Best Cat Food for Cats with Idiopathic Cystitis?
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cystitis54.jpg" title='cystitis' alt='cystitis' />KATIE B asked:
I had been having problems with my cat ********* outside his litter box last month. I took him to the vet and found out that my cat has Idiopathic cystitis, with the cause being unknown. I was told by the vet that switching my cat’s food from dry to canned would be better for him. Does anyone know the best canned cat food for cats who have Lower uti’s? Thanks.
I had been having problems with my cat ********* outside his litter box last month. I took him to the vet and found out that my cat has Idiopathic cystitis, with the cause being unknown. I was told by the vet that switching my cat’s food from dry to canned would be better for him. Does anyone know the best canned cat food for cats who have Lower uti’s? Thanks.
December 26th, 2008 at 7:11 am
Quality canned foods which should help your cat keep plenty of moisture in his urinary system and prevent the urine from becoming too concentrated, causing irritation:
Natural Balance, Wellness and Lick Your Chops are the least expensive. The fish varieties should be used only about once a week if at all. Blue is also a possibility though we don’t have it where I live. Felidae, Prairie, By Nature Organic are more expensive and you can use one of those for more variety.
Those canned foods use high quality human-grade meat protein. The first three are pates and have little or no filler of vegetable matter. The others have some peas, carrots etc.
My cats eat all of those. I also always add about a tsp. of filtered water to each individual serving for extra moisture.
Canned foods such as Fancy Feast, Whiskas, Friskies and Science Diet use by-product meat and they should be avoided.
You might want to go to: and read Dr. Jean Hovfe’s articles titled “Why Cats Need Canned Food”, “Why Fish is Dangerous for Cats” and “Selecting a Good Commercial Pet Food.”
December 27th, 2008 at 12:03 pm
Hi there again Katie…I currently have a cat who was diagnosed with Feline Interstitial Idiopathic Cystitis (FIC). FIC is commonly seen in cats between the ages of 1 - 10 years of age and can be caused by several factors, and combinations of these factors, which include obesity, stress, alkaline urinary pH, water and fibre intake in the animal’s diet, and possibly high ash and magnesium content in the animal’s diet. Recurrence is common with FIC cats so preventive measures such a canned food diet to keep hydration levels high plus any other ways to encourage more water consumption is a must, easy access to multiple litter boxes in addition to regular check ups as well as supplementation with prescriptions depending on the severity of the condition.
Cats who eat dry cat foods tend to suffer from recurring episodes and this seems to be a common denominator with cats diagnosed with various types of FIC. The idea is to acidify the urine (like cranberry juice does for humans) because cats with FIC have urine pH that is more alkaline so your goal is to reverse this and canned foods have been known to achieve the results.
Additionally, it’s important to schedule feed a cat so you can monitor servings taken in during the day which seems to keep the urine from becoming more alkaline.
Furthermore, for cats who suffer from FIC the hydration in the canned products helps metabolize food better and are also completely devoid of carbohydrates, which is more optimal for the feline’s body and while at the same acidifies the urine pH which is perfect for cats who have FLUTD . When cats eat raw meat in the wild they get hydration from the fresh meat juices as well as some roughage from the animals who are natural herbivores. We are have been exposed to so many commercial ads regarding dry food for cats, but in reality it’s the manufacturer’s who benefit rather than the cats. Cats are not naturally designed to eat dry–the products were designed for convenience for the owner.
All seafood cat food products should be avoided as they are high in phosphorous and turns urine pH more alkaline so canned meat products should only be used.
Here are some websites that I’ve researched to help prepare us for the long road ahead to minimize the repeat episodes:
FLUTD/FIC:
December 28th, 2008 at 9:01 pm
You might check as Nutro products are highly rated and available in Petsmart & Petco unlike most of the other premium foods such as Wellness, Eagle Pack, etc. and they do have specific products for urinary problems.
Some uninformed woman on this site said Nutro is owned by Proctor & Gamble and that is INCORRECT as they are an independent company based in City of Industry, CA and NOT PART OF ANY CONGLOMERATE.
And the food is guaranteed!