Is this waterer suitable for cats with struvite stones?

I wouldn't recommend switching to this waterer without talking to your vet first. My cats still have struvite stones present, and I've had to supplement with wet food to ensure they're getting enough to eat.

How do I clean the waterer?

Cleaning the waterer is a breeze - just wipe it down with a damp cloth and let it air dry. Make sure to rinse it thoroughly to prevent any bacterial growth.

Can I use this waterer with my cat's regular food?

I tried using this waterer with my cat's regular food, but they didn't seem to like it as much. I had to supplement with wet food to ensure they were getting enough to eat.

Is this waterer worth the price?

I think it's a good value for the price, but it's not the cheapest option out there. If you're looking for a decent waterer that's easy to use, I'd say it's worth considering.

Can I use this waterer with my cat's wet food?

I've been using this waterer with my cat's wet food, and it's worked out great. Just make sure to rinse it thoroughly to prevent any bacterial growth.

How do I know if my cat is getting enough to eat?

Keep an eye on your cat's weight and overall health. If they seem lethargic or aren't eating as much as usual, it's time to talk to your vet.

Can I use this waterer with my cat's prescription food?

I wouldn't recommend using this waterer with your cat's prescription food without talking to your vet first. They may have specific instructions for feeding your cat.

Is this waterer suitable for cats with kidney disease?

I wouldn't recommend using this waterer with cats that have kidney disease. They may need a specialized diet that's not compatible with this waterer.

How often should I replace the waterer's filter?

I'd recommend replacing the filter every 2-3 months, or as needed, depending on your cat's usage.

Decent Waterer for Cats - But Not a Magic Fix

Name: Don't Buy This Without a Vet's Say-So - A Decent Waterer, But My Cats Still Need More
Item: Royal Canin Urinary S/O Moderate Calorie Cat Food
Rating: 5
Author: benRoss_

I've been feeding my cats Royal Canin Urinary S/O for months to help dissolve struvite stones. Before switching to this food, I ran some tests - blood work, urinalysis, and an ultrasound. All my cats had struvites and sand. One of them seems to have dissolved the stones, while the others are showing improvement in their urine tests, but still have struvites present. I'd love to switch them to regular food, but my vet isn't giving me the green light yet.

Before switching to Urinary, they were eating Royal Canin Sterilised, and one of them was also on Royal Canin Gastro Intestinal Moderate Calorie for digestive issues.

One day, I spotted Royal Canin Urinary S/O Moderate Calorie on sale at a discount. I thought, why not give it a try? It's a hybrid of the regular Urinary S/O and the Moderate Calorie diet. I figured it couldn't hurt, and I'd save some money.

Nothing bad happened, but I noticed my cats weren't eating as much of this food. And, of course, I didn't end up saving any money, since I had to supplement with wet food to make sure they were getting enough to eat. I've come to realize that Urinary Moderate is best used under a vet's guidance. But more on that later.

Dry Food for Cats Royal Canin Urinary S/O Moderate Calorie - Review A Few Words About the Food:Brand - Royal CaninManufacturer, Trademark Owner, Country - Royal Canin S.A.S. (France, barcode 318 confirms)Purpose - for adult cats (dietary, therapeutic)Class - super premiumPackaging - 400g, 1.5kg, 3.5kg, 9kg packsWhere to Buy - pet stores, online storesPrice - constantly changing. Currently, a 3.5kg pack can be bought for 970-1140 UAH.

Duration of UseI bought just one 3.5kg pack for 4 cats. It lasted us around three weeks. We didn't use the food for long, so it's hard to say anything about long-term effects, but I can share some observations.

At the same time as the RC Urinary Moderate Calorie dry food, I was also giving my cats softer foods for variety. More often than not, it was Royal Canin (Urinary, Gastrointestinal, Sterilized - different cats reacted differently). But I sometimes gave them Gourmet Gold pâtés, LifeCat food made from 72% tuna LifeCat, and other foods.

