My cat had crystals. Which Royal Canin urinary food should I use?
Updated On September 23rd, 2025
Pet's info: Cat | Mixed Breed | Male | neutered | 5 years and 4 months old
What is the difference between Royal Canine Urinary S/O and Royal Canine Urinary Care for cats? My male cat had crystals some time ago.
3 Answers
Most Helpful Answer
Published on February 22nd, 2018
From Royal Canin's website: "This diet is only suitable for healthy adult cats that do not have a urinary issue or a history of urinary problems. This food is not a replacement for a diet prescribed by your veterinarian." If Elbi has already had a urinary problem, I don't recommend considering switching to the urinary care food. Urinary S/O is designed to encourage more drinking, as well as neutralize the pH of the urine - both of those together tend to almost completely eliminate the chances of crystals forming.
118Pet Parents found this answer helpful
Related Answers from Veterinarians
-
Published on November 17th, 2017
No, it is not really recommended you do that. He is on the Royal Canin SO due to an urinary issue (I am assuming) so if you add any other type of food in with it you are negating the effects of the prescription diet. The idea with the SO (or any other prescription urinary diet) is to keep the urine pH at a specific level to help decrease the chance of him making urinary crystals/stones. If you add another food into that, the pH will no longer be optimal. If he doesn't seem to like the Royal Canin SO, talk to your vet about trying a different brand of urinary diet. Other companies make comparable diets and some cats like those better. That being said, if he is not too fat or too thin, then he is likely eating enough. I'm assuming you have tried both the canned and dry versions of the SO? If not, then you can consider this as well. Some cats prefer canned food over dry and visa versa.
2Pet Parents found this answer helpful
-
Published on March 5th, 2019
The Pro Plan focus urinary is not the same as the therapeutic Royal Canin SO diet and would not necessarily prevent crystal formation in the same way. You could ask your vet about switching, but I generally advise against it. You could try a different brand of therapeutic urinary wet food like Science Diet c/d or Purina UR - he may prefer a different brand. If you do decide to switch after talking to your vet it might be a good idea to recheck a urine sample after he's had the new food for a few weeks to make sure there are no crystals, inflammation or a change in pH after the diet change.
8Pet Parents found this answer helpful
Is Royal Canin Urinary SO wet and dry cat food the best option for treating a cat with crystals? I’ve heard some bad things about it and some good. My cat doesn’t really like it but the vet suggested he eat THIS brand only.. which happens to be the m
Hi my cat speedy 6yrs old had really bad crystals earlier this year and pdsa put him on on specific crystal management food. Is there any other food brands I can use? His last weighing weight was 4.5kg.
I have a seven year old cat that was diagnosed with crystals when he was a kitten. He’s been on prescription food for his crystals all his life. He weights 20 pounds because of the high carb in the food is making him sick.I want to know if I can take
My small chihuahua had a UTI back in May, and had some lingering crystals in her urine a month later. I've had her on Royal Canin urinary so food since then, and my vet said it would be best to just keep her on that for forever. I'm looking fo a seco
My cat is on royal cain so urinary tract food, he had crystals in his urine a couple of months ago. He is not eatting the wet food, but is eatting the dry, i like to give them both. Can i replace the wet with pro plan focus urinary tract heath? T
I have two cats, one of my cats has been prescribed Royal Canin Urinary S/O by vets to treat struvite crystals however he hates the wet food he won't eat it what so ever, will buying the dried food of Royal Canin S/O be safe to use for him? Also will
My cat currently had blood work/testing for a check up before neutering. I was told he has crystals in his urine, and high pH levels in his urine also. Is there a diet, or specific foods I can feed him to lower the pH levels (his pee smells so strong
Is SO urinary cat food really the best thing to feed a cat with crystals?
Two weeks ago, I found out my cat’s got a LOT of crystals in her urine. I took her to the vet because she was spending too much time in her litter box. There is nothing wrong with her kidneys, she also tested it. And since she went to the vet, she’s
My cat has recently had urinary problems and now after being to the vets he's having to go on a special diet, like most questions in here, he also does not like the Hills or Royal Canin pouches, he also doesn't like the Hills dry food. But since 1 ye
Book an appointment with the pros – our expert vets are here to help.
