Newton would really like it if he could stop showing you photos of him going to vet.
But this time, it was for a followup. He spent about a month on a prescription diet from the vet for his urinary tract. He didn’t get any crunchy treats when Pierre did. There were no unauthorized table scraps when he begged. He didn’t even get anything special for Thanksgiving because we didn’t want to risk altering his test results.
Newton is not a fan of the prescription food. He’s a good eater who always finishes his food, and he didn’t finish his meals. So in a way, he was ready for this vet trip, because he was crossing his paws he could go back to a diet he liked more.
When the test results came back, there was some good news and some OK news. The good news was that his urinary crystals were gone.
The OK news is that his urinary pH was 7.5. This is down from the 8.5 reading that he started with in October, so it is progress in the right direction, but it’s nowhere near the 6.0 to 6.5 pH he should have.
I talked to the vet about putting him back on a raw diet, but this time, I was going to not rely on raw produced by anyone but me. That way I could control everything that went into it, all the way down to the water.
Water is Important
I started thinking about our water supply after reading a study by Trupanion pet insurance where they noticed that parts of the country that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)says have hard water also had submitted more claims for cats with urinary issues, including urinary crystals like Newton’s.
It turns out that Florida, where we live, is one of the places with hard water and a high number of cases of feline urinary issues.
Most of the water in public water systems here in Florida comes from groundwater in the Floridian aquifer, which runs through the limestone underneath the whole state. Rainwater seeps deep intothe ground through hundreds of feet of sand and rock. While this process filters the water, it also adds small amounts of calcium to the water.
If your house uses water from a water utility company, they probably publish a water quality report annually. The report from our county doesn’t disclose whether your water is soft or hard, but if you call your water company, they will know. A call to the county water utility here found that in our part of our county, the water measures 7.8 grains per gallon or 133.2 ppm.
The water hardness scale according to the US Geological Survey and Water Research Center:
| Classification | mg/l or ppm | grains/gal |
| Soft | 0 – 17.1 | 0 – 1 |
| Slightly hard | 17.1 – 60 | 1 – 3.5 |
| Moderately hard | 60 – 120 | 3.5 – 7.0 |
| Hard | 120 – 180 | 7.0 – 10.5 |
| Very Hard | 180 & over | 10.5 & over |
We have hard water!
The high concentration of calcium and other minerals in hard water acts as a buffer that makes the water more resistant to changing pH. It acts like an invisible sponge in the water, preventing things from happening too fast.
Hard Water and Newton’s pH
This started me wondering what kind of pH Newton was taking in. His food is made primarily of chicken which has a pH of 6.5-6.7. But food is only part of his intake. There’s also water.
I bought some pH test strips (affiliate link) to have a look at the water. If I’m lucky, I’ll be able to test Newton’s urine between vet visits, but even if I can’t, the test strips are really cheap. I tested our tap water, which goes through a filter pitcher before going into the cat fountain and bowls, and I also tested distilled water for comparison.
The results surprised me.
The dark green strip is the one testing the tap water. The pH looks like it is about 8! I had no idea until I did this test and then did research that it isn’t unusual for water in a treated water supply to have a pH between 7 and 8. Harder water usually has high pH, and our water is at the high end of that.
The second strip tested the distilled water, which tested at about 7, which is the expected neutral pH for water.
Water with a high pH and a high calcium load is going to resist changing to a more acid pH. Maybe that’s what is going on with Newton’s urine!
This is all a theory until we try it out on him, of course. But for now, Newton is thrilled to be back eating a raw diet, happily cleaning his bowl at every meal and drinking distilled water. He has another vet visit in his future to see if we have finally figured out how to keep his urinary tract just as happy. We’ll let you know if this finally solved the mystery for him once we have more test results.
References and further reading:
Trupanion Trends: Study finds Link between Pet Health and Drinking Water
United Utilities, The pH of drinking water
Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, Importance of General Chemistry Relationships in Water Treatment
Hospital for Special Surgery Journal, How Much Calcium Is in Your Drinking Water? A Survey of Calcium Concentrations in Bottled and Tap Water and Their Significance for Medical Treatment and Drug Administration
US Food & Drug Administration, Importance of General Chemistry Relationships in Water Treatment
US Geological Survey, Water Hardness and Alkalinity
Image credit: Public domain image from US Geological Survey
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Interesting… and not surprising. Where we live has exceptionally hard water too. We get bottled, but we haven’t tested the ph balance of ours.
