Giving Cats a Voice: How Purina Is Redefining Proactive Pet Care

A cat waiting by the window. A gentle head bump at the end of the day. The comforting sound of a familiar purr.

For millions of people, these moments define the bond they share with their cats. Yet cats have one remarkable instinct that can make protecting that bond especially difficult: they often hide signs of illness until disease has significantly progressed.

For Purina, solving that challenge is more than a scientific pursuit. It’s part of a decades-long commitment to helping pets live longer, healthier lives through research, nutrition and innovation.

Founded in 1894 on the belief that science could transform pet nutrition, Purina has spent more than a century pioneering breakthroughs that have shaped the pet care industry. From developing the body condition scoring system now used by veterinarians worldwide to collaborating on advances in feline genome mapping, the company’s research has continually changed how dogs and cats are cared for.

Today, that same spirit of innovation is driving a new frontier in feline health.

One of the greatest challenges facing aging cats is chronic kidney disease, which affects nearly 40% of cats over the age of ten. Because cats naturally mask signs of illness, many are not diagnosed until significant kidney function has already been lost.

Purina researchers set out to change that pattern with a simple question: what if a cat’s everyday litter box interactions could reveal behavior and weight changes long before symptoms become obvious?

The answer is the Petivity Smart Litter Box Monitor.

Developed by Purina veterinarians, behaviorists and data scientists, the device fits beneath an existing litter box and tracks weight and litter box activity during a cat’s normal routine. Drawing on more than a decade of research into feline elimination behaviors, Purina paired these insights with artificial intelligence to help identify behavior and weight changes that may be associated with health conditions like chronic kidney disease.

The result is a predictive model that identifies cats with a behavioral profile linked to kidney disease, enabling earlier conversations between pet owners and veterinarians than traditional diagnosis typically allows.

Earlier awareness is only part of the equation.

Purina scientists are also connecting these behavioral insights with nutritional options designed to support kidney health, including Purina Pro Plan Veterinary Diets NF Kidney Function Early Care and Advanced Care formulas. 

These advances represent a more proactive approach to pet care, where technology, nutrition and veterinary science work together to identify health concerns sooner and support better outcomes over time.

Purina continues to share these discoveries through the Purina Institute, helping veterinarians and researchers translate scientific evidence into everyday care for pets around the world.

For cat owners, the impact is simple but profound. Every trip to the litter box becomes an opportunity to better understand a cat’s health, giving cats a voice before they can show visible signs of illness and helping preserve the bond they share with the people who love them.

To learn more, visit Purina.com. 

The Petivity Smart Litter Box Monitor is not intended to diagnose, treat, mitigate, or cure any conditions.