Veterinary Cat Food

About

These are clinical diets for diagnosed conditions, not premium cat food. They work by restricting or adjusting things a healthy cat needs, which is why they should only be fed on a vet's recommendation and why some are actively unsuitable for a well cat. If your vet has named a diet, this page is where you reorder it. If they haven't, book an appointment rather than guessing from the symptoms. Buy exactly what your vet named Three brands here, and each names its diets differently, which is why matching the vet's note matters more than it looks. Hills Prescription Diet uses two-letter codes: c/d for urinary, k/d for kidney, i/d for digestive, m/d for diabetes, t/d for dental, y/d for thyroid, and z/d for food sensitivities. Metabolic and Gastrointestinal Biome are named rather than coded. Royal Canin Veterinary uses words: Urinary SO, Renal, Gastrointestinal, Sensitivity Control. Pro Plan Veterinary Diets uses short abbreviations: UR for urinary, NF for renal function, EN for gastrointestinal, HA for hypoallergenic, OM for obesity management. Similar-looking names are different foods. Hills c/d Multicare and c/d Urinary Stress are not interchangeable, and neither are Royal Canin Urinary SO and the ordinary Urinary Care recipe from the retail range. Can you swap between brands? Not without asking. Two diets for the same condition can work in genuinely different ways, particularly with urinary diets, where some are formulated to dissolve existing crystals and others to prevent them forming. If the one your vet named is out of stock, ring the practice and ask what else they're happy with rather than picking the nearest-sounding alternative. Feed it exclusively Most of these diets only work if they're all your cat eats. Treats, a saucer of milk or a share of the other cat's food will undo a good part of the effect, and it matters most with the urinary, kidney and food sensitivity diets. If you want to give your cat something extra, ask your vet what's allowed. Several br