Crystals In Cat Urine Images

Many believe that this is due to cats eating commercial foods that acidify the urine.

Crystals in cat urine images.

Some normal animals can have crystals in their urine although sometimes they are indicative of an underlying issue especially if present in large numbers or accompanied by urinary symptoms. Male cats are far more likely to form urine crystals than females but that doesn t mean females can t be affected. The crystals themselves can be perfectly normal but become problematic when they combine to form grit or stones of varying shapes and sizes. These crystals can be observed under low magnification particularly when seen in large number however low numbers may only be seen at higher magnification.

In some urine samples they do not have irregular protrusions but have smooth borders and can resemble calcium carbonate although these do not occur in the urine from dogs and cats. Urinary crystals are microscopic structures that can be found in the urine of many animals including cats. Struvite specifically is a material that is composed of magnesium ammonium and phosphate. Struvite crystals are microscopic crystals that are found in the urine of some cats.

Interestingly these crystals used to be extremely rare but now account for roughly half of feline urinary crystals. Crystalluria is a medical condition where crystals are expelled into the urine. It was formerly referred to as feline urological syndrome or fus.