Well huh….that IS interesting
Great research and that sure would be a terrific mystery to solve!
You are a handsome boy, Newton. I love this kind of research … there are so many things we don’t think about and take for granted until we run into a problem like this. And with a boy cat, I worry about urinary issues.
dood….this post iz grate N we hope yur numberz get bak ta normal wear they shuld be… WITH yur good waterz…. N WITH de foodz ya like….thiz makez senze….
R water sux….., noe lie….. itz hard, rusty N cod noez whatz in it; de food gurl buyed a filter pitcher.afturr see in sum “kleen” clothez come outta de masheen lookin all funkee,
but we never made de connectshunz with crap azz water N UTI’z & such…..thanx for sharin ~ 🙂 ♥♥♥
Very inneresting research but inquiring cats want to know why Pierre and Ashton don’t have problems if they drink the same water. TW used to love the hard water in the old house because it was easier to wash shampoo out of her hair. She had friends come over to wash their hair. Now I guess it’s not that good. Chizzy was the only cat there to get crystals and that might tell us why.
This is a good question! Pierre’s last urinalysis didn’t show crystals, but he is on a canned diet instead of raw, since he won’t eat raw. That may be a factor for him. Ashton hasn’t had a urinalysis done, so it’s hard to say whether she has had any crystals. They tend to cause more symptoms in male than female cats, so she might have them and not be symptomatic.
And TW is right about soap washing out in soft water. The head peep wants to find out about water softeners for just one sink so that she doesn’t have to shower twice as long!
no one knows why some cats are prone to crystals while others aren’t.. that is just one of the great mysteries of kitties
It’s usually male cats that have issues with crystals forming. We just lost one of ours to that problem and our little guy ended up at the vet this morning. The water is the only thing it could be. I just read an article about tap water having high doses of calcium and minerals that cause crystals to form.
Ooooo, our Dad loves this kind of research! We used to get bottled water years ago before we found out it was the same as our tap water. Luckily, we live where our water is only slightly hard but it is something that weighs on our Mom’s mind all the time. Time to pull out the test strips!
That’s very interesting ! We made tons of research about what we eat, when, and how, but we didn’t think of the relationship between minerals quantities and water. Purrs
Wow, there’s so many factors to be considered in a kitty’s health. Thanks for this very illuminating post. And way to go Newton.
Newton good luck on getting your numbers down….
I had a UTI in October so I can sympathize with your struggles. I’ve been on urinary tract health food since then. Today was what I hope was my last trip to the vet for them to draw a urine sample.
Hugs madi your bfff
Very interesting. We never thought about the water having an affect on our health…but it makes sense. We’ll be interested in Newton’s next test results.
I have always wondered if tap water caused crystals. We have a well and have had no problems ( knock on wood). My Sammy had calcium deposits in his bladder because he has idiopathic hypercalcemia, but that is from an unknown cause. I love the photo of Newton looking at his results.
I’m so glad you can start eating the food you like again, Newton…and that mother of yours sure is clever!!!
Wow! I’ll be interested to see how the next vet visit goes–I might need to test our water! The prescription diet has gotten my boy’s issues mostly under control, but it would be good to know if there’s more I could do to help him!
How interesting! We never really thought about water too much, but we’ve been really lucky with no UTIs or related problems. We have a filter in our fountain and it gets filled with filtered water. Still, there are some of us who enjoy a drink or two from the sink after Mom’s run water into a used mug or bowl or something before washing it. Mom strongly discourages this behavior but sometimes we just can’t help it.
You have a serious science project going on there.
I know someone who uses distilled water for their cats to eliminate minerals.I use bottled water for Raven, but she doesn’t have any kidney issues.
Hopefully Newton will enjoy is new (old) foods and stay healthy!
Totally impressed you were able to get the USGS water cycle into a blog post 🙂 I love it.
That is such great information. Hopefully we have well water and that is all right. But I should test it and see. Great post and very interesting.
Wow! This is really interesting. We get tap water, but now Mommy is thinking twice about that. We’re glad Newton is back on his old diet!
So interesting and important to know. We have about 120 but our cats and us drink bottled water.
