Finding The Best Cat Food To Protect Against Urinary Tract Problems
In the past protecting against cat urinary system dangers such as bacterial infection, stones, bladder thickening, and incontinence was something most pet owners didn't think about until after the fact, if at all. But it seems this view has started to change in recent years.
One of the simplest ways to do this is by serving up the best cat food for urinary problems you can find. In this article we will provide you with a few tips to put you, and your favorite feline, on the right track.
While it seems that finding the best cat food for urinary problems would be a no brainer personally I have not found this to be the case. Part of the reason is the tiny mouse print on most cans and bags.
I must confess it worries me when any pet food is considered to be all natural but lists 30 or more ingredient some of which don't sound all that natural.
So if you are planning on doing some investigative label reading be sure to take a pair of glasses and allocate an extra 10 minutes or so. Better yet go to a pet food store that has an in-house veterinarian and ask him or her.
Before we go on I would like to commend you for taking the initiative to find the best cat food for urinary problems. Doing this will likely raise your pets quality of life, improve overall urinary tract help, protect against disease, and may even tack on a few good years.
There is no shortage of research on diet and urinary tract health in pets but as with most research conclusions can be confusing and do change with time.
Originally it was thought that magnesium and ash were to be avoided.
Why? Because magnesium along with ammonium and phosphate are needed for the formation of the most common type of urinary tract crystals and stones (struvite).
Currently, this idea seems to have taken a back seat to pH levels. For cats a neutral pH level is between 6 and 6.5. That said, I would still keep magnesium levels low just in case.
Really, what we talking about here is a neutral pH since low pH levels can lead to stone formation as well as high pH. One could make the argument that a slightly higher pH level could be the better (if you were to go one way or the other) due to the antibacterial benefits gained and could be neutralized through hydration. Nevertheless, in determining the best cat food for urinary problems we should shoot for the 6.5 mark.
For the most part cat foods have come a long way and almost any brands should be okay for your cat. That said, there are few caveats worth mentioning.
The first is to stay away from foods that have a lot of artificial coloring. Artificial coloring must be filtered out of the bloodstream by the kidneys and are generally chemical compounds. While the research is sketchy on this subject most suggests that artificial coloring in quantity can lead to a series of problems including weakening of the immune system which is a major contributing factor in the development of bacterial urinary tract infections in cats.
Note: Recently a popular brand turned my Tabby Cat Bright Yellow! It was not as apparent with my other cats due to their dark fur. So beware.
My second suggestion for finding the best cat food for urinary problems is to use fish flavored foods only occasionally, or even better not at all. Fish flavored foods are thought to promote urinary crystal formation.
Third is to add a little water or broth to your cat's dry food with the ultimate goal to be a mostly canned food diet.
Again there is a caveat and that is wet foods tend to promote dental problems so dental care will need to be stepped up.
Once you determine the best cat food for urinary problems there are a handful of things you can do to make sure your cat stays healthy and avoids urinary tract problems. They are to make sure your cat has plenty of fresh purified water to drink, add a few drops of cranberry or raspberry juice to their water each day, make sure they stay active, keep stress levels to a minimum, and lastly consider one of the highly regarded homeopathic pet UTI remedies or tonics to use as security blanket just in case.
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