Treat Bladder Stones in Cats

Bladder stones, or more correctly termed "uroliths", are rock-like collections of minerals that form in the urinary bladder. They may occur as a large, single stone or as dozens of stones the size of large grains of sand or pea gravel.

Steps

 * 1) [[Image:Nino  Rest in Peace.jpg|right|220px]]Check for symptoms. It's important to be certain that your cat really does have uroliths. See your vet to be certain: in the course of testing to pursue symptoms, a vet will take a radiograph or other tests such as pressing your cat's abdomen, checking its urine, or taking an ultrasonography test. If the cat has bladder stones, a stone, or group of stones, will be seen in the urinary bladder, or other parts of the urinary system such as the kidney, ureter, urethra. Alternatively, the cat might have no symptoms of any kind and the stone will be discovered when a bladder infection fails to resolve after appropriate antibiotics. Here are some of the classical symptoms of feline idiopathic cystitis, caused by bladder stones in 20 percent of cases:
 * 2) *Frequent urination
 * 3) *Straining or distress when urinating
 * 4) *Bloody urine
 * 5) *Urinating in unusual places
 * 6) *Genital licking.
 * 7)  [[Image:My poor Chloe feels so awful....jpg|right|215px]]Act fast. Growth of the uroliths will depend on the quantity of crystalline material present and the degree of infection present. Although it may take months for a large stone to grow, some sizable stones have been documented to form in as little as two weeks. While tiny stones don't tend to interfere, larger stones can interfere with urination, cause a lot of pain, and bring about vomiting and depression in an affected cat.
 * 8) *If a blocked ureter is not diagnosed quickly, the blocked kidney is destroyed.
 * 9) [[Image:Chapin at the vet.jpg|right|180px]]Consider the options. After discussing the severity of the uroliths and the treatment options with your vet, you may be left with the following options:
 * 10) *Surgery. Removing uroliths surgically requires major surgery in which the abdomen and bladder or other urinary areas are opened. Following two to four days of recovery, the cat is relieved of pain and dysuria (painful urination). The hematuria (red blood cells in the urine) will often persist for a few more days, then it stops. Surgery is not the best option for all patients but cats with urethral obstruction and those with bacterial infections associated with the stones should be operated on unless there are other health conditions that prohibit surgery.
 * 11) *Diet. This option seeks to dissolve the stone by placing the cat on a special diet. This avoids surgery and can be a very good choice for some cats. It has three disadvantages: First, it's not successful for all types of stones. Unless some sand-sized stones can be collected from the urine and analyzed, it's not possible to know if the stone is of the composition that is likely to be dissolved. Calcium oxalate stones cannot be removed by diet and must be removed surgically. Second, this method is slow. It may take several weeks or a few months to dissolve a large stone so the cat may continue to have hematuria and dysuria during that time. Third, not all cats will eat the special diet. The diet is not as tasty as the foods that many cats are fed. If it is not consumed exclusively, it won't work.
 * 12)  [[Image:Cat 10.jpg|right|179px]]Provide post-disease care. Your vet will provide you with the options to care for your cat after its surgery, if this has taken place. This may require giving your cat medication regularly, and more frequent veterinary check-ups.
 * 13) *After it is clear that your cat is prone to bladder stones, it is important to monitor your cat's progress more closely from now and to see the vet more regularly.
 * 14) [[Image:Cat eating.jpg|right|220px]]Seek to prevent future formation of bladder stones. There are different reasons why bladder stones form. While veterinary researchers are still not completely sure as to why uroliths form, there has been an increase in certain types of stones (calcium oxalate) in recent years.  Some vets blame the development of the stones on abnormalities in the cat's diet. What you feed your pet is very important. If you feed it with foods that have a 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 caused by certain types of bacteria could trigger it as well. Or, an irregularity in the cat's system could lead to the over-production of certain minerals that would only solidify in the bladder, leading to bladder stones. Prevention is hard to pinpoint when the reasons are also hard to pinpoint but there is never any harm in providing your cat with an optimal diet.
 * 15) *If not already done, ask your vet to send the stones away for analysis by a laboratory. If your vet knows the precise mineral content of the stones, he or she may be better placed to suggest appropriate prevention methods, including the prescribing of suitable medication to prevent the formation of future bladder stones.
 * 16) *Feed your cat a vet-approved diet high in nutrients suitable for cats and low in salt and carbohydrates, and avoid giving your cat unsuitable treats.

Tips

 * Do not feed your cat food that is too salty.
 * Check your cat's litter box regularly, to ensure that it's normal.
 * Some cats are more predisposed to developing bladder stones than other cats; for example, Burmese and Himalayan cats appear to have a genetic predisposition to developing calcium oxalate bladder stones.
 * Calcium oxalate stones tend to develop in cats aged between 5 and 14 years.

Warnings

 * 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. So be careful, and try not to pick up your cat, taking special care of its abdominal area.
 * Always take your cat to the vet if you suspect any health issues.

Things You'll Need

 * Carrier for vet visits
 * Appropriate food as recommended by the vet
 * Medications as prescribed by the vet
 * Water

Related

 * How to Keep a Cat Healthy
 * How to Cook for Cats
 * How to Take Your Cat to the Vet
 * How to Give a Cat Medicine
 * How to Know if Your Cat Is Sick