Struvite crystals are microscopic crystals that are found in the urine of some cats.
Male cat urine crystals.
High strung kitties are more prone to flutd than their calmer brethren.
Worryingly crystals can actually cause a blockage in 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.
This is more of an issue in male cats as their plumbing is a lot narrower.
Many believe that this is due to cats eating commercial foods that acidify the urine.
Though the main symptom of crystalluria is the appearance of fine crystals in freshly expelled urine other symptoms from accompanying conditions may also occur.
Because crystals in the urine that are passed in the litter box may be missed by pet owners other symptoms may help pet owners discover something is wrong with their cat.
Struvite specifically is a material that is composed of magnesium ammonium and phosphate.
When a cat is unable to pass urine due to a blockage they can become very sick in a short amount of time.
Male kitties neutered or not can suffer from crystals in their urine though crystals occur more frequently in fixed ones.
Younger cats can develop crystals in their urine just as easily as older cats so age isn t really a factor.
A mixture of cells that are used to line the bladder mucus and crystals formed from minerals in the urine.
They require veterinary care and diagnosis to properly treat.
The crystals themselves can be perfectly normal but become problematic when they combine to form grit or stones of varying shapes and sizes.
Crystals in cats also known as feline crystalluria is a medical condition which involves the formation of crystals in the cat s urine.
Also any condition that changes your cat s urine ph such as kidney disease or long term medication use can cause crystals.
Interestingly these crystals used to be extremely rare but now account for roughly half of feline urinary crystals.
Different types of crystals may develop if your cat isn t eating a proper complete and balanced diet.
Additional causes of urinary blockage are from feeding foods high in magnesium or the presence of an underlying condition called feline idiopathic.
Crystalluria is a medical condition where crystals are expelled into the urine.
Crystals in the urine are dangerous to cats causing infection and inability to urinate.
These crystals which are microscopic in size tend to appear like fine sand and often occur as part of or because of other conditions.