Mary Allen
Urinary tract diseases in cats are diverse and can range from mild symptoms to life-threatening. As a cat owner, however, you can counteract these diseases with an appropriate diet. Read here about how you can prevent urinary tract diseases in cats through food.
Urinary tract diseases in cats are summarized under the term “Feline Lower Urinary Tract Disease” (FLUTD). These include both bladder infections and life-threatening urethral obstructions. So that cats do not have to suffer from one of these diseases in the first place, there are a few precautions that the owner can take. Since urinary tract diseases are often chronic, it is also worth starting with prevention after a cat has become ill.
FLUTD Management for Cats Through Food
Diet plays an important role in preventing urinary tract diseases in cats. How to prevent urinary problems from feeding:
Make Sure the Cat Drinks Plenty
Cats tend to drink too little. However, this is very dangerous and can be a cause of FLUTD. Therefore the following points are important:
- offer multiple drinking options
- Encourage drinking, for example with drinking fountains, because cats like running water
Change of Food to Wet Food
Cats that are generally or even exclusively fed dry food should be switched to wet food with high-quality meat. Dry food usually has too high a magnesium and phosphorus content and too little liquid. Wet food, on the other hand, automatically contains a lot of moisture.
Change the food slowly and carefully, as cats with sensitive stomachs are particularly sensitive to this and may experience vomiting or diarrhea. Therefore, gradually mix the new feed into the old feed.
If a change of feed is not possible, the dry feed should be soaked in water so that the moisture in the feed is at least 80%.
Avoid Cat Obesity
Overweight cats are generally more prone to urinary problems such as bladder infections. To avoid being overweight from the start.
If your cat is already overweight, you should consider a diet depending on the extent of the overweight. It is best to discuss this with your veterinarian. Special diet food such as “Ultra Light” from Royal Canin (12x 85g for €12) satisfies the cat’s hunger, but reduces calorie intake and promotes fat burning. In addition, overweight cats should be encouraged to exercise regularly.
Choose the Right Feeding Place
The location of the food and water bowl is also important:
- Do not place food bowls next to each other in multi-cat households
- Do not place food and water bowl right next to each other
Preventing Urinary Crystals in Cats From Food
Another problem for the health of cats is urinary crystals, also called urinary stones or urinary gravel, depending on their size. They can cause pain and inflammation or lead to life-threatening urinary tract obstruction.
Urine crystals are caused by many minerals in the urine. Since cats often drink too little and have highly concentrated urine, the minerals are not always excreted. It is therefore important for the prevention of urinary crystals that the cat drinks enough. Make sure that the cat food does not contain too much magnesium and phosphate.
Special Food for Cats With Urinary Stones
If your cat already has urinary crystals, special food that you can get from your veterinarian is recommended. This feed has a reduced mineral and protein content and still provides the cat with all the important nutrients. The special food also increases your cat’s urine volume, so that the contents of the bladder can be flushed out more often and better.
The following aspects must be observed for the special feed:
- only feed on the instructions of the veterinarian: There are different types of urinary crystals and not every food is equally suitable for every species. Incorrect dosage can also be very dangerous for the cat.
- do without conventional treats and use the special food instead of
- feeding several small portions instead of a few large ones
Apart from feeding, FLUTD management also includes other aspects. For example, it is important to place multiple litter boxes in different, quiet locations, even with a single cat. The litter boxes should always be clean and stress should be avoided.