The 8 Best Cat Foods For Urinary Tract Health

The 8 Best Cat Foods For Urinary Tract Health

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Feline Lower Urinary Tract Disease (FLUTD), which is an inflammation of the lining of the bladder and urethra, is a common problem in cats. It is caused by the formation of struvite mineral deposits in the urinary tract.

If you notice your cat having an increased frequency of urination or shows signs of discomfort and strain during urination, he may have a partial blockage of the urethra.

Other signs maybe blood in the urine, urinating outside the litter box or crying while in the litter box. Your cat’s diet plays a important role in the prevention of urinary tract issues.

If you’re interested in keeping your cats urinary health on track or need to prevent a recurrence of urinary tract disease, then you will want to take a closer look at the best cat food for urinary health.

The Best Cat Food For Urinary Health Comparison Chart

IMAGE	PRODUCT
	Overall Best Raised Right Cat Food Human-grade cat food Fresh to order every week No fillers, grains or artificial flavors	VIEW LATEST PRICE →
	Runner-Up Smalls Food for Cats The meat and produce are sourced from US suppliers Grain free recipes Plans for every budget	Get 25% Off Your First Order →
	Budget Pick Purina Pro Plan FOCUS Urinary Tract Formula Maintains urinary tract Made with real chicken protein Inexpensive wet food	VIEW LATEST PRICE →
	Best Dry Food Wysong Uretic Dry Cat Food High Protein Healthy carbohydrates Highly palatable	VIEW LATEST PRICE →
	best for urinary crystals Hills Science Diet Urinary and Hairball Control Cat Food No artificial colors, flavors, preservatives No by-product meal Easy to digest	VIEW LATEST PRICE →
	BEST FOR Adults ROYAL CANIN Feline Urinary SO Dry Cat Food Helps produce low levels of struvite urine Increases urine volume Low calorie	VIEW LATEST PRICE →
	MOST POPULAR IAMS Proactive Urinary Tract Health Dry Cat Food Chicken is #1 Ingredient Contains no fillers Reduces urinary PH	VIEW LATEST PRICE →
	Best for Senstive Cats Nature's Variety Limited Ingredient Recipe High Protein recipe Moisture rich Reduce food allergy risk	VIEW LATEST PRICE →

Best Cat Food For Urinary Health Reviewed

#1 Raised Right Cat Food

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Product Info:

• Price Range: ~$2-3$/ Per Meal
• Food Type: Fresh
• Made In: USA
• Protein: 20% Min
• Fat: 9% Min

Raised Right is a subscription cat food delivery service that delivers customized meals to your door. They guarantee to provide restaurant quality ingredients that are considered human grade, in every meal.

The food contains no fillers or grains, no preservatives or artificial flavors, and they only use the highest-quality, responsibly sourced meats.

Raised Right recipes are prepared in a human-grade kitchen that is 100% designed and dedicated to making fresh pet food.

There are four meal recipes that you can choose for your cat. The first is the Original Turkey Adult Cat Recipe which is full of ingredients to keep your cat’s eyesight razor sharp for stalking. The second is Turkey & Pumpkin Paté for Adult Cats and it is packed with turkey thigh and turkey heart to guarantee a softer and shinier fur coat for your cat.

#2 Smalls Cat Food

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Product Info:

• Price Range: ~$2.00 – $3.50/ per meal
• Food Type: Fresh
• Made In: USA
• Protein: 21.2% Min
• Fat: 8.05% Min

Smalls offers premium-quality recipes right here in the USA. Not only are their products made with fresh ingredients, they are prepared the same day they are purchased and frozen at the peak of freshness.

Smalls currently offers only three different recipes that include protein sources from beef, turkey and chicken. They also provide customers with many meal plan options for those who are on a tight budget but want the best for their cat.

The price of Smalls depends on your cat’s needs, the recipes you choose, and your delivery schedule. With this in mind you will be paying about $2.00 to $3.89 per day per cat depending on the plan you choose and not entirely on cat size.

