Kitty food for cat with crystals?

[Tommysmom]

Hi Guys,

My friend's cat has been battling a rather bad UTI for the last couple of weeks, and the vet now says she has crystals (struvite, I think, and just a few). She's on vet food to assist in breaking them up and she's doing much better. However, the vet told my friend that it was the food she was eating that must have caused the crystals and that she should be on vet food for life after this .

This cat apparently would rather starve than eat wet food, too (I know that's the best thing for them, but she's a rather stubborn kitty). She's a purebred something-or-other (I forget which kind, I just know she's gorgeous) and she's about 6 years old.

She was being fed Performatrin Ultra for cats.

Can anybody recommend a good dry food for kitties with crystal issues? My friend doesn't mind feeding her the vet food for now, to help dissolve the crystals, but since I've been telling her how awful vet food really is she's willing to look into what to switch her to after this. Are there certain ingredients that she should avoid/look for? My only experience with crystals is with my dog, and we didn't change foods specifically for that, but I know cats are quite different in their nutritional needs.

(I know that raw or canned is better, but I'm pretty sure my friend won't do that - she's really looking for a dry food that addresses the issue, if it truly is food related).

Thanks for your help.