This has been the major reason that special dry diets have such variable results with preventing urinary crystals and stones in cats.
Feline urinary crystals diet.
The recommended best cat food for urinary health are specially formulated to manage the condition by lowering urine ph and managing crystals.
If the crystals form in to stones diets are not effective at dissolving them and they require more drastic intervention.
Diet plays a role in disease syndromes such as kidney disease urinary problems such as stones and crystals feline lower urinary tract disease and gastrointestinal problems such as ibd.
Many believe that this is due to cats eating commercial foods that acidify the urine.
Urinary crystals can be extremely painful and result in urinary blockages which can lead to the formation of stones.
Interestingly these crystals used to be extremely rare but now account for roughly half of feline urinary crystals.
These diets only contain 10 water.
Canned prescription diets that acidify the urine are ideal but dry formulations are available for cats who won t eat wet food.
Yes these diets are much more expensive than regular cat food but in the long run they in most cases save your cat from recurrent possibly fatal urinary issues and are less expensive than repeatedly having to have your cat treated for urine crystals and the problems they cause.
The kidneys regulate the water and salt balance in the body maintaining hydration electrolyte levels and regulating blood pressure.
This is the main reason they are so susceptible to urinary crystals and stones.
Medications that acidify the urine can be used when a cat must be on another type of special diet.
Struvite stones can often be dissolved.