Understanding Prescription Cat Meals for Specialised Diets

Kirsten McCarthy / Cats.com

Prescription or therapeutic veterinary diets are particularly formulated to deal with or assist well being points in cats. In some instances, they often is the solely remedy your cat wants. Specialised diets play an necessary function within the remedy of many circumstances, together with power kidney illness, urinary tract issues, diabetes, hyperthyroidism, gastrointestinal issues, and weight problems.

The stability of vitamins in prescription diets may be very completely different from regular diets – that means they’re normally not acceptable for wholesome cats. Consequently, they need to be prescribed by a veterinarian and used below their supervision, identical to a drugs.

Learn on for every thing you must learn about prescription diets, from how they work to what they’re used for.

What are Prescription Diets?

Prescription diets are specialised therapeutic diets formulated to deal with or handle a sure well being situation. They include particular vitamins in a sure formulation which might be useful to that medical downside.

Not like regular cat meals, the Affiliation of American Feed Management Officers (AAFCO) doesn’t require prescription diets to be balanced or full for a wholesome cat. It’s because cats with particular well being circumstances have completely different dietary wants from wholesome cats, typically requiring increased or decrease ranges of sure vitamins. Therapeutic diets may additionally include further vitamins to assist the situation they’re treating.

Some prescription diets work by inflicting a change to your cat’s regular physiology which is useful to their situation. An instance is urinary care diets which alter the conventional pH of your cat’s urine to stop or dissolve bladder stones.

Nevertheless, prescription diets may be inappropriate – and even dangerous – for cats with out that situation. Prescription diets are an necessary a part of your cat’s remedy plan. So – identical to a prescription remedy – they have to be prescribed by your vet and used below their cautious supervision.

Frequent Prescription Diets for Cats: A Vet Explains

Prescription diets are a mainstay within the remedy of kidney illness, urinary tract issues, weight problems, and meals allergic reactions in cats. Kirsten McCarthy / Cats.com

Applicable, high-quality diet is necessary for the administration of any well being difficulty. Nevertheless, there are specific ailments and circumstances the place utilizing a specialised prescription weight loss plan is thought to make a big distinction. This part accommodates every thing you must learn about the most typical prescription diets I like to recommend as a veterinarian.

1. Power Kidney Illness

Beginning your cat on a specialised kidney weight loss plan is the perfect remedy for power kidney illness (CKD) – much more so than any remedy. They assist cats dwell longer with fewer signs and a greater high quality of life by assembly particular dietary wants.

In comparison with common pet meals, prescription kidney diets include:

• Decreased protein: Wholesome cats require excessive ranges of protein. However cats with CKD battle to remove the waste merchandise brought on by breaking it down. As a substitute, these waste merchandise construct up within the blood (uremia) and may trigger them to really feel unwell. Kidney diets include decrease quantities of protein to scale back this however use high-quality sources to keep away from muscle wastage.
• Decreased phosphorous: Extra phosphorous is excreted in urine, however cats with CKD battle to do that, resulting in excessive ranges within the blood, which might worsen the illness. Decreased phosphorous ranges gradual the development of the kidney illness, serving to your cat dwell longer with fewer signs.
• Decreased sodium (salt): An excessive amount of sodium can overwhelm the kidneys in cats with CKD, worsening hypertension and inflicting fluid retention. So, low sodium diets handle fluid stability and blood strain.
• Elevated fats: kidney diets include elevated fats to assist your cat eat sufficient energy and preserve their weight. It additionally improves the style, as cats with CKD typically battle with poor urge for food.
• Elevated potassium: Cats with CKD are vulnerable to low potassium (hypokalemia) because of elevated loss of their urine and diminished consumption by means of poor urge for food or vomiting. Kidney diets include elevated quantities to compensate for this.

Prescription renal diets for cats additionally include a complete host of additional vitamins, together with omega-3 fatty acids, antioxidants, beta-carotene, acidifiers, buffers, and extra nutritional vitamins and minerals.

2. Feline Decrease Urinary Tract Illness

Prescription urinary care diets are formulated to scale back the chance of Feline Decrease Urinary Tract Illness. Yaya Photographs / Shutterstock.com

Cats are vulnerable to decrease urinary tract issues, from urinary tract infections (UTIs) to stress cystitis and uroliths (bladder stones) – which might result in a blocked bladder, a life-threatening situation. Collectively, these are referred to as ‘Feline Decrease Urinary Tract Illness’, or FLUTD. There are lots of industrial diets aimed toward lowering FLUTD in cats. Whereas they differ relying on what situation they’re treating, they’ve some widespread targets:

• Dilute the urine: Cats naturally have concentrated urine, however we all know this places them susceptible to urolith formation and will increase irritation of their urinary tract. Diets that dilute the urine considerably scale back the chance of FLUTD.
• Cut back uroliths: Prescription diets management the pH of the urine to stop sure varieties of uroliths from forming (some diets may even dissolve them). Additionally they promote the exercise of your cat’s pure urolith inhibitors. The nutritional vitamins and minerals (comparable to calcium, phosphate, and vitamin D) are balanced to scale back the chance of sure uroliths, particularly calcium oxalate.
• Cut back stress: We all know stress performs a big function for a lot of cats who are suffering from recurrent FLUTD. Current prescription FLUTD diets include substances comparable to alpha-casozepine and tryptophan that may assist scale back stress, and due to this fact FLUTD.

