Can my cat on urinary tract health food have regular treats?

Smokey is adorable! I love black cats. Any treat that is given occasionally is okay. Hill's has a page that tells you how to make treats from their prescription diets here. https://www.hillspet.com/cat-care/nutrition-feeding/healthy-homemade-cat-treats. The main thing is to to ensure that Smokey gets lots of clean fresh water all the time and make sure he's drinking. Feeding canned food is a way to ensure he's getting more water but I know some cats prefer dry to canned and can't be convinced otherwise.

I would not feed him anything except for the prescription diet. You can take the can version of the diet and put it in ice trays and freeze it to make treats for him. You could also look at the brand of prescription food and see if that have a compatible treat. You could even call the company and ask - most are more than willing to help. I hope this helps!

Regular food is much less effective in preventing recurrent urinary tract issues in cats which are very prone to repeat episodes - it is impossible to say how sensitive he is and without trying you will not know but there is a chance he could relapse on ordinary canned food. Urinary diets tend to be adjusted to maintain urine pH to prevent crystals and are restricted in minerals and use only high quality protein sources to minimise the risk of urinary tract issues as well as providing an important source of fluids compared to dry food. The very best option in affected cats is urinary canned food but in many cases a high quality, commercial canned food is sufficient - if he relapses on this you will have to source the urinary prescription food as a treatment and prevention

I'm very sorry Lil Man was just diagnosed with feline urinary syndrome. This is a great question! There are a few veterinary treats that are low in phosphorus and sodium. I recommend Royal Canin Veterinary Diet Feline Cat Treats and Vetri-Science Renal Essentials Feline Bite-Sized Cat Chews :-)

Hello. As long as the majority of your diabetic cat's diet is the proper one, sneaking a few pieces of the other diet is fine. Every diabetic is allowed a treat now & then. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! So your Vet will prescribe the prescription food but not the treats? I would ask to speak to your Vet directly. Sadly anything that is prescription requires a valid Veterinary-Client-Patient-Relationship (VCPR). A VCPR requires a yearly exam which is what the law/veterinary boards require from the Vet. Any refill on prescriptions need yearly exams. With that being said you may be able to find the treats online as it is hard to enforce prescription diets, let alone treats. For what it is worth it is in the best interest of Oscar to have yearly exams and be up to date on his vaccines. I wish you the best!

In cats with urinary irritation, wet food is preferable to help reduce urine concentration and flush out the bladder. I strongly recommend a urine exam in order to determine exactly what is going on and to guide the most appropriate treatment (infection/inflammation etc). A sample can be collected using special urine collection litter which does not absorb urine. Petco provide a home kit for detecting UTI which can help to monitor such conditions