Possible UTI and high pH

What I remember from when we had cats with crystals in their urine due to high PH was to look for foods with the lowest ash content. Not all brands even list it. I seem to remember that Friskies made a canned food especially for this. However, this was from 1970 to 1994. Our new kitten has shown no signs of any problem.

You might also consider asking the vet if this is a common problem in your area. If so, consider giving distilled water instead of tap. That was the main source of our cats' troubles. Upstate NY water seemd to have the wrong natural minerals for cats.

one of our cats has/had the same problem. we had her (and therefore our other cat as well) on hill's (what is now) x/d ( i think it used to be something else). it was super expensive, and neither of our cats did really well on it. just our experience with prescription food.

when i was out of work, we had to switch them to something cheaper (the hill's was $20 for a 10 lb bag). our new vet recommended putting them on a purina indoor cat formula. they were on that for a couple of years. the older cat was puking ALOT on it. now we have them on a regular premium food and they are doing well on it. we had them on chicken soup, but the store didnt have any in stock when we were completely out. my wife bought some felidae, and they are really doing well on it. even with a cold turkey switch. not sure if we will keep them on felidae (the wife thinks it is too expensive) but i would like to.

i am sure none of that was at all helpful! []

good luck finding a food that works well for your cat.

Ernesto had a serious UTI before he was our kitty and his previous owner was feeding Purina for UT health - sometimes the grocery store version and sometimes the higher end.  I started him on that, but still thought I saw crystals when he eliminated once on a plastic back left on the floor.  I consulted with folks at our independently owned pet supply store because they really seem to know the products pros and cons.  I asked why none of the "premium" or "super-premium" lines had a formula for UT health and they said it was because they were generally already low ash.  They also recommended making certain the cats were all getting enough water or moisture and said sometimes canned food helps control UT issues just because cats are getting more moisture.
 
So I switched to a combination of an Eagle Pack dry and Innova and Solid Gold canned and everyone's UT health seems fine.  Not sure if it's all that scientific, but it seemed to make sense....

Thanks for the information.
 
I agree with the foods... I'd rather avoid grocery foods...
 
We feed all but one cat Innova Lite, but we just switched to that not to long ago. I think we're going to switch them all back to regular Innova (it's better for them), and probably try to get more canned in their diet.
 
Thanks for the info on the low ash, I'll have to see if the Innova Lite has a higher ash content.

My 6 year old male, Hector, had serious UTI twice.  The second time, my vet recommended taking him off all fish products.  It has worked like a charm -- no repeat problems in two years, plus, I think his asthma is better. 
 
The only problem is that you have to read the labels of the foods VERY CAREFULLY.  Lots of flavors without 'fish' in the variety names will list fish as the fourth or fifth ingredient.  There are at least half a dozen varieties of Fancy Feast, though, that don't have any fish at all, and the Science Diet wet foods have reliable labeling (if it is called 'chicken dinner' it doesn't have any fish in it).  I'm now feeding a combination of Fancy Feast and Science Diet canned food (the non-fish varieties) and some limited dry. 
 
If you decide to try this, you also need to check the ingredients in any treats you give.  Also, watch out for dog kibble that the cat might have access to.  There is fish oil in all the premium kibbles I've checked so far (I've had a dog for a month), and have had to keep the cats out of the dog food. 
 
I don't know if there's any science behind this solution to feline UTI, but it certainly has worked for us.  Might be worth a try!