Urine PH

Does anyone know what urine PH is normally -- I think I read 6.5?

If a cat's urine needs to be "slightly" acidic due to a tendency towards
struvite crystals, what is a good number for his PH?

Thanks,

Rhonda

Rhonda,
That varies depending upon age and breed. Typically urine pH target
is 6.2-6.4 for a normal healthy adult cat. As cats grow older the risks
change. While younger cats are more inclined toward struvite crystal
formation which can be helped by keeping urine pH between 6.2-6.4,
older cats are more at risk for Calcium Oxalate crystals and stones
which can best be helped by urine pH a bit less acidic at 6.4-6.6.
Breed issues enter the picture because some breeds are more prone
to calcium oxalate formation as well. Persians, Himalayan and Burmese
appear to be more prone to CaOx stone formation.

Thanks, Steve. This is a young cat (3 yrs old) and he has struvite
crystals. The vet wants us to keep his urine acidic, at least for now.

His current food targets a Ph of 6.6 to 6.8 I'm told, so that's probably
not good enough.

Rhonda

Steve Crane wrote:

Rhonda,
That varies depending upon age and breed. Typically urine pH target
is 6.2-6.4 for a normal healthy adult cat. As cats grow older the risks
change. While younger cats are more inclined toward struvite crystal
formation which can be helped by keeping urine pH between 6.2-6.4,
older cats are more at risk for Calcium Oxalate crystals and stones
which can best be helped by urine pH a bit less acidic at 6.4-6.6.
Breed issues enter the picture because some breeds are more prone
to calcium oxalate formation as well. Persians, Himalayan and Burmese
appear to be more prone to CaOx stone formation.

Rhonda wrote:
Thanks, Steve. This is a young cat (3 yrs old) and he has struvite
crystals. The vet wants us to keep his urine acidic, at least for now.

His current food targets a Ph of 6.6 to 6.8 I'm told, so that's probably
not good enough.

You are right, that pH target would be fine for a cat with CaOx stones,
or perhaps an older cat. It is true that urine pH is only one of the
factors involved in managing the dieseae. Type of food (can vs. dry),
levelsof various mineral consituents etc all play a part in the game.