Wow, that is super interesting! LL got a little water test bottle on the mail box a few months ago and turned it in for the testing. I wonder if this information will be provided to us later on. We’ll certainly be on the look out to learn our water pH. William, the kitty before me had crystals one time after they moved to the house we are currently in. I drink lots of water and it is from the tap. We’ll be sure to find out that info.
Buckwheat
I have a cat who had crystals in his urine. Prescription food helped clear them, but he hated it and lost 10% of his body weight. He’s on a grain free wet food, but the pH balance of his urine is off. No crystals though. I’m curious what the results were of using filtered water. Did it help? I was considering getting a filter for him before reading your post.
Did u ever figure it out?my cats ph is 9. I use filtered tap water (I use water drop) he does normally get struvite crystals. But this time just a high ph. Only been going on since last summer
Great article, worthy of Arthur Conan Doyle! I would love to know how Newton is doing today. I’ve been studying this problem for a while, and this is the first time I’ve seen water considered. Makes purrfect sense! Thanks!
Newton is doing really well. He is currently eating a raw diet that uses eggshell as the calcium source instead of bone, and that seems to have helped him more than the water did. He is a cat whose urinary pH is naturally high, and it seems to rise with stress, so keeping him happy and in a consistent routine has paid off. Thanks for asking about him!
I’m interested in knowing how you got Newton to pee on a test strip.
You bring up a very good point about water hardness and cat’s urine PH. Although I’d be very concerned about using distilled water for any cats’ water supply since it’s devoid of any minerals, some of which are necessary for health. I know drinking solely distilled water is bad for humans. So bottled water yes. Distilled water no. And PH test strips are good to have!
I’ve been a Vet Tech for 30 yrs and this is what I know. My dogs are like Newton. Urinary crystals are common. I started giving them distilled water about 5 years ago and we’ve never had a problem again. Their ph runs around 6 to 6.5. When it’s below 7.5 it makes it nearly impossible to form crystals or stones. Just the way a body is made. Humans too. I also found in the last few years that a large number of our cats we see with crystals are eating Blue Buffalo cat food. I see you use a raw diet so not in your case. I don’t know what’s in that food that makes it seem like that but it’s just my observance. I hope this helps someone.
WOW…just started looking for others sharing issues relating to struvite crystals. My cat has has three surgeries for blockage (PU, PPU, and PPU correction due surgical site opening up)..all done within 1 1/2 months. Was good for two years and since last January, started with ongoing UTIs and fine crystals in bladder. He has been on the vet script foods since the surgery, just don’t know what triggered the issues again and keep getting told it’s just his body. He is on medication more than off. Started inquiring about water and found this site…we have hard water. Noticed your comment about Blue Buffalo and bingo, that is what my cat(s) were on, grain free, before this all happened. Going to start using distilled water in his fountains and see if, over time, we can reduce the fine crystals that continue to irritate his bladder. Thank you for your comment.
It’s very important to take chemistry into consideration when thinking about really any biological process or at home medical treatment, whether it be for an animal, or even a human being. I like this forward way of thought! However, and I don’t want to discourage anyone here from trying to think outside the box, but the pH of the water being consumed by the animal doesn’t actually have an impact on the acidity of the urine, as much as you might think it does.
Firstly, I would like to point out that if the answer were so simple, veterinarians all over the world would be suggesting that we switch our cats over to more alkaline water rather than tap / spring water. But it actually gets a bit more complicated than that.
Water molecules, as well as any other salts present in the water (like the calcium carbonate present in harder water) are broken down and often filtered through many of the bodies natural biochemical processes. Like how the cats stomach has hydrochloric acid present. The H2O+ HCl + CaCO2 reaction, coupled with the various enzymes and other chemicals present in the cats stomach and digestive tract, transfer these calcium ions (and many of the other minerals and resources) into more useful forms that can be sent off to other parts of the body where they undergo OTHER reactions that FURTHER distort these chemicals and their composition. These minerals and other resources get eventually sent off to be made into many complicated useful things. Such as neurotransmitters, tissues, new enzyme formation, etc etc. There’s so many options for these processes that it would be difficult (and boring) to go over all of them. But the point here, is that regardless of how much salt you THINK is in the water, it pales in comparison to how much WATER is in the water. The amount of minerals and salts (any combination of a metal + non metal dissolved in water is considered a “salt”) in the water is so small that although it affects the pH upon intake, It is so severely filtered and utilized by the animals biochemical processes that by the end of it, you do not have anything left but clean old H2O, which filters out through the urine.
