Need volunteers!

I would like to compile a list of cat foods including the methionine content, magnesium content, and phosphorus content. Since most cat food companies do not list these values, I would like to find some volunteers willing to email different companies, asking about these values.

I'm trying to compose a chart listing this for each cat food.  This way, if your cat has a urinary issue, you can pick a safe cat food from the list. This may provide a safe "alternative" from prescription cat food diets.

Too much methionine will result in calcium bladder stones, and not enough results in struvite crystals.

I've found that many high protein cat foods still do not contain enough methionine. This includes Nature's Variety, By nature, and Earthborne holistic.

I'm starting with dry cat foods.

If you are interested, please post which company you would like to email or call.

Obviously without help this is not something I can do by myself (without taking forever!)

I think the only dry foods that are safe for kitties prone to urinary tract issues are the prescription diets and the special urinary formulas.  They have the extra dl-methionine added to counteract the extra carbs that are in dry food.

Some pet owners would like to feed something other than a prescription diet for urinary issues.

My cat has food allergies, and urinary issues. He cannot be on a prescription diet, as they are not hypoallergenic. Other people may object to the amount of corn/wheat in prescription diets.

The methionine content varies with every food out there. There is a myth that high protein cat food (wet or dry) will prevent urinary issues. This is not true.  Wet food does help, but only if it has the right methionine content.

This myth came about because certain meat products contain higher levels of methionine.  Eggs, fish, and turkey are higher in methionine than chicken products.  The levels in chicken and turkey byproduct may be even lower. Processing of pet food, may also alter methionine levels. 

The only way to know how much methionine is in the cat food, is to contact the company directly for a nutritional analysis.

Most Purina products, Hills, and Royal Canin, maybe IAMS are safe to feed to cats with urinary issues, as they balance out the level of methionine.

For people who do not want to feed a prescription diet for the cat's life, it would be nice to have a list of "safe" cat foods.