The diet used in the study, which was researched by a major pet food manufacturer, uses minerals such as calcium, phosphorous, oxalate and magnesium, combined with crystallization inhibitors and antioxidants, to minimize the building blocks that produce stones in a cat’s bladder, he said.

Kruger declined to name the pet food manufacturer involved in the study.

Through the study, Kruger said he hopes to discover how successful the diet is in preventing and healing these bladder problems, especially idiopathic cystitis since there is no known effective treatment.

“We don’t know whether it works or not, so that’s why we’re doing the study: to find out,” Kruger said. “This would be a major advancement if we could demonstrate a diet that helps the majority of cats with these diseases.”

Before cats can become part of the study, they have to be determined eligible by the staff at the Small Animal Hospital. Once cleared, they are placed in one of two groups — one that is put on the study diet and another that is put on a diet representing typical premium cat food.

The animals are randomly placed in the groups, so no one will know which group the cats are in until after the study is complete.

Carmon Koenigsknecht, the dietary study coordinator and veterinary technician at the Small Animal Hospital, answers phone calls from people who want their cats in the study and also helps with the tests performed on the felines. She said the response from veterinarians and owners since enrollment in the study began in June 2009 has been good, and participating in it could be helpful for those who are interested.

“I think the study is a great opportunity for cat owners, especially ones that may not be able to afford the study diet or different diagnostics that we perform on their own,” Koenigsknecht said.

Owners with cats in the study agree. Traci Abundis’ cat, Baby Dos, entered the study after Abundis found out her cat had bladder stones. Abundis, an agribusiness management junior, described the study as a “heaven send” because it provides the cats with the diet and other medical care that she could not afford at no cost to the owner.

“It’s amazing,” she said of the study. “I was so afraid when I found out my cat had stones, and I thought I was going to have to put her down.”

Kruger said that 200 to 400 cats come to the Small Animal Hospital with any of the three major bladder problems each year, and hopes the study proves the diet can help the cats.

“At the end of the day, hopefully we’ve enrolled enough cats to say, ‘These diets can do what they’re supposed to do,’” he said.