Urinary problems are among the most common health issues in cats, particularly indoor cats. Feline lower urinary tract disease (FLUTD) affects up to 10% of cats at some point in their lives. The good news: diet plays a crucial role in both prevention and management of many urinary conditions.
Understanding Feline Urinary Issues
FLUTD is an umbrella term covering several conditions affecting the bladder and urethra:
- Feline Idiopathic Cystitis (FIC): The most common cause—bladder inflammation without infection (often stress-related)
- Urinary crystals: Mineral formations in urine, commonly struvite or calcium oxalate
- Urinary stones (uroliths): Larger mineral formations that can cause blockages
- Urethral plugs: Mixite of mucus, crystals, and cells blocking the urethra
- Urinary tract infections: Bacterial infections (less common in cats than dogs)
Emergency Warning: A blocked cat (unable to urinate) is a life-threatening emergency. Male cats are especially at risk due to their narrower urethras. Signs include repeated trips to the litter box with little output, crying while trying to urinate, licking the genital area, and lethargy. Seek immediate veterinary care.
How Diet Affects Urinary Health
Diet influences urinary health in several key ways:
Urine pH
The acidity or alkalinity of urine affects crystal formation:
- Struvite crystals: Form in alkaline urine (high pH)
- Calcium oxalate crystals: Form in acidic urine (low pH)
Urinary diets are formulated to maintain optimal pH (typically 6.2-6.4) to reduce crystal formation risk.
Mineral Content
Excess minerals like magnesium, phosphorus, and calcium can contribute to crystal and stone formation. Urinary health diets carefully control these minerals while still meeting nutritional requirements.
Hydration
Perhaps the most important factor. Dilute urine is less likely to form crystals and flushes the urinary tract more effectively. Cats' low thirst drive makes this particularly challenging.
Increasing Water Intake
Boosting hydration is crucial for urinary health:
- Feed wet food: Contains 75-80% moisture vs. 10% in dry food—this is the single most effective way to increase water intake
- Add water to dry food: Create a slurry or gravy
- Use water fountains: Many cats prefer running water
- Multiple water stations: Place bowls throughout the house
- Fresh water daily: Cats may refuse stale water
- Wide, shallow bowls: Cats dislike whisker contact with bowl sides
Study Finding: Research shows cats eating wet food produce 50% more urine volume than those eating dry food—significantly reducing crystal concentration and FLUTD risk.
Types of Urinary Diets
Preventive Urinary Health Foods
Over-the-counter foods designed to support urinary health in healthy cats. These help maintain proper urine pH and mineral balance. Examples:
- Hill's Science Diet Urinary Hairball Control
- Royal Canin Urinary Care
- Purina Pro Plan Urinary Tract Health
Prescription Urinary Diets
Therapeutic diets for cats with diagnosed urinary conditions. These require a prescription and are more aggressively formulated:
- Hill's Prescription Diet c/d Multicare: For struvite prevention and stress reduction
- Hill's Prescription Diet c/d Multicare + Metabolic: For overweight cats with urinary issues
- Royal Canin Urinary SO: For struvite and calcium oxalate management
- Purina Pro Plan Veterinary Diets UR: For urinary health management
Dissolution Diets
Some prescription diets can actually dissolve existing struvite stones over several weeks. Calcium oxalate stones, unfortunately, cannot be dissolved and require surgical removal.
The Role of Stress
Feline idiopathic cystitis—the most common cause of FLUTD—is strongly linked to stress. While diet helps, stress management is equally important:
- Multiple litter boxes (one per cat plus one extra)
- Environmental enrichment (perches, hiding spots, toys)
- Consistent routine
- Multicat household management
- Pheromone diffusers (like Feliway)
Some urinary diets (like Hill's c/d Stress) include ingredients like L-tryptophan and hydrolyzed casein that may help reduce stress-related symptoms.
Risk Factors for Urinary Problems
Cats at higher risk who may benefit from preventive urinary nutrition:
- Indoor-only cats (more sedentary, potentially more stressed)
- Overweight cats
- Cats eating only dry food
- Male cats (narrower urethra)
- Middle-aged cats (2-6 years)
- Cats in multi-cat households
- Cats with previous urinary issues
Prevention Strategies
For cats at risk or with history of urinary issues:
- Incorporate wet food into the diet (ideally as the primary food)
- Consider a urinary health formula
- Encourage water consumption through multiple fresh sources
- Maintain healthy weight
- Minimize stress
- Provide clean litter boxes to encourage regular urination
- Monitor urination habits for early detection of problems
The Bottom Line
Diet is a powerful tool for supporting feline urinary health. The most impactful change for most cats is increasing moisture intake through wet food. For cats with diagnosed urinary conditions, prescription diets can be life-saving, preventing painful recurrences and dangerous blockages.
If your cat has urinary symptoms—straining to urinate, blood in urine, urinating outside the litter box, or excessive licking of the genital area—see your veterinarian promptly. They can diagnose the specific condition and recommend appropriate dietary management.
Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and does not substitute for professional veterinary advice.