Struvite Crystals...UTI...so confused

[white cat lover]

OK guys - I think this thread is getting a little off track. Please try to keep your responses on the original topic CatMom2Wires posted for her Brillo. You can start a new thread to debate C/D, or you can carry it on in PMs.

That said, my Squishy has been on C/D for awhile now, as he would urinate just blood. It has worked well for him, and while I don't like the ingredients I keep him on it. Not saying that holds true for all cats, as every single one is different. I know many with food in sensitivities that couldn't handle the C/D.

 

[auntie crazy]

Thank you AC I was hoping you would comment, I was even hoping to be reassured, but I am not much

. The thing is, there is so much room for error if someone is doing their own preparation. With commercial canned foods of course one can deliberately choose foods low in phosphorous (such as 'prescription' diets)

"Too high" a phosphorous level is relative isn't it? What is not too high for a healthy cat may indeed be too high for a cat who forms struvite crystals. And the person feeding this diet will need to be very very careful and do much learning, to be sure they reduce the levels properly, without depriving the cat of something else she needs.
 

I've yet to see a prescription diet that didn't contain a high-carb and / or profoundly unhealthy list of ingredients for our carnivorous little friends (including the CD under discussion), making their use an unacceptable (IMO) trade-off of one problem for another (many others, usually).

Nor do I believe "too high" is relative in this respect. First, and very important - struvite crystals, like gut bacteria, are naturally present in feline urine; all cats form crystals. Secondly, cats have an acceptable range of phosphorus intake that has evolved over centuries, dictated by their meaty prey-only diet. That optimal range is the same for healthy cats as it is for dehydrated or stressed cats in whom struvite crystals begin to concentrate to the point of causing irritation to the bladder or blocking the flow of urine.

Your point in reference "room for error" in home-prepared diets is true, but is the same for all diets. Either cat owners trust themselves to prepare a balanced diet for their feline friends, or they trust the commercial industry to do it... either way, a margin for error is inherent in the process. Thousands of cats have been killed and permanently harmed when they fell into the industry's margin for error; for many of us, that is enough - more than enough! - to take control of our cats' diet. Home-made raw diets are not difficult to understand and can take many forms, making them flexible enough to fit most lifestyles. Do some folks give home-made raw feeding a quick look, decide they know all they need and cause harm to their cats through lack of complete understanding? I don't doubt it. But that's not nearly enough of a reason to disregard the benefits inherent in feeding animals a species-appropriate diet; the, by definition, most bio-available, nutritious, and beneficial diet for supporting their specific physiology (be it home-made or commercially-produced).

CatMom2Wires is obviously comfortable in her ability to provide Brillo a balanced home-prepared diet, and dropping the dehydrating kibble in favor of 100 percent raw is a logical choice in her circumstances. So while I understand your reservations about a home-made diet, Otto, I don't share them.

I hope that makes sense.

Best regards!

AC