Uroliths in cats

UROLITHS IN CATS
  • There are two options for treatment. The fastest solution is to remove them surgically. This requires major surgery in which the abdomen and bladder are opened. Following two to four days of recovery, the cat is relieved of pain and dysuria.
  • The hematuria will often persist for a few more days, then it stops.
  • Surgery is not the best option for all patients; those 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.
  • The second option is to dissolve the stone with a special diet. This avoids surgery and can be a very good choice for some cats. It has three disadvantages.
  • It is not successful for all types of stones.
  • Unless some sand-sized stones can be collected from the urine and analyzed, it is not possible to know if the stone is of the composition that is likely to be dissolved.
  • It 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.
  • 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 will not work.
Last modified: Thursday, 7 June 2012, 9:22 AM