Dear Sinéad, Siouxsie and Thomas:
We just were told by our human mama, who heard this from a lady online, that kitties who don't have urinary tract infections and are fed UTI food are likely to develop a problem. What do you know about this?

Purrs,
Playful, Tux and Tyke

Sinéad: Well, guys, it's a good thing you asked. There's a lot of conflicting information out there, especially about common cat illnesses like urinary tract infections. Also, sometimes people hear things and misinterpret what they've heard.

Siouxsie: Our own mama heard that diets designed to get rid of certain types of crystals in the urine could cause a different kind of crystal to develop, so she agreed to help us with our research and get this question sorted out.

Thomas: The first thing you need to know is the condition known as feline lower urinary tract disease (FLUTD) -- and formerly known as FUS (feline urological syndrome) -- can be caused by several different things. But all cats suffering from FLUTD have similar symptoms.

Sinéad: These symptoms include straining when trying to urinate, blood in the urine, going back and forth to the litterbox constantly and urinating very small amounts, urinating outside the litterbox, and crying in pain (in severe cases). In advanced cases of FLUTD, the cat may develop a fever as well.

Siouxsie: Some cases of FLUTD are caused by bacterial infections in the bladder, which cause swelling of the bladder tissue and urethra. Bacterial infections are typically treated with antibiotics.

Thomas: Some cases of FLUTD are idiopathic, a Latin word that means "of unknown origin," which simply means that there is no organic or biological reason why the cat is straining to urinate. Generally idiopathic FLUTD is caused by stress, and the best way to treat these cases is to reduce stress as much as possible.

Sinéad: And some cases of FLUTD are caused by crystals or stones that develop in the bladder.

Siouxsie: There are two types of crystals that are most commonly seen in cats. Struvite (magnesium ammonium phosphate) crystals form when cats are fed too much magnesium -- and have a high urine pH. pH is the measure of how acidic or alkaline a substance is, and runs a scale from 0 to 14. Zero is extremely acidic, and 14 is extremely alkaline. Apparently, cats with more alkaline urine were more likely to form struvite crystals in their bladders. Female cats seem to develop struvite crystals more often than males.

Thomas: After researching the problem of struvite crystals, veterinarians discovered that if a cat's urine pH was reduced to approximately 6.0 (slightly acidic), the magnesium would not form struvite crystals. Cat food manufacturers began lowering the amount of magnesium in their products and adding ingredients that promote more acidic urine.

Sinéad: So, theoretically you could cause a cat to develop struvite crystals in its urine by feeding a diet high in magnesium and raising the pH of the cat's urine.

Siouxsie: Calcium oxalate crystals, on the other hand, do not respond to the same treatment as struvite crystals. And as the rate of struvite crystal formation has been decreasing, calcium oxalate crystal incidence has actually been increasing. Male cats and older cats of both sexes tend to be more likely to develop oxalate crystals.

Thomas: If your cat does develop struvite crystals or stones (uroliths), your vet can give you a special prescription food that will help dissolve those crystals. There is no such prescription diet for oxalate crystals.

Sinéad: There's no way to tell from an X-ray or ultrasound whether a cat's urolith is struvite or oxalate. For this reason, most humans whose cats develop uroliths will opt to have their veterinarian surgically remove the stones. The stones can then be identified, which is very important for proper management of the disease for the remainder of the cat's life.

Siouxsie: If you ever see any evidence that your cat is suffering from FLUTD, call your vet right away! If the swelling of tissues increases or a stone blocks the urethra, this is a life-threatening emergency. We're serious. Your cat can die if you don't get your cat to the vet as soon as you notice symptoms.

Thomas: Well, I mean, you can call the vet first and let them know what's going on. They'll usually tell you to bring your cat in right away. If it's the middle of the night, find an emergency veterinary clinic and take your cat there. Seriously. A couple of hours can make the difference between recovery and ... well, you know.

Sinéad: Whatever you do, do not attempt to treat a cat's UTI at home.

Siouxsie: There are homeopathic remedies you can use to help a cat with a UTI, but you still need to take your cat to the vet. The following information is from Homeopathic First Aid for Animals by Kaetheryn Walker (1998, Healing Arts Press):

Thomas: If your cat has a constant urge to urinate, urinates in drops, strains, produces blood, urinates over drain openings or other cool places, feels better in cool air or drafts, goes to the litterbox or door again and again, and is generally restless, give your cat doses of 4-5 pellets of Cantharis (any potency from 6X to 30C) at five- to 10-minute intervals on your way to the vet.

Sinéad: If your cat's urethra is blocked, no urine is being produced, the bladder and abdomen are distended, the cat is in violent pain with howling and crying, has an unquenchable thirst (or has no thirst at all), and perhaps even collapses, give doses of 4-5 pellets of Uva ursi (any potency from 6X to 30C) at five- to 10-minute intervals on the way to the vet's office.

Siouxsie: If you don't have any homeopathic remedies, give your cat two drops of Bach Rescue Remedy, a flower essence, by rubbing two drops into the skin of your cat's ear just before or during your trip to the vet's office. Rescue Remedy helps relieve the effects of physical or emotional trauma.

Thomas: The good news is that there are things you can do to prevent cats from getting FLUTD.

Sinéad: A few years ago, I got FLUTD and Mama took me right to the vet's office. And here's what Mama learned she could do to prevent me from having any more occurrences:

• Always provide lots of pure water. The best way to make sure water is pure is to purchase a pitcher filter (these are commonly sold under the brand name of Brita or Pur) and only give your cats water that has been run through that device. This is particularly important if your tap water is chlorinated or has other chemical additives such as fluoride, because these chemicals not only make water taste unpleasant, they can increase the pH of urine (chlorine is very alkaline).
• Don't feed seafood-flavored cat food. Ever. For some reason tuna and other seafoods irritate some cats' bladders and may contribute to development of stones or crystals.
• Make sure your cat's litterbox is clean and that you are using unscented litter. Dirty boxes or chemical scents can cause a cat to be reluctant to use the box, and, as with humans, "holding it" can lead to irritation.
• Some vets recommend increasing the amount of canned or moist food you give your cat, so that your cat consumes more water.
• Reduce the cat's stress level as much as possible. If there have been major changes in the cat's life, make sure to make time to keep things as normal as possible. If the cat is extremely anxious or stressed, consider using Feliway, a pheromone analogue that promotes a feeling of calmness in cats.

Siouxsie: And Sinéad hasn't had a single UTI since then! So I guess the vet was right.

Thomas: So, Playful, Tux and Tyke, the answer is that diet does play an important role in urinary tract health. And sometimes healthy cats can develop crystals or uroliths if they are fed certain types of foods. It's possible that foods designed to reduce struvite crystals can cause oxalate crystals to develop, but researchers aren't sure yet whether there is a real connection.

Sinéad: We suggest that cats not be fed any prescription diet unless their individual health condition makes it necessary. So if you have three cats, and only one needs special food for treatment of urinary crystals, we recommend that you not feed that food to the healthy cats.

Siouxsie: Besides, Mama says those prescription diet foods are really expensive, even more so than premium-quality "regular" cat food. So why you'd want to throw your money away is beyond us.

Thomas: We hope this answers your question and helps humans understand how diet and urinary tract health go hand in hand.

Got a question? Need some advice? E-mail us at advice@paws-and-effect.com. None of the material in this column is meant to be a substitute for regular veterinary care.