxidants, potassium citrate and omega-3 fatty acids that can increase their general wellbeing.
For cats that have recurring crystal and stone formation, Hill’s cans can be given to adult cats for a lifetime. Unlike many other prescription brands which disregard taste and nutrition, treating the food as medicine, Hill’s recognizes that as an owner you want your pet to enjoy their food and to feel great. Hill’s does precisely that.
With over 8.5% protein and 3.5% fat, each can provides your furry friend the fuel that they need to fight their health problems and play with you. All of that protein comes from a variety of natural sources like pork liver, chicken, and fish.
Right now at Chewy, you can get a case of 24 cans, each weighing 5.5 ounces, delivered straight to your door within 2-days for less than $48. Don’t fuss around in the grocery store or pet shop, stay at home and let Chewy do the hard work. Get a case delivered directly to your home for free by spending over $49 at Chewy today.
Pros
- Extremely effective at reducing symptoms
- Gets to work quickly
- Dissolves large stones
Cons
- Low protein percentage
- Low fat percentage
