Feline Bladder Stones

Meet Crystal, a 3 yr old female spayed feline that was originally brought to Nickel City Animal Hospital for inappropriate urination and bloody urine.  She was treated with antibiotics for a urinary tract infection and rechecked one week later.  At the recheck appointment a bladder stone was discovered via ultrasound when obtaining a urine sample.  Ultimately Crystal underwent surgery at Nickel City to remove the bladder stone.  Post-op Crystal’s demeanor changed immediately; pre-op she was difficult to handle and “grumpy”, post –op she was purring and attention seeking.  Her owners informed us that Crystal is much happier at home and no longer urinating inappropriately.

There are various causes of inappropriate urination in our feline patients including both medical and behavioral issues.  Examples of medical causes are a urinary tract infection, inflammatory conditions like cystitis (inflammation of the bladder wall), crystalluria (crystals in the urine), uroliths (bladder stones), and rarely bladder tumors/masses.  

Urinary tract infections are more common in elderly female cats or cats with metabolic/immune issues.  They are typically treated with antibiotics.

Crystalluria can not only cause inappropriate urination, but can also result in a urethral obstruction in male cats. If this occurs it is an emergency situation and must be dealt with ASAP.  Treatment of urethral obstruction involves urethral catheterization, IV fluids and hospitalization.  Crystalluria can be treated with prescription diets. 

Uroliths (bladder stones) can form in the face of infection or due to crystalluria and are typically discovered via ultrasound or radiographs.  Some, but not all, uroliths can be dissolved using a combination of prescription diets and antibiotics.  Large uroliths should be removed via surgery.    We then send the stone out for analysis to determine what type of minerals compose it. Based on these results we will suggest a prescription diet to try and prevent future urolith formation.

Inflammatory issues are often secondary to stress and are typically treated with a combination of medications and environmental changes to try and reduce stress.

Bladder tumors/masses, which are usually found on ultrasound examination, are usually removed surgically and sent out for biopsy to determine the type of mass and if subsequent treatment is necessary. 
After medical causes have been ruled out we will then investigate the behavior side.  These can be a very frustrating cause of inappropriate urination in cats.  

First we will look at the litterbox situation in the house.  Do you have enough litterboxes for your cats?  We recommend having at least one more litterbox than the number of cats you have in the household (example: 3 cats = 4 litterboxes). Also try to have a litterbox on each level of the house.  The litterpans should be large enough for the cat to move around in (at least 1 ½ x’s the length of your cat and 3-4 inches deep).  Some older cats may have arthritis and subsequent difficulty jumping into high walled litter pans.  How often do you clean your litterboxes?  Some cats are very particular about their litter and may require it being cleaned daily if not multiple times a day.  We recommend cleaning the litter pans at least twice weekly. Occasionally it is the type of litter that may be causing the problem.  Try all different types of litter to see which one your cat enjoys (clay, clumping/non-clumping, scented, unscented, sand, pine, etc). 

Another cause of behavioral issues is intercat aggression.   This can involve cats within the household or even neighborhood cats.  Different ways to treat this issue can include pheromone collars/diffusers,  and or medications like buspirone or Prozac.

As you can see there are many different reasons that your cat may be urinating inappropriately in your home.  If you are dealing with this issue the first step is to set up an appointment for a physical exam of your cat and we will most likely obtain a urine sample for a urinalysis.