Feline bladder stones are hardened structures that form in a cat’s bladder and are primarily composed of minerals and proteins. The formation of these stones is usually related to factors such as high mineral concentration in urine, insufficient drinking water, and improper diet.

Symptoms of feline bladder stones

1. Frequent urination and urgency: Feline bladder stones can cause difficulty in urinary excretion, making cats feel frequent urination and urgency.

2. Blood in urine: Stones irritate the bladder wall and may cause blood in the urine, which is an obvious symptom.

3. Pain: Cats may show pain when urinating, such as painful cries, licking their mouths, etc.

4. Urinary tract obstruction: In severe cases, stones may block the urethra and prevent urine from being discharged normally. This is an emergency situation and requires immediate medical attention.

5. Change urinating habits: Cats may avoid using the litter box, look for other places to urinate, or display abnormal postures when urinating.

Diagnosis of bladder stones

1. Physical examination: Your veterinarian will make an initial determination by observing your cat's behavior, feeling the bladder area, and examining the abdomen.

2. Urinalysis: By analyzing the components in urine, you can detect whether there are abnormalities such as crystals, bacteria, or blood.

3.X-ray or ultrasound examination: These imaging tests can help determine whether stones are present in the bladder and determine their number and size.

Treatment of bladder stones in cats

The main types of bladder stones are struvite stones (52%) and calcium oxalate stones (35%), which means more than 85% of bladder stones Stones are of these two types. Struvite stones can be dissolved and do not require surgery. Calcium oxalate stones cannot be dissolved and require surgical removal. Therefore, the treatment of bladder stones must first distinguish between struvite stones and calcium oxalate stones.

How to distinguish struvite and calcium oxalate stones?

(1) Urine test, but the specificity is not good. The presence of crystals does not necessarily mean that there are stones. The presence of stones does not necessarily mean that there are crystals. The presence of magnesium ammonium phosphate crystals does not necessarily mean struvite. The presence of calcium oxalate crystals does not necessarily mean struvite. There must be calcium oxalate stones;

(2) X-ray has high specificity

Struvite is flat and has low density. It does not look that big on X-ray. Bright;

Calcium oxalate stones are relatively round and have a high density, similar to bone density. In X-ray, they are brighter and whiter;

(3) Submit for examination Stone analysis is the most accurate, but it can only be done after removing the stones.

Treatment of struvite

(1) Eat Hill's c/d prescription canned food or prescription food;

(2) If infection is suspected ( Common in kittens or elderly cats), antibacterial treatment must be carried out (otherwise the stones will not dissolve easily), urine bacterial culture can be performed, and then appropriate antibiotics can be selected for treatment until the stones dissolve and then used for two weeks;

(3) Drink more water

(4) Review the X-ray every two weeks.

Treatment of calcium oxalate stones

(1) For small stones that can pass through the urethra, you can use a stone basket or excretory water flushing method, but these two methods are limited to female cats. The urethra of male cats is too thin and cannot be operated;

(2) For stones that cannot pass through the urethra, it is recommended to remove them by intracorporeal laser lithotripsy or percutaneous cystotomy, but cystotomy is not recommended because of its relatively low side effects. big.

Prevention of calcium oxalate stones

(1) Increasing the amount of water consumed and keeping the cat drinking enough will help dilute the urine and reduce the formation of stones. Cats can be encouraged to drink by using wet food, providing multiple water sources, and changing the water regularly.

(2) If there is high calcium, active treatment is required