Their goal is to provide cats with a meal plan that is good for both nutrition and affordability. Smalls offers plenty of options to customize your cat’s meal plan to keep you on budget.

#3 Purina Pro Plan FOCUS Urinary Tract Formula

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Product Info:

• Price: ~$0.25/ Oz
• Food Type: Wet
• Made In: USA
• Protein: 12% Min
• Fat: 3.5% Min

Pro Plan Adult Urinary Tract Health Formula Chicken Entree Canned Cat Food is made with real chicken.

It is specially formulated to help support the feline urinary tract system, and bolster your cat’s key protective systems – the immune system, digestive system and skin & coat systems.

All while it meets all the energy and nutritional needs of a healthy cat. Each serving provides 25 essential vitamins and minerals plus taurine, an amino acid, to help support overall health and wellness.

#4 Wysong Uretic Dry Cat Food

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Product Info:

• Price: ~$2.8/ Ib
• Food Type: Dry
• Made In: USA
• Protein: 42% Min
• Fat: 15% Min

Wysong has been a leader in pet nutrition since 1979. Uretic cat food has achieved extraordinary results in tens of thousands of felines through multiple generations for over thirty years. It was created by Dr. Wysong and owes its popularity solely to veterinary recommendation and word of mouth.

Uretic now contains higher levels of fresh and frozen and dried meats, organs, protein, fat, and a comprehensive spectrum and higher levels of micronutrients and nutraceuticals including prebiotics, probiotics, enzymes, omega-3s, antioxidants and more.

#5 Hills Science Diet Urinary and Hairball Control Cat Food

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Product Info:

• Price: ~$2.7/ Ib
• Food Type: Dry
• Made In: USA
• Protein: 29.5% Min
• Fat: 16% Min

Hill’s Science Diet Adult Urinary Hairball Control natural cat food provides precisely balanced nutrition to help support the health of the whole urinary system with optimal level of magnesium. Science Diet Urinary and Hairball Control dry cat food is made with no artificial colors, flavors or preservatives.

Hill’s uses only high-quality ingredients including real chicken, lamb or salmon protein. Hill’s dry pet foods have quality protein as the first ingredient and provide clinically proven antioxidant benefits.

#6 ROYAL CANIN Feline Urinary SO Dry Cat Food

ROYAL CANIN Veterinary Diet feline URINARY SO is designed specifically for cats. The URINARY SO formula will ensure that the production of a urine under-saturated with struvite and with a level of calcium oxalate saturation at which spontaneous homogeneous crystallization will not occur.

ROYAL CANIN Veterinary Diet feline URINARY SO is for cats with or at risk of developing feline lower urinary tract disease.

#7 IAMS Proactive Urinary Tract Health Dry Cat Food

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Product Info:

• Price: ~$1.5/ Ib
• Food Type: Dry
• Made In: USA
• Protein: 32% Min
• Fat: 15% Min

IAMS Urinary Tract Health Dry Cat Kibble for adult cats is designed to support a healthy urinary tract. For outdoor or indoor cats, this formula helps reduce the pH in cat urine to promote urinary tract health.

Made with high-quality protein (chicken is the #1 ingredient) to help support strong muscles. Includes vitamin E to maintain a healthy immune system and essential nutrients, like calcium and potassium, for a healthy heart.

The crunchy kibble has an optimal omega-6 to omega-3 fatty acid ratio for a soft, shiny coat. Keep your cat happy and healthy with IAMS Urinary Tract Health Dry Cat Food.

#8 Nature’s Variety Limited Ingredient Recipe

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Product Info:

• Price: ~$0.4/ OZ
• Food Type: Wet
• Made In: USA
• Protein: 11.5% Min
• Fat: 7% Min

Instinct Limited Ingredient Diet Grain Free Real Turkey Recipe provides a moisture-rich recipe for healthy digestion and essential antioxidants. Since it has a limited number of ingredients, this recipe is a good choice for sensitive cats.

