Related
Question:
I've been told that if
my male kitty is neutered he will get some kind of stones or minerals in
his urine that could plug him up. If this happens he could die or
will need surgery to keep it from happening. Is this true?
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Answer:
cat... struvite
crystals... neuter
This theory (myth) has proven to be true. Some male
and female cats do excrete urine that has a higher than average
potential to develop tiny mineralized crystals. Usually these
crystals are voided in the urine, but if bacteria are present or the cat
drinks very little water the tiny crystals bind together with other
substances in the urine and increase in size, sort of like hail stones in
a thundercloud.
These accumulations of minerals are called urinary
calculi and the most common one in cats is called a struvite
stone. They can be the size of a grain of salt or as big as a
marble.
The blockage happens in males, neutered or not, more than females
due to the longer and more narrow urethra (the tube running from the
bladder to the "outside") in male cats. If mucous,
bacteria, and tiny crystals get started along the urethra during urinating
but become entrapped in the very narrow penile urethra, a blockage can
occur. Yes, these episodes can be serious but a switch to a select
therapeutic diet eliminates about 95% of these blocking
episode. Have a urine sample checked at least once a
year!
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