This is not true.
Ralph has been on dry Royal Canin Urinary SO since his emergency blockage last year. He has lost what little bit of fat he had, his coat is shiny and sleek, he’s playing like a kitten again and this dry food makes cats drink a lot more water. I have all four of my cats on it and they are all doing exceedingly well. I feed them absolutely nothing else except for the occasional freeze dried treats.
What about what Ghazzu wrote is not true?
That it should be canned or wet food only and no dry. That’s what I said in my post.
This big myth of “no dry” is exactly that…a myth. The key is getting the right dry food and not some cheap knock off that claims to be a urinary dry food.
The Urinary SO causes my cats to drink more water than any amount of water that canned/raw food might provide.
Interesting.
I am anti-dry now that I’ve had this wonderful experience with my diabetic cat, but I also understand what we don’t know is what will bite us, so I ask for clarification to learn. 
I’m not sure I would recommend any dry food, especially prescription, since moisture is a cats friend, regardless of the disease, and therefore dry food makes less sense.
If a cat is drinking more, I would suspect s/he is sicker and/or needing more water to drink not because the food is working, but specifically because it’s dry food and they have to drink more to counteract that dryness of the food on top of the need for moisture to combat whatever ails them.
‘The Urinary SO causes my cats to drink more water than any amount of water that canned/raw food might provide.’
Interesting theory. My cat gets canned food with an equal amount of water added to it by me when I serve it.
When he drinks, I know his blood glucose is likely high, and it’s a sign to check it.
I guess I’m not sure if the point is to get them to drink more, or to make sure more water gets in them to flush their system.
If the latter, why would them drinking it [encouraged by dry food being served] be preferable to it being in their food [as is the case with canned food, with added water] and ingested as part of eating rather than drinking?
My daughter had been saying her cat that lives with my EX was drinking a lot after I moved out last fall, but I only saw her drink a handful of times in the previous 7 years with an all wet diet. EX had switched her to some dry. Last week she was diagnosed with bladder stones and a blockage.
They drink more because they are dehydrated from eating dry food. Cats should get most of their liquid through diet. Ones that can hunt will often meet that need so an all dry diet isn’t much of an issue. Not the case for an indoor cat.
I am curious to know what you feed.
Ghazzu is right. Our first choice is ALWAYS canned or fresh food. Prescription dry is definitely second best. It exists for owner convenience and for the cats we cannot get to transition to wet food
Strictly dry Royal Canin Urinary SO with dehydrated meat for treats.
Cats need a certain amount of water and/or moisture in their diet, it doesn’t matter where the water and/or moisture is coming from as long as they are getting it.
Cats on a wet diet of course will drink less of the water offered them, cats on an all dry diet will drink more water to compensate for the moisture they don’t get from not having a wet diet.
My cats that are all on an all dry diet are not dehydrated, they drink enough water that would make up for what they would be consuming in a wet diet. I don’t bother attempting to feed them any kind of wet anymore and their stomachs are thankful, no more loose/stinky stools and vomitting has basically ceased. Ralph(the one that had the stones) refuses wet food, Ella attempts to bury it each time, Billie will eat a few mouthfuls then go to the dry and Johnny will eat anything put in front of him. I did offer them RC prescription Urinary SO wet food along with the dry and they all choose the dry over the wet.
What kind of dry did your EX feed the cat that ended up with the stones and a blockage? My cats were all on A Taste of Wilderness dry with wet offered to those who wanted it. On this diet Ralph developed stones and a blockage that almost killed him. I switched to prescription RC Urinary SO and have had no reoccurances of stones, it’s also for diabetic cats and Ralph has actually lost a bit of weight, his coat is sleeker and shinier and he is playing like a kitten again. I’ve had his urine tested three times since his stones and being on a strictly dry diet and his Ph levels are at a very healthy level.
I do not feed prescription dry for convenience.