This cat food is made with just one animal protein and one vegetable. All Instinct by Nature’s Variety cat food is made with Non-GMO ingredients and has no artificial flavors, colors or preservatives.

What Causes Urinary Tract Disease?

There is no single cause of feline urinary tract disease. Veterinarians have determined that there are components that may contribute to the prevalence of the disease. For more information or diagnosis, you should contact your veterinarian.
Causes may include the following:

• Cats more than 1 year of age are most susceptible.
• Overweight cats
• Lack of exercise
• History of chronic kidney disease or urinary tract procedures
• Both male and females cats suffer from the disease equally, but neutered male cats have a greater risk of life-threatening urethral obstruction from the crystals or stones

Home Environment Risks:

• Inside-only cat
• Multiple pet households
• Stress: This could include house guests, conflict with other pets, or a lack of places to rest or hide
• Not drinking enough water can increase the risk of urinary tract disease in cats
• Cats can internalize stress in their urinary tract, which can lead to painful inflammation
• Cats can associate painful urination with the litter box and stop using it

Nutritional Risks:

Feeding the wrong food can contribute to the development of a urinary tract disease (FLUTD). With FLUTD, crystals or stones form within the urinary tract and cause irritation, pain and possibly blockage. In severe cases, this can lead to kidney damage or may even be fatal if not properly treated.

• An abundance of certain minerals such as calcium, phosphorus and magnesium. Read on to learn more about this in the next section.
• Food influences the pH, or acidity, of urine. Urine should be moderately acidic for a healthy urinary tract because it’s harder for struvite crystals to grow in an acidic environment

The challenge is to find the right cat food that appeals to your kitty, contains the proper amount of protein and magnesium and has few or no by-products. When selecting the best cat food to help prevent future FLUTD occurrences in your kitty, consider the following:

1. Provide High Protein Meat Based Food

Most dry cat food are high in grain proteins, which are alkalizing. Meat based foods are better than grain-based foods! Raw meat diets are best at preventing FLUTD, then followed by wet or canned foods, which contain more meat and fewer grains than dry food.

The first and most common ingredient that should be listed is meat protein. Read the label carefully. Here are variations you could see:

Canned cat food:

• Beef
• Chicken Liver
• Deboned Chicken
• Beef Broth

Dry cat food:

• Chicken
• Organic Chicken
• Herring Meal
• Chicken Meal

Other helpful ingredients, for good urinary tract health, are blueberries and cranberries. Vegetables such as carrots are good and rice is a great grain for your cat to consume.

2. Avoid By-Products

If by-products are listed in the ingredients, put it back.  By-products are filler material, and have limited nutritional value for your kitty. By-products are typically carbohydrates and since cats are carnivores, they need protein, not lots of carbs, for proper nutrition.

Here are some examples of by-products:

Canned cat food:

• Corn gluten meal
• Ground yellow corn
• Soybean meal
• Beef By-Products
• Meat By-Products

Dry cat food:

• Ground Yellow Corn
• Chicken By-Product Meal
• Corn Gluten Meal
• Wheat flour
• Corn Meal
• Soy flour

3. How Much Moisture Is In the Cat Food?

What’s the percentage of moisture in the cat food you’re considering? The higher the number, the better for your kitty. More moisture means your cat will urinate more. Increased urination will flush out any crystals that may be trying to form in your cat’s urinary tract. Canned cat food has a higher moisture content than dry.

4. How Much Ash and Magnesium Does the Cat Food Contain?

Ash refers to the total mineral content in a food. It gets its name from the laboratory procedure used to measure mineral content which involves burning a sample at high heat until nothing is left but the mineral ash. The major minerals calcium, phosphorus, and magnesium are all necessary for life, so “ashless” cat food is not desirable. The right amount and balance of minerals are necessary.

An excess of magnesium will contribute to struvite crystal formation. Some magnesium is necessary, but generally look for cat food that has a maximum of 0.025% magnesium to prevent struvite crystals. In dry foods look for less than 7% ash and 1% magnesium. In wet foods (containing 78% water) look for less than 1.5% ash and 0.02% magnesium.

