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My cat had crystals. Which Royal Canin urinary food should I use?

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Cat | Mixed Breed | Male | neutered | 5 years and 4 months old

What is the difference between Royal Canine Urinary S/O and Royal Canine Urinary Care for cats? My male cat had crystals some time ago.

3 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

Answered By Christie Long, DVM

Veterinarian, Certified Veterinary Acupuncturist

Published on February 22nd, 2018

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.

118Pet Parents found this answer helpful

Related Answers from Veterinarians

Answered By Dr. Strydom, DVM
Veterinarian
Published on November 17th, 2017
No, it is not really recommended you do that. He is on the Royal Canin SO due to an urinary issue (I am assuming) so if you add any other type of food in with it you are negating the effects of the prescription diet. The idea with the SO (or any other prescription urinary diet) is to keep the urine pH at a specific level to help decrease the chance of him making urinary crystals/stones. If you add another food into that, the pH will no longer be optimal.

If he doesn't seem to like the Royal Canin SO, talk to your vet about trying a different brand of urinary diet. Other companies make comparable diets and some cats like those better. That being said, if he is not too fat or too thin, then he is likely eating enough.

I'm assuming you have tried both the canned and dry versions of the SO? If not, then you can consider this as well. Some cats prefer canned food over dry and visa versa.
2Pet Parents found this answer helpful
Answered By Sara Farmer, DVM
Veterinarian
Published on March 5th, 2019
The Pro Plan focus urinary is not the same as the therapeutic Royal Canin SO diet and would not necessarily prevent crystal formation in the same way. You could ask your vet about switching, but I generally advise against it. You could try a different brand of therapeutic urinary wet food like Science Diet c/d or Purina UR - he may prefer a different brand. If you do decide to switch after talking to your vet it might be a good idea to recheck a urine sample after he's had the new food for a few weeks to make sure there are no crystals, inflammation or a change in pH after the diet change.
8Pet Parents found this answer helpful

Smart Picks for Smart Questions

Related Questions

Food & Nutrition

My cat won't eat Royal Canin SO for crystals. Are there other options?

I think this is a very good food for treating crystalluria, and there are some differences between this food and urinary foods by other companies like Hill's. One difference that comes to mind is the calorie content - Royal Canin SO tends to be lower in calories than Hill's c/d. You may want to ask your veterinarian about the Royal Canin SO Olfactory attraction food which is supposed to be more palatable for cats, or if Bean really seems to dislike it you could ask about switching to another therapeutic diet. There are no over the counter alternatives that are proven to prevent urinary crystals in cats.

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Food & Nutrition

My cat has urinary crystals. Can I switch his prescription food?

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!

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Health & Wellness

Can I switch my overweight cat with crystals off prescription food?

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.

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Food & Nutrition

My cat won't eat Royal Canin wet urinary food. Is dry safe for both?

Jerry will still get the benefits of the diet from the dry kibble so it is fine to use this. If he won’t eat the canned food, give him a water fountain as this may encourage him to drink more water. There are other diets that are indexed for crystals and he may like one of the canned varieties. I recommend to ask your veterinarian about which one is best. It is fine for the other cat to eat the diet as well. I hope this helps and please feel free to post any additional questions.

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Health & Wellness

My cat has urine crystals. What food lowers pH and prevents them?

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.

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Food & Nutrition

My cat has crystals. Is SO urinary cat food the best option?

Yes it is. That's because it helps dissolve crystals and has properties to increase urination and prevent further crystals from forming. If Coleman does have urinary crystals, I highly recommend feeding him this food.

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Food & Nutrition

My cat has urine crystals. Why isn't her special diet working?

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.

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

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