Affordable urinary tract cat food alternatives to vet brands
Specialized urinary health cat foods prescribed by veterinarians are often very expensive. Finding a cheaper alternative that still prevents bladder stones and crystals lets cat owners manage their pet's health without constantly breaking the bank.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
Found another way around this?
Share your steps and trade-offs so fellow engineers don't have to reinvent the wheel. No account required.
- 1Buying vet-prescribed food directly from the clinicDid this help you?
- 2Mixing wet and dry food throughout the dayDid this help you?
- 3Considering a homemade raw food dietDid this help you?
- 4Looking at ingredient lists on expensive food to find inexpensive substitutesDid this help you?
- 5Staying with current commercial wet food brands like FriskiesDid this help you?
- 6Relying on vet-prescribed foods or preventative dry food formulationsDid this help you?
In their words
Unedited, grouped by where they were said, most upvoted first within each place, each linked to the thread it came from.
“Our vet said it is probably the food and got us to buy the food they had on hand and it is… expensive lol. I don’t mind paying for it but I’m wondering if there’s any good cat foods other people use that don’t cost an arm and a leg?”source ↗
“my cat recently was diagnosed with having a “significant amount of urinary crystals”and my vet is having me switch him to an all wet food diet. i can’t decide which brand is better for urinary support.”source ↗
“i wanna lean towards hills but i thought id ask people who may have experience with this prior to purchasing.”source ↗
Where this came up
People with this problem also raised
- 2Cheap wet cat food for cats that won't drink water
- 6How do I pick an adult cat food with clear ingredients?
- 2Where to find cat food during shortages when they refuse other brands
- 5How to get a cat with food allergies to eat
- 2What's the best pet insurance for senior cats?
- 3Cat won't eat new prescription food