Struvite Crystals In Cats Ph

They typically form because of urinary changes that happen when bladder infections occur.

Struvite crystals in cats ph.

However your cat s diet still does play a factor. They are most likely to develop when a cat s urine is alkaline more than 7 0 ph. However according to veterinarians at the marva vista animal clinic in los angeles struvite crystals require an alkaline ph in order to form. Urinary crystals is a common problem in dehydrated cats.

By eating a diet that is high in plant based food kibble commercial cat food. This is the main reason they are so susceptible to urinary crystals and stones. How struvite crystals form. So how do cats get urine that is too alkaline.

Struvite stones are composed of magnesium ammonium and phosphate. Healthy cats have low ph urine ie acidic. It mainly occurs due to lack of or inadequate moisture in cat food or lack of drinking water. A cat affected with struvite crystals calcium oxalate crystals or any other type of crystal will suffer from the same array of symptoms and are affected in the same way.

Cats fed this diet supplemented with ammonium chloride had a urine ph of 5 97 and only 9 per cent contained struvite crystals but when the ph was adjusted to 7 0 all the samples showed struvite crystals. Calcium oxalate crystals on the other hand are usually present when urine is too acidic. Struvite crystals are microscopic crystals that are found in the urine of some cats. Struvite specifically is a material that is composed of magnesium ammonium and phosphate.

Struvite stones are one of the most common bladder stones in dogs and cats. Two dietary factors urine ph level and the amount of water consumed daily have the greatest impact on whether or not a cat will develop struvite stones. Struvite crystals in cats are formed when the urine ph is too high ie too alkaline. Struvite and calcium oxalate are the most common type of stones in cats.

These diets only contain 10 water. The crystals themselves can be perfectly normal but become problematic when they combine to form grit or stones of varying shapes and sizes. They cannot form in acidic urine. This has been the major reason that special dry diets have such variable results with preventing urinary crystals and stones in cats.

Cats are not natural water drinkers as they evolved over millions of years and derived most of their moisture from their prey. Less common stones include ammonium biurate cystine and uric acid. The more concentrated the urine the more likely minerals can become crystals and eventually stones. The main dietary factors that appear to affect the development of cat crystals are urine ph and water consumption.

Cats fed the dry pelleted diet had urine of higher ph 7 55 and 78 per cent of the samples contained struvite crystals. The three standard crystals in cats are struvite oxalate and urate.