Is the urine pH targeted by urinary kibble the same for struvite and oxalate?

No, and that is exactly what sets them apart. Struvite needs acidic urine to dissolve and not reform. Oxalate, which forms in acidic urine, needs less acidic, more neutral urine. An acidifying kibble suited to struvite can therefore favour oxalate, which rules out a universal target pH (Today's Veterinary Practice). Expert deep dive ### Why do the pH targets oppose each other? Each crystal has its solubility window. Struvite (magnesium ammonium phosphate) dissolves and stays in solution in acidic urine, so struvite diets acidify. Calcium oxalate, by contrast, readily forms in acidic urine: its prevention aims for more neutral urine. The two pH goals are incompatible in one formula (Today's Veterinary Practice; Merck Veterinary Manual). This is the technical reason crystal identification precedes the food choice. ### What is the risk of the wrong target? Crucial fact: acidifying the urine of an oxalate-prone cat raises its risk, and neutralising the urine of a struvite cat favours the crystal reforming. One food cannot optimise both. A mistargeted "universal" urinary kibble can convert one problem into another. The target pH must match the crystal genuinely identified by analysis. Setting the target pH belongs to the vet, on the basis of the diagnosis. Comparison table | Crystal | Target urine pH | Logic | |---|---|---| | Struvite | acidic | dissolves and prevents | | Calcium oxalate | less acidic, neutral | prevents formation | | Universal food | impossible | opposite targets | Petipedia's take Petipedia highlights the opposite pH targets of struvite and oxalate to dismiss the idea of a universal urinary kibble, referring to veterinary diagnosis.