Urinary tract infections are painful for your cat, so you don’t want to mess around with food after food, trying to get it under control. That’s why we created this comprehensive guide to help walk you through everything that you need to know to get the right food the first time.
Whether you’re looking for recommendations to take to your vet for a prescription or you need a more affordable, non-prescription option, we’ve got you covered. We tracked down the 10 best choices and came up with comprehensive reviews for each one.
It’s time to get your cat’s urinary health under control, and it all starts here.
One of the very best cat foods for urinary tract health is Smalls Human Grade Fresh recipes. The Fresh Bird recipe features chicken thigh, chicken breast, chicken liver, green beans, and peas as the first five ingredients. This food, along with the other recipes in the Human Grade Fresh line, is very rich in moisture and will give your cat the extra hydration they need for optimal kidney and urinary health.
Smalls ensures your cat gets a top-quality diet that is nutritionally balanced and closely mimics their wild diet. The company uses only USDA-certified ingredients fit for human consumption. Smalls follows AAFCO guidelines in their formulas to ensure standards are met for overall nutritional quality for all life stages.
In addition to being high in moisture, this recipe is also low in carbohydrates which is perfect for our carnivorous feline friends. This food does come at a higher price, as a lot goes into the production and standards needed to craft these high-quality fresh foods.
Smalls is a subscription service, which may not be suitable for everyone. Getting started with Smalls is a seamless process and if you aren’t fully satisfied, you can cancel at any time. Remember to set aside some space in the refrigerator or freezer, as fresh foods will need to be stored properly.
Pros
Rich in animal protein and low in carbohydrates
Formulated to meet AAFCO guidelines
Made from USDA-certified ingredients
High moisture content
Cons
Expensive
Needs to be stored in a freezer or refrigerator
2. Purina Pro Plan Focus Urinary Tract Health — Best Value
Not everyone has the money to go to the vet and get a prescription cat food to help get their cat’s urinary tract problems under control. While prescribed foods certainly have their perks, not every cat with a sensitive urinary system needs them.
This is where an option like Purina Pro Plan Focus Adult Urinary Tract Health comes into play. It doesn’t require a prescription and is extremely affordable, making it the best cat food for urinary tract health for the money.
Even without a prescription, it helps lower pH levels to help keep your cat’s urinary tract system under control, and linoleic acid helps your cat develop a healthy coat.
But for everything that this Purina does right with this cat food, it is a lower-priced option for a reason. For starters, chicken is not the first ingredient. The crude protein content of 31% is a direct result of this. That amount is enough, but it’s a far cry from the 40% that some other dry foods have.
This food also has lower fiber amounts. This means your cat will feel hungry again sooner than later, which can lead to overfeeding if you’re not careful.
If you’re not worried about the price and just want the best of the best, then Royal Canin’s Veterinary Diet Urinary SO Dry Cat Food is just what you’ve been looking for. There’s no doubt that it does a great job at preventing and controlling urinary tract problems, but it’s also extremely expensive.
Royal Canine’s key to success is its Relative Super Saturation methodology that helps lower the ion concentration in your cat’s urine. Ion is one of the primary components in struvite stones, so this food works wonders at keeping your cat healthy.
It also has tons of helpful nutrients like omega-3s and fiber to keep your cat healthy day after day. But this cat food is expensive, and you’ll also need a prescription to order it in the first place.
That said, if you go to the vet and your cat needs specialty food, they should have no problem putting in a prescription for the best of the best.
Hill’s makes tons of prescription quality pet foods for a wide array of ailments, so it’s no surprise that it has something for urinary problems. Its Prescription Diet c/d Multicare Urinary Care food excels at helping cats.
The wet food design is easy for kittens to break down and eat, and Hill’s unique recipe can help tackle just about any urinary problem that your kitten is facing. It has everything that your kitten needs to grow and stay healthy, but we do wish the crude protein amount was a bit higher. It has enough for your kitten, but more would be better.
Just like all Hill’s Science Diet products, you need a prescription to order it, so you’ll have to visit your vet. But considering how well this product helps regulate your kitten’s pH levels, you should have no problem getting a prescription.
If you’re looking for a great combination of price and performance to help you find a wet cat food that your cat will happily scarf down, but since it has weight control and urinary tract health benefits, you don’t need to worry about overfeeding!
