Crystals In Cat Urine Microscope

It appears that some diets may increase the risk of a cat developing urinary crystals stones and urethral plugs.

Crystals in cat urine microscope.

The crystals themselves can be perfectly normal but become problematic when they combine to form grit or stones of varying shapes and sizes. Struvite oxalate and urate. Struvite crystals are microscopic crystals that are found in the urine of some cats. Crystalluria is a medical condition where crystals are expelled into the urine.

The development of crystals and stones is mostly dependent upon the ph of the urine and the concentration of minerals in the urine. Struvite specifically is a material that is composed of magnesium ammonium and phosphate. Though crystalluria isn t always indicative of an accompanying condition or illness such as a urinary tract infection or kidney stones the formation of crystals puts the cat at an increased risk of these problems. There are three common crystals and stones in cats.

Crystalluria often occurs as part of another condition. 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. 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.