Now….. FOOD intake is an entirely different story.
The primary cause for the struvite crystals that cause your cats urinary tract issues (and can cause bladder stones in humans) is a very high intake of minerals like magnesium.
While magnesium chloride / magnesium carbonate / whateverotherformofmagneisum is present in hard water. it makes up very very very very little of the magnesium your cat is ACTUALLY consuming. Many store bought dry foods contain high concentrations of these minerals and metals because theyre actually an important part of a balanced natural diet. These minerals can also totally be present in the raw food you prepare as well.
Some animals however, primarily inactive male cats, and overfed cats, can develop issues where they do not use all of this magnesium, or where their anatomy makes them more likely to not allow these crystals to pass properly. Or even a biochemical issue that is genetically inherited where somewhere along the very complicated chemical reaction line, there is a step that converts the magnesium or other mineral into a material that is more likely to convert to magnesium ammonium phosphate, and theres not really much you can do about it.
So anyway, as long winded as I am, Ill try to condense this a bit.
TLDR time
The concentration of magnesium and phosphate encouraging materials present in cat FOOD (even homemade) is 10000x higher than the concentration of what would EVENTUALLY become these products) present in water. REGARDLESS of the pH of the water you give your cat, you will have ZERO impact on their urinary health. What is important is to give them MORE water, which can be accomplished through wet foods.
The chemicals present in c/d cat food that the doctors prescribe are NOT acidic chemicals. They are chemicals that will be broken down and broken down and moved and transferred around and eventually make their way to the urine where they BECOME acidic chemicals, and raise the acidity of the urine. They are designed in such a way that they are directly targeting the contents of the bladder and seek to make them more acidic.
If you simply had your cat INGEST acidic foods. Like hot peppers or limes for example, the water would be extracted from the contents of such foods, and the chemicals that are acidic would be broken down by the time they reached the bladder.
Its very very very very important that you follow your vets instructions and administer medicated foods that contain the chemicals necessary to properly dissolve the stones, and unfortunately, though many of you may not want to hear this, if your cat has a biochemical issue that makes them more likely to develop stones, then you should keep a portion of this medicated food in their diet for the rest of their life, or the issue WILL reoccur.
Thank you for your time and for reading this <3 I hope your cat does well! having catheterization and hospitalization over a blockage is very expensive. Much love!
(I am not a veterinary technician but instead I am a medical biologist with a masters in biochemistry and in biophysics. Though we are different species, chemistry will always be chemistry!)
That makes a world of sense
Wish this wasn’t the answer, but thank you SO much for breaking this down and explaining to us. I feel that many wouldn’t be looking other places for answers if this was better explained, but NOWHERE on the internet is there an easily digestible form of what you just said. Lol. It’s frustrating that the c/d dietary food is jam packed full of meat byproducts that most cats hate, it is so frustrating. I wish there was a urinate tract health food option I could feed my cat…
Thank you SO MUCH for taking the time to explain this! You literally just saved me hundreds of dollars a year on CatWater, which we’ve been giving our cat in addition to the prescription urinary diet. It’s such an obvious and crucial point that water— regardless of relative mineral/salt content— is still overwhelmingly water. Kicking myself for not discovering this last year!!
THANK YOU for real information that is lacking elsewhere. I’ve been reading everything I can find to help get some relief for my cat who – like most – hates the prescription food. Knowing how it works, helps me feel better about it’s terrible sounding ingredients, lol. Thanks again.
Is anyone aware of a medicated (for struvelites) large dog food that does NOT contain poultry
Wondering about update . Can’t seem to find what happened next in next test results ? Is there a link ?
I was also hoping to get some answers. Our cats ph is always too high (7.5 atm) and the meds and the prescription diet stopped working. It used to get better and then worse again, but now, it’s just constantly at 7.5. It’s very frustrating! He gets his meds everyday, his diet is only the Urinary kind. The vets ran so many tests, NOTHING. Does that mean his ph is just naturally high? We ran new urine tests each month at the vet’s.