Cat Urinary Issues

[Sweefou]

What a wealth of information here!

Our 6 year old spayed cat, Ping came to us 1 1/2 years ago after being a stray for some time. She has always had a bad coat and vomited a couple of times a week. The vet said she has a sensitive stomach/hairballs. Fair enough.

Ping's has been eating Actr1m food from Walmart thinking it was a better alternative to big box food. Now I realize, not so much.

For the last month or so, Ping has been urinating out of the box, on clothes, bags, etc. This urine crystalizes very quickly. She drinks almost excessively, spending an hour at the water bowl. We've tried cleaning the box more often, getting an extra (we have 3 cats) etc. She also runs away like a crazy cat after she urinates.

I noticed the almost immediate crystallization this morning, and we've scraped together for a consult and urinalysis at the vet tonight.

There are various things the vet thinks it could be: bladder infection, diabetes, kidney failure (could explain the vomiting)

What questions should I ask the vet? How to turn down the standard "Science diet" recommendation due to the bad quality ingredients?

I've also been learning that wet food is better than dry? All 3 cats have only had dry food. I've heard the following brands are better than others: Wellness, Nature's Variety Instinct and Weruva?

Sorry for all the questions, just want to get this right