3 Best Cat Foods for Urinary Health (Non-prescription)
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Limit high oxalate and vitamin C rich foods for urinary health.
Feeding cats wet canned foods is best.
Here’s our 3 best cat foods for urinary health:
- Wellness Core Tiny Tasters | Best Overall
- Feline Natural | Best for Senior Cats
- Dr. Elsey’s Clean Protein | Best Dry
A few things help prevent kidney stones in cats according to research.
A high protein diet (8-9g per 100kcal), low amounts of oxalate rich foods (e.g. vegetables) and avoiding cranberry are helpful.
Most prescription foods profit of this market, rather than address the problem. Save money and offer your cat a better option for health.
In this article I’ll go through a buying guide to find out how to help improve your cats urinary health. Then I’ll go through my recommendations based on testing.
I am not a veterinarian and I recommend seeking the advice of a vet for any further questions. This article is not intended as a replacement for medical advice.
Buying Guide
Nobody likes kidney stones.
Cats don’t either.
About 1% of cats in the US and UK have urinary tract disease. The obvious sign of urinary disorder is your cat having problems urinating.
10-15% of those cases are from stones. The two most common ones are struvite and calcium oxalate stones.
Risk factors for stones include:
- Being male
- Being neutered
- Low dietary calcium
- Low protein diet
- Excess vitamin C
- Dietary oxalate
- Purebred (e.g. Persians)
- Litter use problems
- Dry cat food only diet
- Senior age (10-15 years)
Signs of urinary tract disease include vomiting and anorexia. Vets diagnose problems with imaging and blood work.
Diet for Urinary Health in Cats
Wet cat food is best.
Moisture helps dilute urine. Other factors in dry cat food can impact on your cats health.
Vitamin C is not required in a cats diet. It increases risk of calcium oxalate so avoid food (e.g. cranberry) or supplemental sources (e.g. ascorbic acid) in cat food.
Restrict dietary oxalate. Food sources include green vegetables and legumes – so steer clear of those in cat food.
Cats fed a vegan diet are at increased risk, even at a young age.
What about minerals like sodium and magnesium?
Research is mixed.
You don’t want urine too basic or too acidic.
Dietary acidifiers decrease the risk of struvite uroliths, but increase the risk of calcium oxalate stones (possibly by stripping calcium from bones).
Balancing nutrients so that their not too low or high seems best for health.
Here’s what experts suggest:
- 0.3-0.5% sodium (dry matter basis)
- 0.08%-0.1% magnesium (dry matter basis)
Other recommendations suggest avoiding a low calcium diet, with others suggesting balancing calcium and phosphate for kidney health.
It’s best to find cat food that outlines all the nutrient info for their products, to find something that lines up as close as possible.
If improving diet doesn’t help, discuss treatment options with your vet.
3 Best Cat Foods for Urinary Health
1. Wellness Core Tiny Tasters
Best Cat Food for Urinary Health
Pros and Cons
Summary
Wellness Core Tiny Tasters is my best pick for urinary health.
This option doesn’t use any stone forming vegetables or cranberries in the pouch. It’s also meat rich, which helps with urine dilution.
They also offer a PDF to go through the nutrition info. Magnesium lines up with expert recommendations (0.08%), as does the calcium and phosphate (positive ratio).
The sodium might be a tad higher than what’s best though. Aside from the price and difficult to open packaging, this is worth a try.
Best for:
- Fussy cats
- Urinary care
- Adult cats (1-7 years)
Where to find Wellness Core Tiny Tasters?
Learn more:
2. Feline Natural
Best Senior Cat Food for Urinary Health
Pros and Cons
Summary
Feline Natural is best suited to senior cats.
This product has no added vegetables or oxalate rich foods (e.g. legumes). It’s also high in calcium to phosphate, which may help with urinary care.
It’s pricey though, and our cats had mixed feelings about it.
Best for:
- Joint health
- Urinary care
- Senior cat health
Where to find Wellness Core Tiny Tasters?
Learn more:
3. Dr. Elsey’s Clean Protein
Best Dry Cat Food for Urinary Health
Pros and Cons
Summary
Dr. Elsey’s is formulated without grains, legumes and vegetables.
This limits the oxalate in your cats diet and helps with urinary care. It’s also high in animal protein, which experts suggest as well.
Whilst I haven’t personally tested it, there’s not much better to choose from (another option is Ziwi Peak).
Since it’s dry cat food, I still recommend adding water to dilute your cats urine.
Best for:
- Senior health
- Urinary care
- Kibble lovers
Where to find Dr. Elsey’s Clean Protein?
Conclusion
Wet cat food is best for urinary health.
Avoiding oxalate rich foods and vitamin C help according to expert advice. Balancing pH in the urine by avoiding high or low mineral intake also helps.
This is one area it’s best to discuss options with your vet. Although prescription is generally recommended, some options on the market might help.
>> Our best pick for urinary health is Wellness Core Tiny Tasters
