Effects of therapeutic pet food (urinary care) on weight, body condition score, urine profile, fecal score and blood profile in healthy cats

Lower urinary tract disease is common in the feline population, with struvite crystalluria being the main cause. Nutritional management is a cornerstone of prevention, which helps to modify the urinary environment and maintain overall health. This study evaluated the efficacy of a Therapeutic Urinary Care Feed in maintaining systemic health by maintaining normal body condition score, body weight and fecal score. It also evaluated the efficacy of a Therapeutic Urinary Care Feed in maintaining normal blood parameters, hematological and serum biochemistry, and promoting a healthy urinary environment in healthy cats based on urine pH, urine specific gravity and urine cytology over a 5-week period. Six healthy castrated male cats participated in a 5-week feed trial. Body weight, body condition score (BCS), fecal score, complete blood count, serum biochemistry (BUN, creatinine), urine pH, urine specific gravity (USG), and urine cytology were measured at baseline and post-intervention. Data were analyzed using paired-sample t-tests and McNemar's test in SPSS, with significance set at p < 0.05. The feed maintained BCS and ideal fecal scores in all cats, with no variability from baseline. Body weight remained stable with no significant change (p = 0.06). All hematological and biochemical parameters, including BUN and creatinine, remained within normal limits, confirming systemic safety. The USG parameter was significantly increased (p = 0.00) and all resolution of struvite crystals in 100% of affected cats (p = 0.03). The Therapeutic Urinary Care Feed effectively maintained overall health, demonstrated a strong safety profile, and significantly improved key urinary parameters, leading to the dissolution of struvite crystals. These results support its use as a safe and effective nutritional strategy for promoting urinary tract health in cats. However, further studies are needed to refine feline urinary tract disease prevention protocols, and to study the recurrence rate with relation to cats with diagnosed lower urinary tract diseases.