Researchers have several theories on this. The most commonly accepted one is that they form due to high mineral levels in your cat's urine. This can be due to a bladder infection or from his diet. When the mineral levels get too high, crystals form. These crystals grow and form stones in your cat's bladder. These stones can be very small, about the size of a grain of sand, or they can grow to the size of a small pebble.
If a stone blocks one of your cat's ureters (the tube leading from the kidney to the bladder), or his urethra, a urinary blockage can occur, making it difficult or impossible for him to pass urine.
After getting your cat diagnosed, ask your vet if it's safe to try home treatment first. If your cat's bladder isn't completely blocked by a cat bladder stone, you can probably try a home remedy.
When it comes to home remedies you can choose from herbal remedies or homeopathy. Many people believe that they are one in the same but homeopathy works on completely different principles.
Homeopathy operates on the law of similars, as in like treats like. It is believed that if a large amount of a particular substance causes symptoms of cat bladder stones in a healthy cat, a small amount of that same substance can be used to treat a cat that has a bladder stone.
Minerals in the bladder can be made up of magnesium, phosphorous, calcium and ammonia which cause feline bladder stones to form. Veterinarians thought that by reducing magnesium in the diet the stones would not develop, so the low ash diet was supported. Later it was discovered that it was not magnesium preventing cat bladder stones but whether are not the cat's urine ph was either acidic or alkaline. If the cat has acidic urine the crystals did not form. The "acidic" urine would dissolve any that had formed and prevent any new stones or crystals from developing.
Preventing cat bladder stones can be achieved by diet depending on the type of stone, as some types of feline bladder stones require the urine to be alkaline. The best prevention is to make sure your cat has plenty of fresh water to flush out any concentrations of crystals so they can not form. Dry food should be avoided as this causes dehydration in the urinary tract and is counter productive for flushing out the system.
Symptoms associated with the formation of urinary stones include fever, loss of appetite, lethargy and restlessness, and extreme pain. The animal may also start to show signs of producing only small amounts of urine and worse, not urinating at all. Not producing any amount of urine may mean a complete blockage has occurred. Such a condition is crucial and the cat must be taken immediately to the vet for treatment.
Usually, a complete blockage may require surgery and other proper medical procedures. When the cat has undergone surgery, though, it is still possible that it will contract the disease again. Surgery is not really a guarantee that the pet will not suffer from the disease again.
As a responsible cat owner, you can help prevent the recurrence of the disease. There are ways to treat and prevent the recurrence of bladders stones. One way is to give your pet ample amounts of liquid every day. Liquid or water can help keep the urine pH of animals at a normal level, preventing the formation of struvite stones. Struvite crystals can form and block the bladder when the pH of the urine is too alkaline or acidic. When the pH level of the urine is normal, urinary stones cannot form and therefore, no blockage will occur.
