Cats Is All About

When cat bladder crystals are present it should send a clear signal to pet parents that something is wrong and changes need to be made in order to avoid more serious problems in the near future. The most common of these health concerns are urethral stones or plugs.

Cat bladder crystals could be looked upon as the building blocks needed for their formation.

Urethral plugs once firmly in place can be deadly in 48 hours or less as the kidneys shut down and toxins flood the bloodstream.

Cat bladder crystals and stones may be present at the same time! The good news if your cat isn't showing any symptoms then there is a better than average chance stones have yet to form, or if they have they are in the very early stages of formation.

On the other hand if your cat is whining while urinating, is having difficulty urinating, their urine is smelling unusually pungent (some characterize it as ammonia like), they are frequently liking their genitals, making more visits to the litter box than normal, urinating in corners or other odd places, have blood in their urine, are becoming increasingly antisocial, and are all of the sudden drinking large amounts of water, then there is a very good chance that bladder stones have formed and maybe even a bacterial infection of the urinary tract is present. .

By some estimates there are over 600 different variations of cat bladder crystals which can be divided up into two major categories; struvite and calcium oxalate. Struvite crystals account for over 50 percent of all crystals and over 85 percent of all plugs. This type of cat bladder crystal tends to impact females and has few age boundaries having been found in kittens as young as 1 month old and cats as old as 20 years.

It is unknown why there is a discrepancy between the composition of urethral plugs and cat bladder crystals.

Diagnosis and Treatment

A number of tests will need to be run including an ultrasound of the back hind quarter (abdomen and pelvis). Additionally, a urine analysis will be needed to both identify the type of crystal and determine whether a bacterial infection of the urinary tract is present.

Once things have been sorted out the treatment suggested may be as simple as making a few diet modifications in conjunction with medication to dissolve stones and crystals. On the other hand surgery may be required in some cases. Surgery can be both expensive and can be quite complex requiring the cat's bladder to be raised in order to examine and remove any crystals or stones that are lodged.

Prevention and Maintenance

Rule number one is to work with your veterinarian to find a diet plan to prevent cat bladder crystals and stones. This may not be as simple as it sounds since there are different types of crystals and stones requiring different types of diets.

Other helpful preventative measures are semi-annual veterinary visits, to test your pets water for high concentrations of minerals, increase in daily activity levels, reduce overall stress levels, lean towards wet food instead of dry, supplementation with vitamins B and C, make sure your cat is drinking enough water to maintain healthy pH levels, add a few drops of cranberry or raspberry juice to their water or food daily, and last but not least consider a homeopathic pet urinary tract conditioning tonic containing Berberis and Cantharis.