Q: I am curious as to what the ash content is in the spot stew (dry) for cats…my male cat has had 2 UTIS and issues with urince crystals in his bladder. My vet said it is from his diet….I said ‘WHAT?” “I feed him a cat food that is $20.00 a bag and all good stuff! It can’t be! He said I need to find out how much ash and magnesium is in the food because that’s what is causing them. If someone could get back to me I would appreciate it. Thank you…….Jeannie

A: Hi Jeannie, thanks for writing. Please read my article on Feline Urinary Problems. It was once thought that crystals and urinary problems were related to the ash content of the food, but all recent research has disproven this. All specialists in this field now agree that ash is minimally important and the very best thing we can do for cats with urinary problems is feed a pH neutral diet (which Halo is) and increase the amount of water they drink. The article gives ideas on how to increase water intake–but start with canned food only.

Hope this helps.
Dr. Donna Spector