5. Does the Cat Food Contain DL-Methionine?

DL-Methionine is an amino acid with sulfur, which helps regulate ammonia formation in urine. This amino acid helps maintain your cat’s urine pH balance at around 6.6, which is normal and does not encourage crystal formation.

6. Add Supplements for Good Urinary Health

Vitamin C is a natural urinary aid, and cranberry extract can prevent harmful bacteria from attaching to the bladder wall to cause infection. These ingredients are combined with highly active digestive enzymes in Cranberry D-Mannose Urinary Tract Support Tablets, a supplement for cats prone to urinary infections. Also, Animal Essentials Tinkle Tonic is an herbal formula that can reduce inflammation and fight infection in the urinary tract.

7. Make Sure Your Cat Drinks Enough Water

Dilution of the urine is a frequently overlooked factor in urinary problems. Cats who only eat dry food may be chronically dehydrated, due to lack of sufficient fluids in their systems to flush the kidneys. In the wild, cats get most of their fluids from their prey and do not have an instinct for water drinking. The easiest solution in preventing dehydration is to feed a wet food diet or provide a water fountain that encourages cats to drink.

Prevention

Preventing urinary health problems begins with diet and most issues are dietary in nature. Listed are recommendations on how to keep your cat’s diet healthy while keeping urinary issues at bay.

High Protein –  Real meat helps maintain an acidic pH in the urinary tract, keeping the minerals dissolved in the urine so they can be excreted out. Most dry foods are high in grain proteins, which are alkalizing meaning high protein cat foods are better than grain-based foods. Raw meat diets are best at preventing FLUTD, followed by canned foods, which contain more meat and fewer grains than dry food.

Water – Dilution of the urine is a frequently overlooked factor with urinary issues. Cats who only eat dry food may be chronically dehydrated, without sufficient fluids in their systems to flush the kidneys. In nature, cats get most of their fluids from their juicy prey and don’t have an instinct for water drinking. The easiest way correcting dehydration is to feed a wet food diet, or provide a water fountain that encourages cats to drink.

Supplements –  Digestive enzyme supplements like Pet Health Solutions, begin working in the stomach, just like enzymes in raw food. Usually they encourage growth of friendly gut bacteria and improve immune function. Cranberry and Vitamin C support urinary health. The pills can be crushed up and added to food if your cat won’t chew them.

Low Ash and Magnesium –  Ash refers to the total mineral content of a food. It gets its name from the laboratory procedure used to measure mineral content which is burning a sample at high heat until nothing is left but the mineral ash. The major minerals calcium, phosphorus and magnesium are all necessary for life, so ash is positive but with the right balance. Excessive minerals, especially magnesium are thought to be underlying factors in FLUTD. In dry foods look for less than 7% ash and 1% magnesium. In wet foods look for less than 1.5% ash and 0.02% magnesium.

Wet or Dry Food

Water is the most important thing for your cats urinary tract health. As for the benefits of wet food, many cats do seem to find it more palatable and this can be especially important if you have a cat with a finicky appetite.

Wet food also has a much higher water content and this is helpful in preventing urinary issues.

More water means more diluted urine, so anything potentially problematic will be less concentrated. Cats consume double the amount of water when fed a water-rich diet versus dry food.

Wet cat food mostly consists of high protein meat which is as close as you can get to a cats natural diet without raw feeding.

Some cat owners find dry kibble to be more convenient and many vets feel that dry food is better for lowing a cats PH balance. Studies on acid in urine found that lowering the PH can consistently reduce the change of a struvite blockage. Dry food could be helpful for that reason alone.

If you have concerns about your cats urinary health, consult your veterinarian for advice on the best diet for your cat based on his health.

Conclusion

Your cat’s urinary health is important and so is feeding him a high quality cat food. If your cat displays symptoms of FLUTD or any health issue, he should be seen right away by a veterinarian, who can assess the problem.