Surgery for Bladder Stones in a Cat

Cats suffering from bladder stones exhibit a number of tell tale signs including straining to urinate, urinating in abnormal places, licking the genitals and blood in the urine. These are classic symptoms for what is known as feline idiopathic cystitis. Some cats exhibit no symptoms when suffering from bladder stones, but may experience bladder infections that will not resolve normally following antibiotic treatment.

  1. Diagnosis

    • The mere knowledge of bladder stones present in a cat is not the completion of a diagnosis. A veterinarian cannot act until she knows what type of bladder stones she is dealing with. Initial steps include surgical removal of the stone for analysis, retrieval of the stone through normal passing, or retrieval of the stone via cystoscope or urinalysis.

    Types

    • Two types of bladder stones can impact a cat: struvite stones and calcium oxalate stones. Both struvite and calcium oxalate crystals can form in the bladder of the cat, but they do not typically become harmful unless they form into stones, as they can cause blockages. Urinary blockages are detrimental to the health of the cat because they prevent urine passing and allow for a build-up of toxins in the bladder, causing serious illness.

    Surgical Removal

    • Struvite crystals and stones can be dissolved through changes in diet, and so rarely require surgical removal. Calcium oxalate crystals cannot be dissolved through dietary changes, and must be removed via cystotomy. This surgical process involves anesthetizing the cat, then creating an incision in the belly. The surgeon will lift the bladder into view, open it and remove any present stones. The bladder has to be closed in several separate layers, then the belly is closed as well. Following this surgical procedure, the veterinarian will administer both antibiotics and pain medication. The cat will likely remain under veterinary observation for one to two days so that urination can be observed following the operation.

    Alternative Treatment

    • In situations where the bladder stones are small, and the patient in question is a female, an instrument known as a cystoscope is used to retrieve stones from the bladder. This instrument is long and skinny and has a small retrieval accessory that is like a basket. The urethra in the male cat is much too small to accommodate a cystoscope. With larger stones, lithotripsy is used, which is a laser procedure that breaks the stone down into smaller, manageable pieces that can be removed using the cystoscope.

    Prevention

    • While diet will not dissolve calcium oxalate stones, a proper diet can help to prevent their formation. Several commercially available cat foods are designed to provide normal calcium content, citrate for the binding of urinary calcium and a moderate level of magnesium. Examples include C/D multicare diet from Hills, S/O from Royal Canin and Eukanuba Moderate pH/O from Iams. Canned foods are preferable to dry foods because they offer a better water content, helping to produce a dilute urine with the desired pH.