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cats with FIC, feeding a canned diet and/or increasing liquid intake is the optimal way to achieve a lower urine specific gravity. If a patient accepts it, a hydration supplement can be a good way to help decrease a patient’s urine specific gravity. For example, there are nutrient-enriched water supplements available that promote healthy feline hydration and aid in the absorption of water at a cellular level. Given how common urinary conditions are in cats, it may be a good idea to encourage owners to offer their cats foods with a variety of textures when they’re young, as opposed to when they are older and may be conditioned to only eat dry foods. That’s not to say that rotating diets throughout a cat’s lifetime is necessary, only that exposing them to different textures at a young age is a good way to get them comfortable and hopefully promote acceptance. CHOOSING A THERAPEUTIC DISSOLUTION DIET The first step in choosing a therapeutic dissolution diet is to ascertain what type of stone has formed in the patient. Struvite stones can often be dissolved with diet, thereby avoiding the costs and risks associated with surgery and anesthesia. Sterile struvite uroliths in cats may dissolve as early as one to two weeks after transitioning to a therapeutic dissolution diet.
FIC In studies that have evaluated risk factors for cats with FIC, most report that feline patients that are male, approximately 2 to 7 years of age and/or overweight are at increased risk. 6 A variety of husbandry/environmental risk factors, such as indoor housing and increased stress, were also consistently found. 6 Because so many pets in the U.S. are spayed or neutered, and the number of overweight or obese pets increases every year, LUTD in cats may be on the rise. However, we’re also more aware of how to diagnose these conditions and manage these patients. So whether prevalence is increasing or we are now more proactive in diagnosing LUTD is an open question. UPPING DIETARY MOISTURE LEVELS Cats have a lower physiological thirst drive than dogs, so identifying other strategies to boost fluid intake is key. Increasing dietary moisture can increase urine volume and promote a more-dilute urine, which decreases the opportunity for crystals to form. The 2016 ACVIM consensus statement suggests that urine dilution is probably one of the best ways to help reduce the risk of urolith formation. 5 We can help owners boost cats’ moisture intake in a variety of ways, such as by recommending use of water fountains, adding water to dry food and feeding a canned diet, introduced gradually to help avoid gastrointestinal upset. For
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