My cat still has crystals and ammonia smell on Hills food. What now?

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Speedy. If his veterinarian has recommended a prescription diet, then he should stay on one. Royal Canin Veterinary Diets Urinary SO, Hills Veterinary Diet C/D or Purina ProPlan Veterinary Diets U/R are all great choices to help prevent crystals in his urine. I hope this information helps!

Hello. I am so sorry for your concerns about Sofia. The RC Urinary s/o is an excellent diet, but sometimes we see a difference in the various manufacturers of these diets. The first thing to do, & this is a good time to do so, is recheck her urine. After about two weeks on a specialty diet, there should not be any ( or at least very few ) crystals in the urine. If there are still a substantial number of crystals, & depending on if they are struvite or oxylate crystals, you may need to try another diet, such as the Hills or the Purina lines of prescription urinary diets. Another thing to consider is switching to a wet/canned diet. The substantial amount of extra water a cat consumes with the wet diet helps to significantly dilute the urine thus helping to flush out existing crystals & preventing the formation of new ones. Best of luck & thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

What a cute kitty! Your vet can prescribe a special prescription diet to help manage the crystals in his urine. The one we commonly prescribe is Royal Canin SO diet, but there are several others available as well. These diets help keep the urine pH at an appropriate level and can decrease or eliminate the crystals in the urine.

I would strongly advise against this. I would keep him on some form of food labelled for urinary crystal prevention. Urinary blockages can be a fatal emergency. Royal Canin, Hills, and Purina ProPlan are the three foods that use the most science in their nutrition. I have never heard of young again. Any of their foods that are labelled "S/O" are meant to prevent the formation of urinary crystals. Many urinary diets do have an increased caloric amount, and I sympathize that can be a struggle, but it is related to what keeps their urinary tracts healthy. You can try feeding canned food that is watered down to lower some calories. The extra water and hydration is great for the urinary tract as well. Feeding the food out of toys and feeders, instead of bowls in meals, to encourage their working for food and hunting behaviors can also help with their food intake.

From Royal Canin's website: "This diet is only suitable for healthy adult cats that do not have a urinary issue or a history of urinary problems. This food is not a replacement for a diet prescribed by your veterinarian." If Elbi has already had a urinary problem, I don't recommend considering switching to the urinary care food. Urinary S/O is designed to encourage more drinking, as well as neutralize the pH of the urine - both of those together tend to almost completely eliminate the chances of crystals forming.

Special diets like the Royal Canin urinary diet work by keeping the urinary pH at a good level so crystals are less likely to form. So by feeding treats this may have thrown off the urinary pH and caused crystals to form. For this reason it's recommended to only feed the prescription diet. Feeding an all canned version of the prescription Royal Canin diet may be even more beneficial in preventing crystals so if Nila will eat canned food I'd recommend the canned version of the diet. Blood in the urine can also be related to urinary tract infections and bladder stones. It sounds like your veterinarian may have ruled these issues out, but if Nila has not had a urine culture or X-rays of her bladder these may be indicated (especially if the problem persists). Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach and best wishes to you and Nila!

The best and most effective treatment to adjust a cat’s urine pH is to start a special prescription diet. Royal Canin, science diet and Purina all make prescription diets with additives to make the urine more acidic. This will also help to prevent urinary tract infections. These diets can be purchased in many pet stores and online as well but they do require the OK from your veterinarian. The diets will begin to take affect within two weeks and it is recommended to retest the urine one month after starting the new diet. I hope this helps.