Crystals In Cat Urine Images

In some urine samples they do not have irregular protrusions but have smooth borders and can resemble calcium carbonate although these do not occur in the urine from dogs and cats.

Crystals in cat urine images.

Many believe that this is due to cats eating commercial foods that acidify the urine. The crystals themselves can be perfectly normal but become problematic when they combine to form grit or stones of varying shapes and sizes. Male cats are far more likely to form urine crystals than females but that doesn t mean females can t be affected. Interestingly these crystals used to be extremely rare but now account for roughly half of feline urinary crystals.

Struvite crystals are microscopic crystals that are found in the urine of some cats. Flutd includes crystal formation in the bladder which might obstruct the cat s urethra. If the crystals form in to stones diets are not effective at dissolving them and they require more drastic intervention. It was formerly referred to as feline urological syndrome or fus.

Crystalluria is a medical condition where crystals are expelled into the urine. Struvite specifically is a material that is composed of magnesium ammonium and phosphate. The detection of urinary crystals is not synonymous with kidney stones or the clinical signs associated with them nor is detection of urine crystals irrefutable evidence of a stone forming tendency but there is some association with an increased risk for kidney stones in animals that are.