Ghazzu is wrong with saying, “No dry food”. There is absolutely nothing wrong with a high quality prescription dry food a long as free range water is available.The only cats that I would recommend to not be on prescription dry would be cats that do not like to drink water.
All of the vets at my multi-vet practice highly recommend RC Prescription Urinary SO dry and/or wet food exclusively as their first choice of food, the prescription Purina is their second choice. They do not recommend any of the wet or dry foods available in retail pet stores. I called around to other vets and they recommended the same things.
My vet(s) all said that the point is to get them to drink more water to keep their system flushed. They all recommend RC prescription Urinary SO dry or wet or a combination of.
Except for Ralph my other cats drink as much water as they need that would equal what moisture they would get in wet food. Ralph has always drank copious amounts of water, free range from water bowl and on demand from the tap. He is not ill, he does not have a disease and his urine is tested 3x’s a year to make sure that stones are not returning.
I now feed strictly dry because the cats choose it over the prescription wet, I didn’t say strictly dry is better…I said there’s nothing wrong with high end prescription dry.
It is true what Ghazzu wrote. The problem with dry kibble (in addition to dehydrating) is that it is too high in carbohydrates. As long as CT’s cats don’t develop diabetes she will probably be fine.
I don’t know what brand and she is fed wet exclusively when my daughter is there. Most likely it was grain free and decent quality, though, because my daughter would have had some say.
Can you explain why you consider the ingredients in Royal Canin SO high quality? I realize it is formulated for urinary health but brewers rice and corn is not something I consider premium. In fact, both are cheap fillers.
Chicken by-product meal, brewers rice, corn gluten meal, corn, chicken fat, natural flavors, powdered cellulose, soy protein isolate, salt, grain distillers dried yeast, egg product, potassium chloride, fish oil, calcium sulfate, sodium bisulfate, vegetable oil, taurine, choline chloride, DL-methionine, vitamins [DL-alpha tocopherol acetate (source of vitamin E), niacin supplement, biotin, riboflavin supplement, D-calcium pantothenate, pyridoxine hydrochloride (vitamin B6), vitamin A acetate, thiamine mononitrate (vitamin B1), vitamin B12 supplement, folic acid, vitamin D3 supplement], trace minerals [zinc proteinate, zinc oxide, ferrous sulfate, manganese proteinate, manganous oxide, copper sulfate, calcium iodate, copper proteinate, sodium selenite], marigold extract (Tagetes erecta L,), rosemary extract, preserved with mixed tocopherols and citric acid.
Crude Protein (min) 32.5%
Crude Fat (min) 13.5%
Crude Fiber (max) 4.5%
Moisture (max) 9.5%
Magnesium (max) 0.08%
Meow Mix for comparison:
Ingredients
WHOLE GROUND CORN, SOYBEAN MEAL, CHICKEN BY-PRODUCT MEAL, CORN GLUTEN MEAL, BEEF TALLOW (PRESERVED WITH MIXED TOCOPHEROLS), ANIMAL DIGEST, TURKEY BY-PRODUCT MEAL, SALMON MEAL, OCEAN FISH MEAL, PHOSPHORIC ACID, CALCIUM CARBONATE, L-LYSINE MONOHYDROCHLORIDE, CHOLINE CHLORIDE, SALT, TITANIUM DIOXIDE (COLOR), VITAMINS (VITAMIN E SUPPLEMENT, NIACIN, VITAMIN A SUPPLEMENT, THIAMINE MONONITRATE, RIBOFLAVIN SUPPLEMENT, D-CALCIUM PANTOTHENATE, PYRIDOXINE HYDROCHLORIDE, VITAMIN B12 SUPPLEMENT, MENADIONE SODIUM BISULFITE COMPLEX (SOURCE OF VITAMIN K ACTIVITY), VITAMIN D3 SUPPLEMENT, FOLIC ACID, BIOTIN), MINERALS (FERROUS SULFATE, ZINC OXIDE, MANGANOUS OXIDE, COPPER SULFATE, CALCIUM IODATE, SODIUM SELENITE), TAURINE, DL-METHIONINE, YELLOW 6, YELLOW 5, LACTIC ACID, RED 40, POTASSIUM CHLORIDE, BLUE 2, ROSEMARY EXTRACT.
