Health & WellbeingMy male cat recently had cytene (not sure of spelling) crystals. The vet said he needs to eat Hill's Science Diet canned food. My cat is 15 pounds so that means I would have to feed him two cans a day at a cost of over $100 a month. Is there any othe
I'm so sorry you are having this problem with Kitty. Unfortunately most of the prescription diets will contain corn and gluten. If Kitty is currently having bladder problems, I would certainly feed the prescription diet short term, then discuss a diet change with your vet once the crystals have resolved. If the crystals were just found on a routine urinalysis and Kitty is feeling fine, then I would consider changing to a non-prescription canned food (presuming that Kitty is currently on a dry food) and see if the crystals resolve with just a diet change from dry to canned food. Cats naturally form very concentrated urine, so a canned food will produce more dilute urine than a dry food and will help the crystals dissolve in the urine. Anecdotally, I would recommend avoiding fish diets because there have been more reports of urinary crystals and stones on those diets. I would also be creative in finding ways to get more water into Kitty. If he is eating his new canned food well, y
Updated on August 12th, 2025
Members-only pricing and offers, personalized care notifications, Vital Care points back on every purchase and more!
Become a credit card member today!
