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Has this ever happened to you?  You find your cat in his litter box, straining to urinate, crying out in pain.  He can't seem to pass any urine.  You take him to the vet, who tells you that your cat's urinary problem is due to cat bladder stones.

Bladder Stones In Cats

A bladder stone, or urolith, is made up from minerals present in your cat's urine.  These minerals sometimes form crystals that stick together to form a stone in your cat's bladder.  The stones can be similar to sand in size, or they may be as big as a small pebble.

Your feline friend may have only one stone, or he could have several dozen.

Why do the minerals form crystals?  There are several theories.  Your cat's urine may be high in minerals due to his diet, or it may be because he has an infection in his bladder.

Cat bladder stones usually take several months to form, but they can grow in just a couple of weeks.

Symptoms Of Cat Urinary Problems

If your cat suddenly starts urinating in places other than his litter box, this can indicate that he's having a urinary problem.You may observe him licking his bottom more often than he normally does.

Blood in the urine is another symptom to watch for.  It can sometimes be hard to see this in cats as they usually go in the litter box.  But if he's urinating outside his box, you may see it.

If your cat is straining to urinate, or can't pass any urine, this indicates a blockage.  A urinary blockage is a veterinary emergency, and you need to get your cat to the vet as soon as possible.

Treatment For Cat Bladder Stones

Your vet will probably take some x-rays or do an ultrasound to verify the presence of bladder stones.  Once they are diagnosed, you vet will probably outline two treatment options.

Surgery to remove the stones is one option.  This is the fastest solution to the problem.

The second is to try to dissolve the stones with a special diet.  For many cats, this is a good option.  However, it may not work well for all felines.  The major reason is that it's a slower treatment.  It can take several weeks or months for the stones to dissolve.  During this time your cat will still be passing bloody urine, and may still be straining to urinate.

Diet therapy doesn't work with all stones.  It's helpful if the cat passes a stone so that you vet can analyze it to see what it's made of.  Some types of stones can't be dissolved.

Some cats won't eat the special diet food.  The frustrating part is that if your cat won't eat it, this diet won't be effective.

Are Herbal Pet Remedies The Answer To Cat Bladder Stones?

Many cat owners are turning to herbal pet remedies to help solve cat urinary problems.  These herbal and homeopathic remedies have been used by people across the world for centuries.Natural remedies help to heal the underlying problem instead of alleviating the symptoms.

It's very important to buy these herbal pet remedies only from reputable companies that specialize in producing them.  Do your homework and be sure that the company stands behind its products.  You want to be sure that you find remedies especially formulated for pets.

These natural remedies are inexpensive and readily available.  When using these proven remedies, you don't have to worry about side effects.

Now that you have this information, you can take action to prevent cat urinary problems.  Just click on any link in this article to learn more.