Feline Urinary Crystals

Causes of feline urine crystals feline urine crystals may develop due to a number of factors.

Feline urinary crystals.

The crystals themselves can be perfectly normal but become problematic when they combine to form grit or stones of varying shapes and sizes. Crystalluria is a medical condition where crystals are expelled into the urine. Struvite crystals are microscopic crystals that are found in the urine of some cats. What is crystals in the urine.

Urinary crystals are routinely diagnosed on examination of a urine sediment. Many believe that this is due to cats eating commercial foods that acidify the urine. Some normal animals can have crystals in their urine although sometimes they are indicative of an underlying issue especially if present in large numbers or accompanied by urinary symptoms. If the stones cannot be diagnosed through palpation the diagnosis of bladder stones in cats is made or confirmed with abdominal x rays or ultrasound.

Cats who present with crystalluria need to be seen by a veterinarian in order to properly identify the crystals and diagnose any underlying conditions that may be causing them to form. What are urinary crystals. Crystals in the urine irritate the cat s bladder and can lead to bladder stones or to a condition known as feline lower urinary tract disease or flutd. If the crystals form in to stones diets are not effective at dissolving them and they require more drastic intervention.

An individual feline s unique physiology and disease history will most likely predict the development of crystals in their urine above anything else. The calcium oxalate crystals result from the opposite factor too much acidity. The cornell feline health center notes that crystals in cat urine are sometimes associated with a range of urinary diseases collectively called feline lower urinary track disease flutd. Interestingly these crystals used to be extremely rare but now account for roughly half of feline urinary crystals.

Some stones can be found on routine physical exam during palpation of the urinary bladder. In some cases urine crystals can lead to a life threatening blockage of the urinary tract. Urinary crystals are microscopic structures that can be found in the urine of many animals including cats. Not all pets diagnosed with crystals have bladder stones.

Crystals may indicate bladder stones or uroliths rock like mineral formations that develop in the bladder. Struvite specifically is a material that is composed of magnesium ammonium and phosphate. Struvite crystals contain magnesium phosphate and ammonium and result from too much alkalinity. The signs of flutd may include.

The development of crystals in the urine or crystalluria occurs when normal minerals that float in the urine bind to each other.