One of the main consumers of this food PackagingI was expecting a premium feel, but the standard white plastic bag from Royal Canin didn't quite live up to my expectations. Inside, there's a foil wrapper to keep things fresh. Now, I've noticed the same cat appears on many of their food series - so make sure to double-check the name on the bottom of the bag.

The back and sides of the bag have a ton of information about the product and the manufacturer, but unfortunately, it's all in different languages - there's no Russian, and the Ukrainian label is stuck to the back.

The bag - back and side views Manufacturer's claimsThe claims on the back of the bag give you a good idea of what this food is supposed to do. Here are the benefits, listed from the top of the back:

Breaking down struvite crystals of all types.Moderate calorie content to help maintain the perfect weight.Increasing urine production (which helps reduce struvite and oxalate crystals).Reducing the RSS (the indicator of the urine's saturation with crystal-forming substances).For cats with struvite crystals, this is exactly what they need. As a bonus, it also helps with weight control - great for those cats that are a bit too plump.

The manufacturer's promises in a nutshellI've got to say, the recommendations for feeding even specify the amount of food based on the weight of your pets. With multiple cats at home, it's impossible to keep track of who's eating what - one's always overeating, the other's under, and it's just too much to control. I've given up on trying to monitor their intake and just keep dry food stocked up, so they can eat as much as they want.

Visual feeding recommendationsWho this food is for and what it's forIt's a specialized food with therapeutic properties for adult cats. You can't just give it to them willy-nilly, it's meant for a specific purpose.

Here's what the food is all about:

Dry dietary food for adult cats from 12 months old with lower urinary tract diseases. It helps dissolve struvite stones and prevents their reformation. It also prevents the crystallization of urine, creating a healthy environment in the body.

It provides a balance of life forces in adulthood. It supports kidney health. The moderate energy value helps maintain an ideal weight.

Contraindications:

Pregnancy, lactation, and animal growth periodsChronic kidney diseaseMetabolic acidosisHeart failureHypertensionUsing medications used to acidify urineWarning!

You can't feed your cat this food if they have chronic kidney disease. That's why it's a good idea to get a pre-feeding ultrasound for kittens.

You can't use this food at the same time as medications that acidify urine. So, if your cat's been prescribed meds to dissolve struvite stones (they dissolve them by acidifying the urine), you need to switch them to regular food. And only after the treatment is over can you transition them back to Urinary (either the regular or Moderate formula).

So, here's what this food does (in my words):

It acidifies the urine and dilutes it so much that it reduces the amount of crystals that form struvite and calcium oxalate stones. But it doesn't help with other types of stones and can even make things worse. That's why it's super important to get some tests done before giving your cat this food.

It dissolves struvite stones. It helps prevent struvite and calcium oxalate stones from forming.

It also controls calories and keeps your sedentary cat from getting too fat.

The package closes with a zipper. The zipper design isn't the most convenient, but it works. You need to close the package to keep the food from getting staleIngredientsThey're listed on the sticker with Ukrainian text and online:

I'm no expert on ingredients, but I know that in a good cat food, animal protein should be the top priority.

But this is a therapeutic and dietetic food, so maybe that's why the composition is different. That's just my guess, I don't know for sure. Honestly, I'm no expert to comment on compositions. By the way, the composition is listed quite thoroughly, unlike other foods from the same manufacturer.

Label in Ukrainian, here's the composition and everything elsePre-diagnosis testsBefore the doctor prescribed Urinary, we did the following tests for the cats:

Urinalysis to determine the type of stones (this is examined under a microscope).Blood tests (general and biochemistry) to understand the state of the kidneys.Ultrasound (confirms the state of the kidneys and the presence/absence of stones/sand).Urinary Moderat is the same Urinary, but with calorie control and for cats with problematic digestive systems.

Tests are very important. Yes, it was expensive. But I've already dealt with MBD (kidney stone disease), a very cunning and scary thing. I don't want to go through that again. Yes, there are plenty of other ailments that can't be predicted or prevented. But MBD can be tried to be prevented. So we do tests and examinations.

