Prescription Food for Cats

A prescription diet for cats is a regimented course of food that can only be obtained with a prescription from a veterinarian. Some of these courses are temporary, but some cats require a prescription diet for life. A veterinarian will make these choices based on the feline's symptoms.

Companies That Make Prescription Foods

Although commonly used, the term "prescription diet" is actually a brand title for the Hills Pet Nutrition therapeutic diets. A therapeutic diet is one that addresses certain issues, such as diseases or disorders in a cat (or dog). Four major companies that make prescription foods are Iams Veterinary Diets, Waltham IVD Royal Canin Diets, Purina Veterinary Diets and Hill's Prescription Diets.

Reasons to Administer a Prescription Food

Prescription foods have greatly increased recovery statistics in cats that suffer from a variety of conditions, including problems with the heart, kidneys, liver and digestive system and animals with diabetes. It is important to note that these foods have been specially formulated to address certain issues specifically. Following the veterinarian's instructions on how the food is administered is very important.

Pros and Cons

Companies that produce prescription cat food spend millions of dollars researching diets that assist in the treatment of various disorders. These foods are problem-specific and have helped felines everywhere lead normal, happy lives. Even cats with extreme food allergies can find relief in these prescription diets. Although these foods can be pricey, the potential benefit they can provide far outweighs the cost. Prescription cat food is available in dry form and canned form and as biscuits.

One downside of special feline foods is that you cannot just buy them from grocery stores, pet stores or feed stores. They can only be bought from a licensed veterinarian and only then with a prescription. Prescription foods also tend to be much more expensive than store-bought foods, and with only a few companies making them, the selection of brands is rather limited. Some veterinarians, for reasons of their own, often only carry one or two prescription brands, so finding the one you want can sometimes entail quite a search.

Iams Veterinary Diets Feline

Iams offers a number of foods that range from store-bought foods for healthy cats to problem-specific prescription foods. Their main prescription lines offer assistance with the treatment of allergies and skin conditions, kidney disorders, urinary problems and intestinal issues. They also provide a very effective weight management line for those felines who just seem to pack on the pounds.

Hill's Prescription Diets

Hill's Prescription Diets tend to be a little confusing to those who are new to buying special feline food. Most of their prescription line has two-letter abbreviations for the names, making it difficult to determine, at a glance, exactly what food you require. Names like c/d for feline lower urinary tract infections, k/d for kidney disease, w/d for digestive problems and diabetes, and r/d for weight control are just a few of the many titles you have to decipher.

Purina Veterinary Diets

Purina doesn't have the wide selection that Iams and Hill's have, but their prescription foods tend to be more focused on individual problems rather than foods that try to combat a number of issues together. They also adopt the abbreviation method of naming their prescription line, but these tend to be a little more self-explanatory. Foods like CV for cardiovascular problems, DM for diabetes management, DH for dental health and OM for overweight management are available from veterinary offices.

Waltham IVD Royal Canin Veterinary Diets

Royal Canin prescription foods offer quite a selection of foods for a variety of issues, but their most popular products tend to be those that deal with adverse food reactions (food allergies). They have an extensive selection of foods that include ingredients not in a normal domestic cat's diet, thus reducing the chance that the feline will be allergic to it. Food formulas such as Green Peas and Duck, Green Peas and Rabbit, Green Peas and Lamb and Green Peas and Venison are the most popular among veterinarians for felines with severe food allergies.