Tips For Preventing Bladder Stones In Cats
If you've ever had any experience with a cat bladder stone, you want to know why this happened to your cat and how to prevent it from happening in the future. Read on to learn what causes bladder stones in cats, and how to prevent them.
Why Do Bladder Stones In Cats Happen?
Researchers have several theories on this. Quite a few researches believe that stones form as a result of high mineral levels in the urine. This can be due to a bladder infection or from his diet. When the mineral levels get too high, crystals form. These crystals grow and form stones in your cat's bladder. These stones can be very small, about the size of a grain of sand, or they can grow to the size of a small pebble.
Passing urine can be very difficult for your cat if one of his ureters (the tube that runs between his kidney and his bladder) or his urethra is blocked by a stone.
Tips For Preventing Bladder Stones In Cats
The most important thing you can do is to start feeding your cat a high quality canned food. Cats who eat dry food exclusively are more prone to developing bladder stones because they are usually chronically dehydrated. Cats have evolved to get most of their water from their prey. A mouse is over 90% water, so a cat in its natural environment doesn't need to drink as much water.
Most canned foods have a moisture level of about 78%. You can see that feeding your cat canned food will help prevent him from becoming dehydrated. Cat bladder stones can form when a cat is dehydrated, because the urine is very concentrated.
Provide lots of fresh clean water for your cat to drink. It's best to give him filtered water to be sure it's pure. A cat that drinks plenty of water will have dilute urine, which is helpful in preventing bladder stones.
Some cat owners give their cats a supplement containing cranberry. Cranberry is an herbal remedy that prevents bladder stones by making the urine more acidic. It also helps to prevent cat bladder infections, too.
Herbal Pet Remedies Can Help Prevent Cat Urinary Problems
People have been using herbal remedies like uva ursi and barberry to treat and prevent urinary problems for centuries. Homeopathic remedies are also becoming very popular.
Pet owners are also asking if herbal pet remedies will work on cats. The answer is yes. The advantages of these remedies is that not only are they safe and effective, but they're inexpensive, and don't have any side effects.
However, it's extremely important to buy products that are formulated especially for animals. You'll want to purchase herbal pet remedies only from reputable companies that stand behind their products.
Natural remedies for cat urinary problems can help treat and prevent the problem of cat bladder stones. Just click on any link in this article to learn more.
Nov 24, 2009 | 0 | cat care tips
