Royal Canin Urinary Care is a dry cat food sold for adult cats and aimed at supporting urinary tract health by controlling mineral levels and encouraging water intake. It is not the same thing as a prescription urinary diet. If your cat has had urinary crystals, stones or a blockage, your vet decides what to feed.
Urinary Care vs Prescription Urinary Diets
Royal Canin sells both non-prescription “Urinary Care” formulas and veterinary “Urinary SO” diets. The vet diets are used to manage and help dissolve certain crystals or stones under veterinary supervision. A non-prescription urinary diet is meant for maintenance in cats without active disease. See our separate guide to Royal Canin SO for cats and alternatives to Royal Canin SO.
How Urinary Diets Work
- They control minerals such as magnesium and phosphorus that can form crystals.
- They aim for a urine pH that makes common crystals less likely to form.
- They are often designed to encourage drinking so urine is more dilute.
Signs of a Urinary Problem: Call the Vet
Straining in the litter box, frequent small urinations, blood in urine, crying while urinating, or licking the genital area can mean a urinary problem. A male cat who strains and passes little or no urine may have a blockage, which is an emergency. Go to a vet or emergency clinic right away.
Helping Your Cat Drink More
- Add wet food to the diet. Wet food is mostly water.
- Use a pet fountain and place several water bowls around the home.
- Keep litter boxes clean, since cats avoid dirty ones and may hold urine.
Switching Foods
Move to a new food gradually over 7 to 10 days. Do not use a urinary diet long term without checking with your vet, since it may not suit kittens, pregnant cats or cats with other conditions.
Bottom Line
Royal Canin Urinary Care can be a reasonable maintenance food for an adult cat, but a cat with a history of urinary problems needs a diet your vet recommends. Urinary blockages are emergencies.
General information only, not veterinary advice. Ask your vet before changing the diet of a cat with a medical condition.
