Minerals in cat food

[Sharon L.]

I have three male cats and I get conflicting and confusing advice on maintaining urinary health with either low magnesium and/or phosphorous and/or calcium and/or ash content and/or vit C.

What do these minerals actually mean in a cats diet? Is there an "ideal" or close to ideal ratio?

Thanks.

Sharon L.

[Cindy Nevarez]

Seriously, it depends on the individual cat's needs. That's why I like to get the REAL food that has all this stuff in it naturally so the cat can eat what it needs at the time. His body will tell him what he needs.

[Sharon L.]

By "real" food I'm assuming you mean home cooked? That's just not an option for me right now.

While searching for an answer I did find a few helpful links which might also help someone else in their quest to find what is the most optimal choice in commercial food to feed their cat(s).

http://www.vet.cornell.edu/fhc/brochures/feedcats.html
http://www.maxshouse.com/feline_nutrition.htm

Sharon L.