One of several dietary constituents blamed in the past as a contributing factor in feline urologic syndrome or FUS is Magnesium which is a essential mineral to avoid cats urinary tract infection. Today, many veterinarians refer to this condition as FLUTD or LUTD, which stand for feline lower urinary tract disease, an umbrella term for related disorders. It is a potentially life threatening condition caused by tiny mineral crystals that form in the urinary tract, leading to excruciating irritation and sometimes serious blockages. Here are some signs if your cat is having a urinary tract infection:
- Going to litter box frequently
- Urinating in unusual places
- Straining to urinate
- Passing blood tinged urine
Acid – base balance: Many studies implicate a certain connection between urinary tract infection and high magnesium level in feline diet, leading many laymen to believe that this essential mineral is bad, current studies result that the overall mineral composition of cat food, rather than an excess of any single ingredient, play a greater role in maintaining the body’s acid–base balance that was previously understood. The acid-base conditions help establish whether the urine pH stays within normal acidic ranges or become too alkaline. The higher the pH, the more favorable the conditions for mineral crystals to form in the urinary tract, while at the lower levels (more acidic), the acid urine helps dissolve these struvite (urinary crystals) waste crystals or prevent them from forming in the first place. Carnivores typically produce acid urine; plant-eating animals tend to produce alkaline urine.
Without attention to the overall mineral composition, cat foods with high cereal content can cause the cat to produce alkaline urine. Because of this, allowing cats to nibble free-choice on dry foods throughout the day was once discouraged because it was thought that this practice predisposed cats to urinary tract infection in cat. This opinion began to change, however, after responsible pet food manufacturers, armed with the latest scientific knowledge, started adding acidifying ingredients to their formulas to help maintain the normal pH balance, and free-choice feeding is now the generally recommended feeding method for most dry foods.
The final words is that, when picking which pet food to buy, make sure they have a balance mineral content because you will be using that pet food for the entire life of your cat and make sure that the pet food you are going to buy contain acidifying formulas so that urinary tract infection in your cat can be avoided.