"You can say any foolish thing to a dog, and the dog will give you a look that says, 'My God, you're right! I never would've thought of that!"

- Dave Barry

Bladder Stones In Cats

Red Tabby

Cats are prone to developing bladder stones as much as humans do. And they suffer a great deal from it as well. Bladder stones are alternately referred to as uroliths. In cats, bladder stones resemble a rock-like formation in the urinary tract, more particularly in the bladder. The stones are usually made of mineral residue in the blood.

Bladder stones are totally unrelated to kidney stones and gall stones. However, they all act the same way. These stones obstruct the normal flow of blood, urine, and other fluids inside the body, causing extreme pain. If left untreated it could lead way to a number of other diseases.

Symptoms of Cat's Bladder Stones

There are two major signs that your cat is suffering from bladder stones. The first sign would be the presence of blood in your pet's urine. This condition is referred to as hematuria. Blood was produced and flowed with the cat's urine because the bladder stone is starting to irritate the walls of the bladder. When this happens, bleeding occurs on the surface.

The second sign of bladder stones would be dysuria. Dysuria refers to the pain or straining during urination. When the stone start to block the flow of urine from the bladder, dysuria occurs. The actual pare where obstruction could occur depends upon the size of the stone. If the stone is too large, it could impede the urine's passage on the bladder itself. If the stone is somewhat small, it could flow along with the urine until it blocks the smaller tubes of the urethra.

It is a given that if urine can't pass freely out of the cat's body, its abdomen gets very painful. Your pet could cry and wince in pain as it urinates. Slight pressure applied to the cat's abdominal could produce violent reactions on your cat due to momentous pain.

The Causes of Cat's Bladder Stones

There are different reasons why bladder stones form. Vets could blame it on the abnormalities on the cat's diet. What you feed your pet is very important. If you feed it with foods that have high salt content, the chances of the mineral forming into stones in the bladder is also high.

But then again, diet is not the only reason why cats develop bladder stones. Infection with a certain type of bacteria could trigger it as well. An irregularity in the cat's systems could lead to the over production of certain minerals that would only solidify in the bladder, leading to bladder stones.

Diagnosis of Cat's Bladder Stones

Bladder infections are different from bladder stones. Vets could determine which disease your cat has by simply feeling the presence of the stones in the cat's abdomen, more particularly in the abdominal walls. However, this method is not very effective for very small bladder stones as it quite impossible to feel them.

To be sure, the vet could request ultrasound examinations for your cat. X-rays or radiographs may also be performed, as this procedure is simpler than ultrasound. But of course, if vets want to be really sure about the cat's condition and ultrasound equipment is available, they are most likely to prefer that method to x-rays.

Treatment of Cat's Bladder Stones

There are only two ways of treating bladder stones in cats. First, the vet could prescribe a special diet and a medication therapy for your pet. The main purpose of these is to dissolve the bladder stone with the use of drugs and the foods your cat eats. However, not all bladder stones can be treated this way. For the other types of bladder stones that are impossible to dissolve using medicines and diets, the second option, which is surgery, can be performed.

Surgery is fastest way to get rid of a cat's bladder stones. The surgical removal of bladder stones could mean that your cat would have to subject itself to total anesthesia and may require a recovery period of up to 4 days.