It’s a great choice but that doesn’t mean it’s perfect. For starters, it’s a prescription diet. That means you’ll need to go to a vet who will prescribe it for your cat. This usually isn’t hard to do, but it does require an extra trip to the vet and a bit more money.
While it’s a more affordable prescription food option, it’s still more expensive than non-prescription options. That’s especially true when you consider how fast your cat will go through wet food. It’s a great product, but you have to be able to afford it.
Pros
Urinary tract and weight control benefits
Great for your cat’s coat
Completely natural diet is great for your cat
Wet cat food is easy to get your cat to eat
Fiber helps your cat feel full longer
Cons
You need a prescription
More expensive option
6. Hill’s Prescription c/d Multicare Urinary Care Cat Food
It’s also sure to get your cat’s urinary tract problems under control because it helps control their pH levels and actively helps dissolve any struvite stones ailing your cat. There are tons of helpful vitamins to promote a healthy immune system and a healthy coat.
But just like Hill’s wet food has a lower crude protein content, so does its dry food. Pair that with the fact that you need a prescription and that it’s extremely expensive.
It’s a good choice but you can also do better.
Pros
Dry food lasts a long time
Actively helps dissolve struvite stones
Helps control pH levels
Tons of helpful vitamins
Cons
Extremely expensive
Lower protein amount for a dry food
Requires prescription
7. Iams ProActive Health Urinary Tract Health Cat Food
Iams ProActive Health Urinary Tract Health cat food is a product that can help get your cat’s urinary tract health under control, without a prescription. It’s an extremely affordable option, and it has plenty of ingredients that promote urinary health and a strong immune system.
Iams ProActive Health Urinary Tract Health cat food helps reduce pH levels and has real chicken as the first ingredient. The high vitamin E content helps support a strong immune system, and the 32% crude protein content gives cats more enough to stay happy and healthy.
While it’s not as effective as prescription foods, if your cat doesn’t have a severe condition, it might be all that they need to keep urinary tract infections at bay without you needing to spend a ton of money on prescription food.
Pros
Affordable
No prescription required
Helps reduce pH levels
Vitamin E helps promote a strong immune system
Chicken is the first ingredient
Cons
Not as effective as prescription foods
8. Hill’s Prescription Diet c/d Multicare Urinary Care Cat Food
Hill’s has a wet food option that can help get your cat’s urinary tract problems under control. There are tons of helpful nutrients in this food, and it helps your cat regulate their pH levels for a healthy urinary system. It also helps to actively dissolve struvite stones if your cat already has them.
While your cat will want to chow down on this cat food immediately, you’ll need a prescription to order it. Furthermore, even once you have the prescription, you’ll need to spend quite a bit of money every time you place an order. For most cats, that could be every week or two.
Also, if your cat has a sensitive stomach, this food uses multiple protein sources. If you transition your cat slowly, they might be able to make the change, but you might need to go to a single protein source option instead.
You may not have heard of Diamond Care Urinary Support Formula cat food, but it could be the combination that you need between a prescription level and a low-cost food. You don’t need a prescription for this food, which is another huge perk.
It has a decent fiber amount to help keep your cat feeling full, and Diamond Care packed it full of healthy vitamins to support a healthy immune system. Like all the best urinary tract foods out there, it helps your cat regulate their pH levels, but it can’t do it as well as a prescription product.
While this is undoubtedly a more affordable product for urinary health, it is still a bit more expensive than most non-prescription cat foods. The protein content is also on the lower side of things.
Still, if a regular non-prescription food isn’t cutting it but you can’t afford a prescription option, Diamond Care Urinary Support Formula is worth a shot.
Pros
No prescription required
More affordable option
Decent fiber amount
Helps control pH levels
Tons of healthy vitamins
Cons
Lower protein amount for a dry food
Not as effective as prescription foods
More expensive for a non-prescription food
10. Purina Pro Plan Veterinary Diet UR St/Ox Urinary Cat Food
But it does do a great job of regulating pH levels. It also reduces the chances of calcium oxalate stones from coming back and helps dissolve struvite stones.
Furthermore, the 40% protein content is higher than any other prescription urinary health cat food. Even so, though, chicken isn’t the first ingredient, and this food is just too expensive. It’s not a bad choice, but you can do better if you’re getting prescription food.
