cats, diet, and crystals in urinary tract/bladder

Is CD (? think that was the one mentioned) the only diet okay for cats with crystals? My neighbors cat has had problems with crystals and a friends cat is hospitalized right now after having surgery to remove crystals. My neighbor also mentioned having to use only distilled water for the cat because of the minerals in water? Any and all opinions, experiences, and/or advice is welcome.

 

First, there are different types of crystals and the type is very important. The two most common are struvite and oxalate.

Both of my cats have had struvite crystals. For struvite crystals, a diet that acidifies the urine can help. Some choices are Hill's c/d, Royal Canin Urinary S/O, Purina UR, and Friskies Special Diet. I used a combination of Royal Canin and Friskies because the RC was too high in carbs on its own. Other suggestions are increasing water consumption (feed canned food only, add water to the food, use a fountain, add ice cubes) and to feed small, frequent meals rather than one or two large meals. Dr. Lisa's nutrition page also contains suggestions for urinary problems. I do not have any experience with oxalate crystals.

 

Thanks Karen! I'm trying to find out now what kind of crystals they were. My friends kitty is in the hospital after his surgery. He can come home Thursday if there are still no crystals. She mentioned that she has five ncats with sensitive tummys and she already feeds her cats "good food" (not sure what her idea of good is), so I'm not even sure if she's up for suggestions but wanted to have them on him just in case.