Preventing urinary issues in male cats

Hello all.


I have two male kittens with no history of issues. However I am interested in utterly completely preventing any and all uti issues to the best of my ability.
Right now theyre fed a primarily wet food diet. They're fed Nature's Variety limited ingredient Turkey (that food kept my last cat alive for about 5 to ten years, so I swear by that food.

I am limiting their dry food intaake to be a snack during the day, so 75 to 90 percent of their diet is nature's variety grain free (the dry food is also limited ingredient grain free). they always have fresh water, get plenty of stimulation and exercise, clean litter every day and I generally watch their urine movements.


Anything else I could be doing to prevent such an issue from ever occurring?

Welcome to TCS

I don't know that anything can be certain to prevent urinary issues, however it sounds like your kitties have a wonderful start with plenty of hydration and a quality, species appropriate diet. With the attention you are paying to detail and prevention I'd say that they have a great chance of long, healthy lives.

Looking forward to hearing other members input as I know many who have gone through urinary problems with their cats.

Again, welcome and please post some pics of your kitties... We love them!

I'm interested to see if anyone proposes additional methods to keep your boys free of urinary tract problems. I also have a male cat and am caring for him much as you're caring for your two boys. So far, so good!

Some cats will always be prone to urinary issues no matter what they are fed. Something like stress can set off a urinary issue. Urinary issues can also develop as a result of another seemingly unrelated medical condition, like diabetes (the sugary urine is heaven for bacteria growth). You just manage the issue as they occur.

What are you feeding is just fine so don't stress out about potential urinary issues

I have several males in our home, and all have had urinary issues.  I feed Blue Buffalo Wilderness salmon and rabbit (used to use Nature's Variety, but it caused crystals in one male).  I worked at a vet clinic for a year, and from what I learned, it's hit or miss what will cause crystal formation.  What works for one cat may not work for another.  My friend feeds Nature's Variety and has no issues.  One of the vets at my clinic said she sees lots of issues with Blue Buffalo, but I've been feeding it for years with only one issue, which is my newest male developed crystals and is now on Royal Canin Urinary S/O, but gets BBW wet with no issues.  I've read/heard that it's primarily dry that causes problems, but when one of my males developed pancreatitis, lost a lot of weight and wouldn't eat, I put him on Wellness Core kitten canned, no dry, and he developed crystals.  Another friend was making her own food, then started incorporating some dry in for variety (Nature's Variety), and one of her cats blocked and died.  (It happened very quickly- she is a very good human to her cats, and she's absolutely devastated.)

All of that aside, we recently had a reverse osmosis filter installed in our home, which removes all of the minerals from the water.  The difference in taste is night and day, and our cats drink way more water.  I've read it's good for cats with urinary issues.  Maybe si, maybe no, but it's worth it to me.  I know some people give their cats only distilled water if they have severe urinary issues.  You can buy countertop distillers if you don't feel like lugging jugs to and from the store, or you can buy/rent dispensers that hold 3-5 gallon bottles. 

So in a nutshell, the best you can do is feed a high-quality food (although that's no guarantee it won't cause crystal formation), feed wet at least once a day, and provide fresh water, preferably filtered/R.O./distilled (also consider a fountain, as cats prefer running water and will drink more).  Keep cat boxes clean, not just for obvious reasons, but so that you can see if there's an issue going on.  The faster you can catch a blockage, the better chance your cat has to live through it.  A cat will die within 48 hours of a blockage.  The first sign for me is drops of urine in the cat box.  If I see drops, I start following cats around to see who's doing what.  If there is irritation, they will visit the box and lick themselves a lot.  If it's a total blockage, you won't see drops, obviously, but your cat will be frantically running around the house squatting everywhere, just trying to pass urine.  If you ever see that, drop everything you're doing and get to the vet IMMEDIATELY.  This isn't a "wait and see what happens" moment, it's life or death.

I've actually added some water to food to help water intake. They basically have an all wet diet.

I will look into RO water and a fountain for them to drink out of. Perhaps a table top RO filter.

How often do you get urinalysis done? I'd like to do yearly and 6 months if they get issues (hopefully never...). Does anyone have a male cat without any UTi issues?

Really catching a blockage worries me most. I can handle an illness - my last cat was sick her entire 17 year life - but I want to do my best to prevent unnecessary deaths.

Yes, I forgot to add that I, too, add water to their wet food.  I've had two males in the past that never had a single episode, and don't recall my parents' males, or my grandmother's, ever having an issue.  It's possible.  It sounds like you're doing everything right.  I never had a urinalysis done unless there were signs of an irritation, but it's so easy to do that it's not a bad idea to do it routinely.  I've used the urine collection beads the clinic sells successfully, and you can clean, dry, and reuse them.  Don't sweat it- there is no mistaking a blockage.  I almost lost my Ed to one- the vet said another 24 hours and he'd have died. 

I currently have 2 male cats that are both almost 9 years old. Neither have urinary issues. I had another male cat that was 14 when he passed and he never had any urinary issues. I'm very thankful as it sounds awful.

I also consider myself lucky as their main diet was always dry kibble until June of this year.

You sound like a great cat guardian and they are lucky to have you!

A cystocencis test is better than a urinalysis, IMO. Cystocensis is taking a urine sample directly from the bladder via a needle. The sample is pretty sterile. A urinalysis uses a sample as it exits the urethra which is normally bacteria laden so there will be some bacteria that will show up in the test. Cat butts aren't exactly clean either

My male has never had a urinary issue. I feed raw food. He drinks plenty of water on his own. I use tap water to fill the bowl.

My previous cat had a urinary crystals once. He was eating only dry food at the time with the occasional can of food. This was before the Internet and everythng we now know about cat nutrition existed. Plus I was a teen so had to feed what my parents would buy which was inexpensive dry food My cat was treated with antibiotics and put on dry Hills C/D. I think I fed the C/D for a few years before I switched him to a regular commerical brand that didn't cost as much. My cat never had a urinary issue while on the C/D food or on the regular dry food I put him on afterwards. But he did end up with diabetes which is another story

We found out my cat had crystals because he was constipated, and had a turd stuck sideways.  When the vet worked out the turd, he peed on the counter, and because they are a great clinic, she took that opportunity to check for crystals, which he had- she felt them with her bare hand.  Crystals are found in a regular urine sample.  No vet that I'm aware of (feel free to correct me if I'm wrong) is going to run a general check for crystals by taking a sample directly from the bladder.  At the clinic I worked at I saw that only in emergency situations, which was all of about twice.  Don't scare her, she's already worried.  Bacteria maybe in a crisis, crystals, no.

...btw, I had a diabetic cat, too.  Five years of shots before he succumbed to cancer.  My vet told me once that anyone who has ever cared for a diabetic animal goes directly to heaven.  It made me cry- was such a nice sentiment, whether you believe in that or not, because only those who have gone through such a thing, whether it be diabetes or another chronic disease, understand how much that means, so hugs to you, friend...

I wouldn't want to put them through unnecessary stress with a needle. As hard as a urinalysis might be a needle is a little extreme. I'd explore the options. Its just a thought.


And I understand entirely... My last cat actually tested postive for allergies to humans. She was allergic to thickeners, foods, medicine, seasons, everything. She had stomach problems and IBS as well, as well as wounds on her face when she would have an allergic reaction that had difficulty healing. We took care of her as best as we could. So I more than understand the chronic illness sort of thing.