Guaranteed Analyses
Crude Protein 30.0% min.
Crude Fat 11.0% min.
Crude Fiber 4.0% max.
Moisture 12.0% max.
Calcium 1.0% min.
Phosphorus 0.8% min.
Selenium 0.3 mg/kg
Vitamin E 50 IU/kg
Repeating that I don’t feed cats dry but Orijin is the kibble I occasionally feed the dog. Here is cat version.
85% MEAT | 15% FRUITS & VEGETABLES
Fresh chicken meat (18%), fresh turkey meat (7%), fresh whole eggs (5%), fresh chicken liver (5%), fresh whole flounder (4%), fresh whole herring (4%), fresh turkey liver (4%), fresh chicken heart (4%), fresh turkey heart (4%), fresh chicken necks (4%), chicken (dehydrated, 4%), turkey (dehydrated, 4%), whole mackerel (dehydrated, 4%), whole sardine (dehydrated, 4%), whole herring (dehydrated, 4%), chicken fat (3%), whole red lentils, whole green peas, whole green lentils, whole chickpeas, whole yellow peas, lentil fiber, whole pinto beans, whole navy beans, chicken cartilage (dehydrated, 1%), herring oil (1%), chicken liver (freeze-dried), turkey liver (freeze-dried), fresh whole pumpkin, fresh whole butternut squash, fresh whole zucchini, fresh whole parsnips, fresh carrots, fresh whole red delicious apples, fresh whole bartlett pears, fresh kale, fresh spinach, fresh beet greens, fresh turnip greens, brown kelp, whole cranberries, whole blueberries, whole saskatoon berries, chicory root, turmeric root, milk thistle, burdock root, lavender, marshmallow root, rosehips, enterococcus faecium.
ADDITIVES (per kg): Nutritional additives: Zinc chelate: 100 mg; Copper chelate: 11 mg; Choline chloride: 1200 mg.
Crude protein (min.) 40 %
Fat content (min.) 20 %
Crude ash (max.) 8 %
Crude fibers (max.) 3 %
Moisture (max.) 10 %
Calcium (min.) 1.4 %
Phosphorus (min.) 1.1 %
Magnesium (min.) 0.1 %
Taurine (min.) 0.2 %
Omega-6 fatty acids (min.) 3.1 %
Omega-3 fatty acids (min.) 1.0 %
DHA (min.) 0.3 %
EPA (min.) 0.2 %
Carbohydrate (NFE) 19 %
The reason is exactly what you said above, “it is specifically formulated for urinary health” and that is what this thread is about.
The majority of cats are going to develop urinary, kidney and/or diabetic issues somewhere in their lives as they age. Putting my cats on a food that is specifically formulated for urinary, kidney and diabetic health and well being gives me peace of mind that I am feeding them food that will help prevent all of these issues. It is the top recommended urinary food by the majority if not all vets.
The fillers may not be “premium” but what filler is in any cat food? If feeding a food with less than premium fillers in order to get the best urinary health care for my cats is necessary then that’s what I will do. Also the RC Urinary SO wet food is a pate, it is not a wet food filled with gravy. I offered the RC wet to all of my cats and still do periodically, but none of them like it.
After going through the extremely painful near death experience for Ralph and the heart wrenching experience of hearing/watching him almost die…I believe I have chosen the best diet for him and my other cats.
Unless I’m being lied to and mislead by several vets the RC Urinary SO dry and wet is also formulated for diabetes.
I may be wrong but I’m under the impression that a dry food will not dehydrate a cat if the cat is ingesting enough water to prevent dehydration.
