Finding solution for cat’s bladder woes

Our cat is scheduled for surgery in a few days to remove some stones from her bladder. She is middle aged and overweight. We knew a problem existed when, a few months ago, she started to urinate unexpectedly in the house. Sometimes the urine seemed to be blood tinged. At first, we were concerned that the voiding was behavioral. We tried an extra litter box and even pheromones. Next a course of antibiotics was tried. With no success at resolution, and after some time, our vet did a urinalysis and found there were crystals present in her urine. Based on the urinalysis, x-rays were taken that revealed four stones. The next attempt was to dissolve the stones with diet. This did not work either. Is it usual for this not to work? So now we go to surgery. Is there much risk with this kind of procedure and what might we expect going forward? Will this correct the urinating in the house?

Bladder stones are called uroliths and there are various kinds of stones, which are mineralized deposits based on a combination of the cat’s metabolism, genetics, diet and more. They can develop over varying amounts of time, and, in many cases, the specific cause is not well understood. The two most common types of stones are either struvite or calcium oxalate stones, and these are the most likely to have dietary dissolution work. However, the process can take several months depending in large part on the size of the stones. Attempts at dissolution by diet are often tried first since they can be successful in preventing the need for invasive surgery. However, this method of addressing the problem is not always successful, as you found out, for several possible reasons since some stones don’t respond or it may take an unusually long amount of time to do so. If you were also mixing in other foods or treats, that could also be a contributory reason for a lack of success at dissolving the stones by dietary means.

In some respects, you should consider you and your cat lucky in that as a female cat, she was less prone to a urinary obstruction than a male cat would be. This is based primarily on anatomy. Going forward, the stones will be removed by a surgery called a cystotomy and then sent out for analysis so that a specific diet might then be employed to prevent recurrence of stone formation. Unfortunately, this might not be successful but worth a try all the same. There is always some risk with surgery but a cystotomy is a fairly routine procedure, your cat should recover quickly, and the problem should resolve. It sounds as if you are on the right track.

Dr. John de Jong owns and operates the Boston Mobile Veterinary Clinic. He can be reached at 781-899-9994.