Preventing urinary problems in cats

How important is urinary ph in preventing urinary problems? In healthy cats?

I have one cat with struvite crystals. He was the only cat I had on Natures Variety Instinct. His urinary ph on that food was 8.0.

I've heard that high protein foods are best. I've tried some other brands. Most recent was Earthborne holistic. His urinary ph was still too high.  He was also on royal canin hypo-allergenic cat food and re-developed crystals.

I think I have his issues figured out, as long as his ph is 6.0-6.4, we are okay.

My question is, what about my healthy cats?

I have a theory that there are many foods out there, not formulated for a specific urinary ph. Either they add too much methionine or not enough.

So the question is, should I be checking my healthy cat's urine for ph levels? 

High protein foods are good if it's animal protein vs grains/starches. I think meat naturally produces an ideal urine ph. My cat also had issues with struvite crystals and an 8.0 urine ph, but his problems are caused by stress not food. On another note, canned food is a good preventative of urinary problems because it keeps the bladder flushed. Not 100% certain, but I was told crystals naturally occur in some cats' urine so it's best to keep the bladder flushed so they can't build up. There are some other people on this forum who will have better answers for you.

http://catinfo.org/

http://catinfo.org/?link=urinarytracthealth

Urinary tract issues happen to be Dr. Lisa Pierson's stock in trade.

Sarah Ann said:

 
How important is urinary ph in preventing urinary problems? In healthy cats?

I have one cat with struvite crystals. He was the only cat I had on Natures Variety Instinct. His urinary ph on that food was 8.0.

I've heard that high protein foods are best. I've tried some other brands. Most recent was Earthborne holistic. His urinary ph was still too high.  He was also on royal canin hypo-allergenic cat food and re-developed crystals.

I think I have his issues figured out, as long as his ph is 6.0-6.4, we are okay.

My question is, what about my healthy cats?

I have a theory that there are many foods out there, not formulated for a specific urinary ph. Either they add too much methionine or not enough.

So the question is, should I be checking my healthy cat's urine for ph levels? 

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PH levels are important as a measure of the acidity of the urine to dissolve crystals and keep them from accumulating. That said, I think what is ultimately MOST important is that a cat is well hydrated to ensure that any crystals that are forming, are being flushed out.

Some cats are just predisposed to crystals, while other cats develop them as the result of diet or stress. My big male Max has never had a problem with crystals, whereas my young tuxedo, Thomas, was diagnosed a little while back with crystals in his urine which were found through a routine urinalysis. He was neither blocked or having difficulties peeing. Through the addition of an acidifiying diet and adding Vitamin C to his food a couple of times a week, he is back to normal. I rotate between Nature's Variety Instinct, Petcurean's GO Brand, a bit of Fancy Feast and a brand here in Canada called PC Nutrition First. Everyone also gets a bit of NV Grain-free kibble.

While it is important to monitor PH level to check that urine is acidic, urine PH alone will not protect cats from struvite crystals. Getting urine testing done is the only definitive way of determining whether crystals are present or not. Ensuring that the diet is high protein and low in carbohydrates, as carbs can alter PH levels in urine. Ensuring that there is sufficient water in the diet means that the bladder is getting flushed, and keeping crystals from accumulating. I haven't look at the RC Hypoallergenic diets, but if this food contained corn, wheat and other grains for instance, this could have been a factor for re-developing crystals? I used to feed Wellness which is a good food, but has a fair amount of carbs that might not be good for a cat who is prone to crystal formation.

Given the recent situation with crystals in Thomas, I now check everyone's PH levels but I also get routine urinalysis done on everyone. Maggie my little female, had a bout cystitis recently where she was not peeing due to stress. Her and Thomas often are squabbling, and at one point she was laying in the litterbox as the result. When her urine was tested, the PH was 6.0, there were no crystals but there was WBC in her urine, indicating infection or inflammation. I opted not to do the urine culture but instead did a course of clavamox. She is back to normal and we have taken steps to reduce the friction between her and Thomas.

You mentioned somewhere that you were feeding NV Instinct LID, and that this doesn't contain Methionine. I just checked the website and see that the NV LID doesn't list any information about the mineral or amino acid content of this food? I do know that the regular NV however, does contain Methionine.

As has been mentioned, water water water; and high protein low carb.
Meat protein is a natural acidifier. Turkey breast has the most l-methonine among meat protein. Ritz may be sensitive to turkey (FHS related) but at one time I gave her freeze dried turkey breast as a treat.
I would avoid fish of any kind. Ritz use to be 'addicted' to Fancy Feast Classic seafood, it was the ONLY food she would eat. I knew that diet was not sustainable so I transitioned her to raw. I've been feeding prey model raw for almost three years, and Ritz has had I believe one UTI since then (bacteria based, no crystals, pH normal).
She is also easily stressed. I've tried several anti-stress remedies including Feliway and l-theanine. While she hasn't had a recurrence of a UTI, she still startles easily, so not sure how much they help.
I can't test Ritz' pH level (no way would she stand still), so I pay attention to how much she licks her private parts after she urinates and of course the amount she pees.

Ritz said:

As has been mentioned, water water water; and high protein low carb.
Meat protein is a natural acidifier. Turkey breast has the most l-methonine among meat protein. Ritz may be sensitive to turkey (FHS related) but at one time I gave her freeze dried turkey breast as a treat.
I would avoid fish of any kind. Ritz use to be 'addicted' to Fancy Feast Classic seafood, it was the ONLY food she would eat. I knew that diet was not sustainable so I transitioned her to raw. I've been feeding prey model raw for almost three years, and Ritz has had I believe one UTI since then (bacteria based, no crystals, pH normal).
She is also easily stressed. I've tried several anti-stress remedies including Feliway and l-theanine. While she hasn't had a recurrence of a UTI, she still startles easily, so not sure how much they help.
I can't test Ritz' pH level (no way would she stand still), so I pay attention to how much she licks her private parts after she urinates and of course the amount she pees.

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That is a good point about the regularity in licking of private parts. A dead give-a-way of a urinary problem, if this is happening frequently each day.

I have tried my crew on raw and everyone except Maggie, liked it well enough. I think Thomas (and indirectly Max) might be a great candidate for raw and I have my sights on one right now through my holistic vet. Its called Pets4Life, a commercial raw that is produced here in Ontario.