The effect of diet on lower urinary tract disease in cats

Diet and feline lower urinary tract disease

source: Peter J. Markwell et al
Journal of Nutrition vol 128 no 12, Dec 1998
starts p2753S, 5 pages long

Diet is linked to feline lower urinary tract disease in a number of ways, since diet affects the volume and acidity of urine, and how concentrated it is. Research has tended to focus on acidity levels, and concentration, as a way of dealing with uroliths. Uroliths may be of different types, however, and what is appropriate for treating cats with struvite uriliths is not appropriate for calcium oxalate uroliths. Cats may also not suffer from uroliths at all, and the cause of their lower urinary tract problems may be unknown.

Increasing the volume of urine can help in tackling uroliths, and can help prevent crystals from forming. Research indicates that increasing the moisture content of feline diets can more than halve the rate at which cats suffer from recurrences of lower urinary tract problems, where the cause of the problem is not clear. Other factors, like urine proteins, may affect the formation of crystals, and more research is needed.
CA,HD