Can tap water cause crystals in cats

Can Hard Water Cause Urinary Crystals in Cats? Vet Approved Facts & Advice

The information is current and up-to-date in accordance with the latest veterinarian research.

Learn more

Keeping your pet safe and in good health is an essential part of taking care of a cat. Unfortunately, there are times when your pet might become ill regardless of your best efforts.

The chance of your cat dealing with conditions like urinary crystals typically depends on factors like their age, breed, and diet, but can hard water cause crystals in the bladder?

One 2016 data release did discover a potential association between hard water and urinary crystals in cats¹. However, there is no targeted, scientific data to back up these claims.

Heres information about hard water and urinary crystals and whether you should be worried about your cats bladder.

The Study

On April 7, 2016, pet insurance company Trupanion released areportthat examined the link between hard water and urinary crystals in pets². It used data from the Environmental Protection Agency that enabled the researchers to compare U.S. cities with hard water to the claims put through Trupanion for pets with urinary problems.

Statistics

It was found that studied cats were 40% more likely to experience urinary problems than studied dogs. Additionally, male cats were 1.5 times more likely to encounter urinary problems than female cats.

The highest claimed urinary conditions among cats were:

• Urinary tract infections
• Cystitis
• Urinary obstruction
• Crystalluria

Hard Water

It was also discovered that U.S. cities with extremely hard water had a much higher rate of urinary health claims, with an emphasis oncrystalluria, which are the crystals found in cats urine³. The male cats in these cities were found more likely to have urinary conditions than those in cities with slightly hard, hard, or very hard water.

Trupanion used the example of Florida, which it classified as having extremely hard water. It encountered 10 times the number of claims in Florida than in the other states. The other cities listed as having extremely hard water were Chicago, Detroit, Cincinnati, Miami, and Minneapolis.

However, the statistics and information from this report are now over 7 years old. If you want to determine if you live in an area with hard water, check your regions water-quality report.

What Exactly Are Urinary Crystals?

Urine contains solid waste particles, which turn into more solid particles like crystals when the concentration of waste products is high enough. These crystals get bigger and may eventually become stones, which may continue to increase in size if not treated.

Bladder stones can lead to urinary tract infections or a urinary tract blockage, which needs immediate medical intervention!

Causes

Its not entirely known what typically causes urine crystals, but the following are considered the potential contributing factors:

• Breed
• Sex
• Age
• Diet
• Certain health conditions

Signs

The common signs for cats with urine crystals and bladder stones are:

• Straining to urinate
• Increased urination
• Only urinating tiny amounts of urine
• Urinating outside of the litter box
• Blood in the urine

Treatment

Female cats can sometimes pass very small stones on their own or with flushing, but male cats tend to have more trouble passing them.

Some stone types can dissolve through a prescription diet, but if they are too large, they need to be removed via surgery. If a blockage occurs, this is a life-threatening emergency that will often require a cat to be hospitalized for a few days.

What Makes Water Hard?

The main culprits that can cause hard water are calcium and magnesium. While these minerals benefit our health overall, excess dissolved magnesium and calcium can damage equipment (like dishwashers) and dry out skin and hair.

What If You Have Hard Water?

It isnt an absolute certainty that if your cat drinks hard water, they are automatically vulnerable to urinary crystals. There havent been any peer-reviewed studies on the matter.

That said, the statistics that Trupanion gathered might still be something to take into consideration when youre supplying your cat with water, particularly if you have a male cat, since males are more susceptible to urinary crystals.

1. Water Softener

You can invest in a water softener for your home or a small ion-exchange water filter that can be attached to your tap. This is the best way to remove the excess minerals that lead to hard water.

2. Boiling the Water

A more complicated route is boiling the water that you need. It needs to be boiled for several minutes, cooled, and then poured through a sieve or cheesecloth to remove the minerals boiled out. It is not as effective as other methods.

3. Water Filters

Unfortunately, most water filters dont remove as many of the excess minerals as water softeners do. These include cat fountains with charcoal filters.

However, water filters can remove some of the excess impurities from tap water and are still good options, particularly if you cant afford a water softener.

4. Bottled Water

Bottled water is considered soft water because it contains low levels of magnesium and calcium, which makes it a viable option for your cat.

Just dont bother with distilled water, as there havent been any studies that say that its safe to give distilled water to your cat as their only water source. It wont harm your cat, but since it doesnt contain any minerals, it isnt necessarily beneficial either.

Conclusion

Although the data for cats at present remains lacking, if you live in an area that has been classified as having extremely hard water, it might be in your best interests to invest in a water softener.The water might not affect your or your cats health, but it will undoubtedly damage some of your major appliances.

Overall, there dont seem to be anyserious human health risksassociated with drinking hard water, including urinary crystals, but more studies need to be done on the effects of hard water on cats.

Featured Image Credit: Sanchit Singh, Unsplash

Crystals in bladder... caused by hard drinking water?