Texture, appearance, and smellThe food has a characteristic smell that's normal for dry food. It's similar to the Sterilized formula, but not unpleasant.

The kibble isn't perfectly round; it's more oval-shaped. In terms of color, it's slightly lighter and more yellow than the Royal Canin Sterilized kibble. I attribute this to Urinary Moderate Calorie having less meat and more rice.

You can see the color difference in the photo below: the Urinary Moderate Calorie is on the left, and the Sterilized is on the right (for sterilized cats).

Food from Royal Canin: left Urinary S/O Moderate Calorie, right Sterilized Urinary Moderate Calorie kibble: rounded, slightly oval Royal Canin Urinary S/O Moderate Calorie food reviewHow the cats eat itAll my animals (four of them) easily transitioned from regular Urinary to Urinary Moderate Calorie. It's like there's no difference at all. They all have the same appetite for this and the standard Sterilized formula. With Royal Canin dry food, we've never had any issues.

Here's a photo of me taking a picture of the food - my cat decided to snack on it in the process.

Most days, I feed my pets somewhere else, but the cat saw an opportunity

The other two are waiting in line. The cat's really taken to Royal Canin Urinary ModerateImpact on the cat's bodyWhen I fed them regular Urinary, I noticed the cats started drinking more. That's a good thing in this case - the urine becomes less concentrated. I could see they were drinking more often, and they were using the litter box more - there were more clumps, and we were going through more litter. With Urinary Moderate, that's still the case - the cats are drinking more and using the litter box more (compared to Sterilized). That's a plus.

On regular Urinary, two of the cats lost weight - one a little, one quite noticeably. But the fattest one didn't lose any weight. I didn't actually weigh them, but I could tell by looking at them - they looked thinner around the sides, and you could feel their spines more easily. On Urinary Moderate, that's still the case. I wouldn't say anyone's gained or lost weight - they're just the same as they were.

But the cats on this food started asking for snacks more often. You know what I mean - they're meowing, looking up at you, leading you to the food bowl. I think they're not feeling full and are hungry. Cats always ask for treats, but these ones were really persistent. Maybe it's just a coincidence.

I didn't notice any side effects from feeding my cats Royal Canin Urinary Moderate. I mean, no allergic reactions, digestive issues, or other noticeable symptoms. One of them did occasionally vomit up hair, but that's just because he loves to groom the other pets and gets a little too enthusiastic. But the cats only ate this food for about three weeks, so it's hard to say for sure.

Dry Food for Cats Royal Canin Urinary S/O Moderate Calorie - ReviewMy VerdictAfter one 3.5kg bag of Royal Canin Urinary S/O Moderate Calorie, I switched my cats back to the regular Urinary formula. They seemed to be always hungry. The two that were on Urinary also lost some weight, but they asked for more food on Urinary Moderate.

I didn't notice any significant differences between Urinary and Urinary Moderate. But our vet recommended the regular Urinary, so I stuck with that.

I didn't notice any bad side effects from Urinary Moderate. The cats drank plenty of water and went to the litter box normally, and they ate the food just fine.

I didn't get any lab results to share, since we didn't do any tests before or after switching to Urinary Moderate. But visually, it's clear that they're not getting the same benefits as they were on Urinary. I'll share the lab results in my review of Urinary.

I'd only recommend Royal Canin Urinary Moderate if prescribed by a vet. Don't mess around with specialized foods - they're not for self-experimentation. For instance, this one acidifies your urine and isn't suitable for cats with kidney disease, which is a pretty serious concern. I think it's not prescribed often, and I probably wouldn't have bought the food without a prescription.

I'm giving it 5 stars. The ingredients are transparent, the food is dietetic, it makes your cat thirsty, and it doesn't lead to weight gain.

Before starting Urinary Moderate, you should get some tests done! To rule out kidney disease, you'll need to do blood biochemistry, urinalysis, and an ultrasound.