Yes. That’s what this thread is about but you turned it into a debate about wet vs. dry and claimed the quality of what you feed is superior. I compared the ingredients with two other brands and yours was hardly better than what is universally considered to be junk food. Did you look at the ingredient list for Orijin? No cheap fillers there.
I have been unable to find a carb analysis for the cat formula but RC dog foods with similar ingredients are in the 40-50% range. The Orijin I posted above is 19%. No matter how you slice it, corn and rice as the main ingredients are going to up the carb level and that can’t be good for diabetes.
Cats don’t normally drink much, they don’t even like to be near water. LOL Drinking to compensate for an all dry diet is a backwards approach. I looked at one of the wet RCs and think it was 85% water content. Can you be sure your cats are making up for that every day?
I know you are doing what you believe is right but think you should look a little further into what ultimately causes may of these issues with cats. IMO, it’s low level dehydration and an unnatural diet.
One more comparison. This is a food I use regularly but mostly the Paw Lickin’ Chicken or Nine Liver. You can scroll down the see the analysis in several different ways. FYI – I rotate at least 5 different foods so don’t worry too much about calories or where one brand might be lacking because that will be covered the next day.
It’s on the link [below], scroll down to the bottom for Rx diets.
The Royal Canin SO foods are 20% carb.
That is not diabetic friendly, as we all try to keep them at under 10%
https://catinfo.org/docs/CatFoodProteinFatCarbPhosphorusChart.pdf
I’m not familiar with diet for UTI and or stones, so I have no idea what one is trying to avoid in a diet to prevent them. So the RC SO diet isn’t really a food that has an ingredient that is beneficial to stones, its just a diet that encourages drinking to deal with the stones?
For my cats diabetes, the carbs need to be under 10%. For his Kidney dz, we aim for a food with under 250 phos. So I try to buy foods that fit those analysis.
Also confusing me is that initially we diagnosed my cat as diabetic from observing him drink a lot, so if I fed dry and already he was drinking a lot, would I notice an increase such that I caught the diabetes flaring?
That is for wet food only according to the header on each page. All dry will be inherently higher in carbs.
CAT FOOD - NUTRITIONAL COMPOSITION
Data compiled by Lisa A. Pierson, DVM
Typical nutrient analysis data provided by the respective companies
Wet only - no dry food is listed
2017
Oops you’re right.
I meant to share these, Tanya’s lists:
http://www.felinecrf.org/which_foods.htm
http://www.felinecrf.org/dry_food_usa.htm
Please re read my post, I definitely did not turn it into a wet vs dry debate nor did I claim the quality of the food I feed to be superior over anything except for cheap dry foods for sale in retail stores.
I clearly responded to what Ghazzu said…
No dry food.Canned or fresh only
I disagreed with that statement and stated why with my personal experience and what I was told by several vets including the two that treated Ralph.
In my personal experience most cats will drink as much water as their bodies are asking for and the majority of the cats I’ve had in my lifetime have never disliked being around water. All four of my current cats drink a lot of water, they always have whether they were on a wet/dry combo diet as they were in the past or on a predominantly dry diet as they have been since Ralph had his blockage last year. Ralph in particular has always drank copious amounts of water and loves playing in water as well and Ella quite often joins him while playing in the water, especially when I’m showering.
Since I switched to the RC Urinary SO all four cats are peeing more(evidence in the litter boxes) because they are drinking more, they have all lost the bit of body fat they were carrying(all are at a normal healthy weight) and all blood work for all four cats have come back in good standing. Before Ralph went on the RC and after his blockage moved he had a high PH level and crystals in his urine, since the RC his PH is normal and no crystals present in his last three urine tests.
I have no idea what the carb levels are in the RC Urinary SO but was told by the two treating vets and several other vets that this food is also good for preventing diabetes.
Again…I was not disagreeing with what anyone else feeds their cats nor did I claim dry was better or superior than wet.
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