Help prevent feline urinary problems with

Studies from 1971-82 indicated that 90-97% of all uroliths are struvite, a calculus composed of magnesium and ammonium phosphate bonded with water. By 1986 this figure had dropped to 82%, primarily because of more acidic diets containing less magnesium.

The most common culprits leading to feline urinary blockages are:
  • Too much magnesium in the diet
  • Urine that is too alkaline.
A desired range of pH 6.0 to 6.5 is desirable. In chemistry, pH is a measure of the acidity or the alkalinity of an aqueous solution. Pure water is neutral at a pH of 7 and solutions less than 7 are acidic.

Struvite (ammonium magnesium phosphate) urinary stones can also readily form due to an infection of ammonia-producing organisms. Even in the absence of infection about 10% of all cats are genetically predisposed to developing struvite crystals that cause difficulty urinating and may produce blood in the urine. In the past, surgery was required to remove struvite uroliths in cats, but an acidifying low magnesium diet can dissolve sterile struvite stones.

Vegecat phi™ was developed for just that purpose. It contains sodium bisulfate, which is the most successful acidifier available for the prevention of uroliths. Studies show that sodium bisulfate significantly lowers feline urine pH. Meals made with Vegecat phi™ supplement contain the ideal concentration of .9% sodium bisulfate.
Meals prepared with Vegecat phi™ supplement exhibit increased palatability because of the sour taste associated with acidification. In clinical trials a diet containing sodium bisulfate was preferred over a diet acidified with phosphoric acid by a ratio of over two to one and almost 50% more food was consumed by cats eating the sodium bisulfate diet. This is exciting news for those converting their cats to a vegetarian diet, since palatability can be a problem with some cats who are addicted to commercial foods containing digest.

What is digest? Controlled enzymatic degradation of chicken viscera creates digest. Starting materials other than viscera, such as fish, liver, and cow lungs, require adding a proteolytic enzyme. Degradation of the tissues occurs by adjusting the pH, which inhibits putrefying bacteria while encouraging autolysis (self-digestion). Creating a pH unfavorable for further activity by adding a strong acid (usually phosphoric) stops the process.

Do you dare imagine what this huge vat of warm, blended entrails looks and smells like after three weeks?

Dry pet foods receive pasteurized dried digest surface applied at 1–3 percent concentration for dog and 1–7 percent for cat. Different digests justify different flavor designations for essentially the same pet food. With billions of pet food dollars at stake in the US, thousands of cats in pet food corporate catteries taste the latest developments in proprietary digests. Enzymes and the substrate mixtures used are closely guarded trade secrets.
Vegecat phi™ Ingredients
Dried kelp (source of arachidonate), Calcium carbonate, Sodium Bisulfate, Monocalcium phosphate, DL-methionine, Taurine, Choline chloride, Dl-alpha tocopheryl acetate, Zinc oxide, Ferrous sulfate, Vitamin A-acetate, Copper sulfate, Ergocalciferol, Sodium selenite, Vitamin B12 supplement (methylcobalamin)