Many prescription diets for recurring FLUTD are designed to be fed long-term. Nevertheless, diets designed particularly to interrupt down a sure sort of urolith (comparable to struvite) are for short-term use solely.

3. Weight Management

Serving to your cat attain a wholesome weight can add years to their life – however it’s typically simpler mentioned than carried out! Weight management diets are formulated to scale back your cat’s calorie consumption by containing diminished energy and fats. This encourages their physique to make use of their fats shops for power, serving to them to drop extra pounds.

Nevertheless, cats typically battle with starvation between meals on a calorie-restricted weight loss plan. Satiety diets include elevated fiber to assist them really feel full between meals, lowering starvation and attention-seeking habits. This makes the weight-loss course of simpler for each of you.

Importantly, satiety diets include excessive ranges of high-quality protein to assist your cat preserve muscle mass whereas shedding pounds. Additionally they have a excessive focus of nutritional vitamins and minerals, so your cat nonetheless will get every thing they want, regardless of consuming fewer energy – which may be a problem if you happen to merely feed them much less of their regular meals.

4. Allergy symptoms

Prescription hypoallergenic diets can be utilized to each diagnose and deal with meals allergic reactions in cats. Kirsten McCarthy / Cats.com

A weight loss plan trial is the best option to diagnose (or rule out) a meals allergy in your cat. The commonest meals allergens are proteins – normally the meat aspect. So, prescription hypoallergenic diets include proteins which were processed (hydrolyzed) so the physique doesn’t react to them. They’re completely different from non-prescription or ‘over-the-counter’ diets which can use the phrase ‘hypoallergenic’ however wouldn’t be appropriate for a weight loss plan trial.

Some prescription hypoallergenic diets are designed solely to be fed for the weight loss plan trial to check in case your cat’s signs resolve. Nevertheless, some hypoallergenic diets are full and may be fed long-term to delicate cats.

They might additionally include different components that assist cats with meals sensitivities, comparable to fatty acids to strengthen the pores and skin barrier or probiotics for intestine well being.

How To Feed Prescription Diets

Prescription diets are necessary to your cat’s remedy plan. It may be useful to think about them as a type of remedy. Like remedy, they have to be prescribed by your veterinarian and used below their steerage.

Beginning a Prescription Weight loss program

Your veterinarian will advocate a weight loss plan particularly tailor-made to your cat’s wants. However for a lot of prescription diets, there are a couple of completely different manufacturers, textures, and flavors accessible. So, attempt a couple of to see which your cat likes finest. You should buy prescription diets straight out of your veterinarian, however you may additionally be capable of discover them on-line or in pet shops.

As at all times with any change in weight loss plan, you must transition your cat regularly onto their new meals, mixing in a bit extra every day, over 10-14 days. Contact your vet in case your cat reveals worrying signs on their new meals, comparable to diarrhea.

Feeding as a Sole Weight loss program

As prescription pet meals are calculated to include a exact stability of vitamins to your cat’s situation, they need to be given as your cat’s sole weight loss plan. Sadly, this implies no further treats or titbits! Nevertheless, some widespread prescription diets can have a variety of treats accessible which might be secure to make use of on the identical time.

Feeding Prescription Diets With Different Cats at House

Feeding a specialised weight loss plan may be tough in case you have multiple cat, chances are you’ll have to feed them at completely different occasions in several rooms. Kirsten McCarthy / Cats.com

You probably have multiple cat, you is perhaps anxious about feeding completely different diets. Nevertheless, some prescription diets are secure (if a bit costly!) to feed a wholesome cat too. As an example, most prescription gastrointestinal diets will meet the dietary wants of a wholesome cat however be further digestible and simple on the heart. So, examine together with your veterinarian if you happen to can feed all of your cats the identical weight loss plan.

However don’t fear, even when the prescription weight loss plan just isn’t acceptable to your different cats, consuming some sometimes gained’t trigger any points.

Lengthy Time period vs Brief Time period Diets

Verify together with your veterinarian if the weight loss plan is meant for brief or long-term use. Cats with power well being circumstances, comparable to CKD or hyperthyroidism will doubtless want a specialised weight loss plan for the remainder of their life. However different diets are solely designed for use for a short while and gained’t meet your cat’s dietary wants long-term.

Monitoring Cats on Prescription Diets

Your cat will doubtless want some ongoing monitoring for his or her well being situation. So, monitoring as soon as they’ve began their new weight loss plan will type a part of this. Relying on their situation, they could want common check-ups, or blood or urine assessments, to see how the weight loss plan is working.