Cat with crystals in the urine

by Chris
(Salt Lake City, UT USA)

Reader Question: Is This The Right Treatment For A Cat With Crystals In Urine?

My cat is litter trained and started peeing outside the box and more often. She also licked her genitals right after or quite often. I thought it was behavioral, but it seemed strange. So, upon having a urinalysis done at the Vet we found that she had crystals in her urine. This apparently can be caused by a few things, i.e. overfilled litter box, stress after surgery and a sensitive bladder. Our cat has had crystals twice in two years, so the Vet suggested that diet was the best way to control them.

We needed to change from hard kibble food to canned food for this cat, but to clear the crystals this time; since there was no infection or inflammation we were to start with a special canned food from the Vet for 20 days and then recheck the urine. Then we could switch to a good brand of canned food. The special food from the Vet was made to help dissolve the crystals. Our cat needed more liquid in her food to keep from getting these crystals and the hard food wasn't good for her sensitive system. Our other cats do fine on the hard kibble and haven't had any crystals, but every cat has their own issues and is special in their own way.

Vet’s Input On Treatment For Cat With Crystals

Hello,

It sounds as if your veterinarian is on top of your cat’s urinary problems. I agree that the special diet to dissolve the crystals is warranted until her urinalysis is completely normal. Then, if you’d like to try a high quality, over-the-counter canned food for maintenance, you may, but you should watch your cat closely for a relapse of her symptoms and even consider having her urine tested again 3-4 weeks after you’ve made the switch to make sure the crystals aren’t returning. Some cats need to stay on a prescription urinary diet indefinitely to prevent relapses.

Regards,

Jennifer Coates, DVM