Pros
Tons of protein
Helps lower pH levels
Reduces the chances of calcium oxalate stone recurrence
Wysong Uretic Dry Cat Food isn’t a huge brand name product, but that doesn’t mean it can’t help your cat tackle their urinary tract problems.
There are tons of vitamins that help regulate pH levels, tons of fiber, and tons of crude protein. To top it off, it’s available for a great price, even if only a five-pound bag option is available.
The best part is that you don’t need a prescription to order this product, which means you can give it a shot today, and you don’t need to spend much money do it.
While it’s better than a cat food that doesn’t specialize in getting urinary tract problems under control, it’s the least effective option on this list. Maintaining and regulating your cat’s urinary system is an afterthought with this food, not the primary purpose.
Pros
Affordable
No prescription required
High crude protein amount
Tons of fiber
Helps prevent urinary tract infections by regulating pH levels
Cons
Not as effective as other options
Only one size bag is available
Buyer’s Guide: Selecting The Best Cat Food for Urinary Tract Health
If you’re still confused about what cat food you need or how to order it, you’re not alone. We created this comprehensive buyer’s guide to walk you through everything that you need to know.
Prescription vs. Nonprescription
When you’re shopping for cat foods to help get your cat’s urinary health under control, you can effectively break down all the foods into two different categories: prescription and non-prescription.
While prescription foods typically work better, they’re also more expensive, and of course, you’ll need to go to the vet and get a prescription.
But even if you’re fine with getting prescription cat food, it’s best to have an idea of what you want before you go. There’s a drastic difference in prescription food prices, and your vet may not always have your best interests at heart when they prescribe a food.
A vet can get kickbacks on prescription pet foods up to 40%! So, do your homework and try to find the best possible food for your cat, instead of solely relying on the vet.
How to Order a Prescription Cat Food Online
If you’re ordering prescription cat food, you don’t need to head to any specific store to get it. In fact, the most affordable way to order your prescription cat food is to do it online!
If you’re worried about how to order a prescription cat food online, a site like Chewy makes it easy. You have two options. First, you can simply order the food and input your vet’s information. Chewy will reach out to your vet and get the prescription, and that’s all you need to do!
Second, you can simply upload a picture of the subscription and then order the food. Afterward, Chewy will verify the subscription and send the food! Ordering a prescription cat food online couldn’t be easier.
Image Credit: kropekk_pl, Pixabay
Protein and Fiber
While protein and fiber might not help out with your cat’s urinary health, they are still crucial ingredients in your cat’s food. Protein is what your cat needs to grow and maintain healthy bones, and it’s what your cat uses to get most of their energy.
Fiber, on the other hand, helps your cat feel full and promotes good digestive health. That’s why foods that support weight management are high in fiber. Fiber keeps your cat feeling full, which means they will bother you a bit less about filling up their food dish!
It’s All About the pH
When you’re trying to get your cat’s urinary health under control, you know that their body must maintain a healthy pH level. This isn’t something that you need to measure to monitor, but it’s something that you need to look for when buying cat food.
Luckily, every cat food on this list does a great job at regulating pH levels. It was our primary factor in evaluating cat foods that help with urinary health, and all these foods stood out from the pack!
High-quality cat food is an important part of fostering a long and healthy life for your cat but the right cat food and water dish will promote good posture, offer whisker relief, and aid in good digestion. The Hepper NomNom Cat Bowl is our favorite bowl since it offers all of the above and is beautifully crafted to meet modern home stylings. The wide tray design catches any food and water spills and the entire setup is dishwasher safe. Learn more about the Hepper NomNom Cat Bowl here.
At Pet Keen, we’ve admired Hepper for many years and decided to take a controlling ownership interest so that we could benefit from the outstanding designs of this cool cat company!
Conclusion
If you’re still a bit unsure about what you need after reading the reviews, why not go with our top choice? The Smalls Human Grade Fresh recipe features chicken thigh, chicken breast, chicken liver, green beans, and peas as the first five ingredients.
Nicole is the proud mom of 3 rescue fur babies, Baby, a Burmese cat; Rosa, a New Zealand Huntaway; and Mac, a Lab/Mastiff. A Canadian expat, Nicole now lives on a lush forest property with her Kiwi husband and new baby daughter in New Zealand. She has a strong love for all animals of all shapes and sizes (and particularly loves a good interspecies friendship) and wants to share her animal knowledge and other experts' knowledge with pet lovers across the globe....Read more
