Urinary tract infections are just one of the types of urinary tract problems that can affect cats.
Feline urinary crystals symptoms.
Urinary blockages are most common in neutered male cats and life threatening when not treated quickly.
If your cat has been displaying symptoms of urinary tract disease and has been diagnosed with crystals you are likely very keen to know what treatment options are available.
Though the main symptom of crystalluria is the appearance of fine crystals in freshly expelled urine other symptoms from accompanying conditions may also occur.
Symptoms of crystals in the urine in cats.
Well the treatment will depend on which type of crystal is involved as the options are really quite different for each crystal type.
Because crystals in the urine that are passed in the litter box may be missed by pet owners other symptoms may help pet owners discover.
Learn more about symptoms and treatment of the condition below.
Initially an owner may notice that the cat is spending more time in the litter tray and is straining to go.
Urinary crystals is a common problem in dehydrated cats.
They can remain small in size or grow to be several millimeters in diameter and may rub against the bladder walls causing inflammation.
Many owners will actually confuse this behavior with constipation as the posture cats go in to can.
Additional causes of urinary blockage are from feeding foods high in magnesium or the presence of an underlying condition called feline idiopathic.
A cat with urinary crystals may show a multitude of signs and cats are affected to varying degrees.
Symptoms of urinary crystals in cats.
If the cause of these symptoms cannot be determined the cat is considered to have bladder inflammation cystitis.
Even so they represent a risk factor for kidney stones.
Signs of a urinary blockage include producing no or very little urine pain lethargy and poor appetite.
It mainly occurs due to lack of or inadequate moisture in cat food or lack of drinking water.
For upper urinary tract issues in cats please see our article on kidney problems.
Infections cause a variety of symptoms that cat owners should learn to recognize in order to get their cat the help it needs and prevent bigger problems from occurring.
One key to treating flutd is to determine the root cause which may include bladder stones urinary tract blockage infection or cancer.
A male cat s urethra can also become blocked by small urinary stones or by urethral plugs.
The three standard crystals in cats are struvite oxalate and urate.
Bladder stones are rock like deposits of minerals crystals and organic material that are found in a cat s bladder.