A few things - what is the ph of his urine ? what type of crystals are forming -- struvite or calcium oxalate ? with this info your vet can better give you an 'idea' of the cause. Although I'd say it's from a combination of things. I think it would be better though to address all possibilities instead. As you won't really be able to find the exact cause(s) anyway .... that said, my girl had FLUTD (crystals), I now - - feed an all wet premium diet (low in magnesium, phosphorus, ect) - only use filtered water- and added a 'Drinkwell' water fountain She's been asymptomatic and hopefully healthier as well. CatDad here's two articles you might want to read ... Ash and Your Pet's Healthby Dr. Brookshire, Director of Veterinary ServicesAsh is not an individual ingredient that pet food manufacturers add to your pets diet, however, it is present in all pet foods at varying levels.Dry meat protein sources, such as chicken by-product meal, chicken meal, lamb meal, or meat meal, all contain ash, or bone. Chicken by-product meal contains the lowest amount of ash of these ingredients, as it has the least amount of bone. Meat meal is the highest in ash, as it contains a higher amount of bone.Ash contributes essential nutrients to the formula, such as calcium, phosphorus, and magnesium. While these minerals are required nutrients, they should be present in the diet in appropriate, not excessive amounts. Excess ash contributes excess minerals to the diet, which not only makes the food less digestible it can also adversely affect the health of your pets.Most cat owners are aware of the potential problems that may result from feeding an adult cat a high ash diet, but dogs are also susceptible to the health effects of a high ash formula.Excess phosphorus, especially when fed over long periods of time, can harm even the healthy kidney. Look for phosphorus levels for adult dogs or cats to be less than 1.0%. In cats, phosphorus can be harmful to the kidneys but also may contribute to crystal formation in the urine.Excess calcium can interfere with the bodys ability to absorb other nutrients, can cause eclampsia in females that have recently delivered puppies or kittens, and can contribute to the formation of calcium oxalate stones in the kidneys or bladder. For rapidly growing large or giant breed puppies, excess calcium can cause bone and joint developmental abnormalities.Excess magnesium causes problems primarily for adult cats, by contributing to the formation of struvite crystals in the urine. However, severe restriction of this mineral may promote the formation of calcium oxalate crystals. So, it is important that this mineral be present in appropriate amounts, usually 0.07% - 0.10%.Ash is something that is present in all pet foods. Do your research and find a diet that offers the healthiest option for the long-term health of your pet.Urinary Tract Disease in CatsUrinary tract disease is a very important for all cat owners. Feline Lower Urinary Tract Disease (FLUTD) is a devastating disease for all cats affected by it. Many studies have been done and are being done to help improve urinary health in cats.FLUTD is a descriptive term used to describe any urinary tract problem that results in blood in the urine, painful urination, straining to urinate, and urinary accidents. As cat owners, you are responsible for closely monitoring your pet for these symptoms. Male cats are susceptible to urinary tract blockage, a life- threatening situation. A trip to your veterinarian is a necessity if you notice any of the above symptoms.Crystals in the urine are one component of this problem, and there are two common types of crystals. Struvite crystals are found in alkaline, or basic, urine and are formed from magnesium, ammonium, and phosphate. The other common type of crystal is calcium oxalate. These crystals form in acidic urine and are made up of calcium and oxalate. At high enough numbers, struvite and calcium oxalate crystals can stick together to make stones. Struvite stones can be dissolved with a diet change, while calcium oxalate stones must be removed surgically.Another group of FLUTD sufferers is made up of those cats without crystals. These are termed idiopathic or interstitial cystitis. Idiopathic simply means that we dont know the cause. This group is the most common.Stress is a very important factor in FLUTD. Cats that are under stress in their daily lives are much more likely to suffer from repeated bouts of FLUTD. It is recommended that indoor cats have several litter boxes available in different locations throughout the home. One more box than the number of cats using them is appropriate. Daily scooping of the box, as well as use of one type of litter, also helps reduce litter box avoidance. Offering places to play, scratching posts, cat condos, and quiet places to sleep can all help reduce stress for cats. Some cats are not happy indoors. Indoor cats that always use a litter box form the greatest proportion of cats that develop FLUTD. Diet change is another stressful event that can bring on a urinary tract problem, even when switching to a diet formulated for urinary tract health.Encouraging water intake is another key factor in control of the syndrome. Some cats like to drink from fountains or even dripping faucets. Replacing water at least daily, if not twice daily is also helpful. Some owners have found that their cats prefer bottled water to tap water.One nutraceutical that is being discussed as a possible treatment is a glycosaminoglycan called pentosan. Your veterinarian can work with you to determine whether or not your cat would benefit from this treatment. Glucosamine is a similar compound that some veterinarians recommend. Neither has been proven to work although one scientific study showed improvement in the bladder lining of cats taking glucosamine, but no improvement in clinical signs.Some veterinarians recommend feeding a canned diet. In a study done of wet versus dry diets and water intake, it was found that even though cats fed a dry product drank more water, their total intake of water was less than that of the cats eating a canned product.Urinary diets that are highly acidified dont prevent both types of crystal formation. The highly acid urine may also be detrimental to those cats suffering from idiopathic cystitis. A moderately acidic pH in addition to magnesium, phosphorus, calcium, and sodium moderation may help prevent both types of crystalluria.In the past, every cat that developed a urinary tract problem was treated with antibiotics. We now know that only 1-2% of the cats truly have a bacterial infection. Most cats do not need antibiotics. Pain medication to decrease their discomfort, canned foods, and time resolve most episodes of urinary tract disease, but it is difficult to prevent a recurrence in cats that are susceptible to the problem.Urinary tract disease is a complicated, frustrating problem for cats and their owners. Work closely with your cats veterinarian to formulate a treatment plan to provide your cat with better urinary health.