Not all crystals are gems

If you notice a change in your cats behaviour, bring it up to your vet, or just another cat mom, it could save their life! I mentioned briefly how my second cat Knight is a bit skittish, well by a bit I mean a a lot, He only wants pets when your being very still and even then, he makes you really stretch to reach him, you can’t pick him up, kiss him, or make sudden movement or sounds or he goes running. So when he started getting very cuddly me and my fiancé were really happy! He’s finally warming up to us only took a couple years (LOL) but when we found blood and pee on our duvet suddenly the change in Knight’s affection levels became a red flag. We rushed him to the vet, to find out he had urinary tract crystals. They were so bad if we had waited even a day more he could have died! To say I was shocked and scared would be an understatement, now him and Sylvester are our first pets that we are wholly in charge of so the change in his behaviour didn’t tip us off. So make sure to monitor your fur babies and note any changes! My poor kitty was blocked so bad he couldn’t pee without pain and bleeding, and he had to go in for emergency surgery, and be put on a diet of special crystal killing food.

Knights A-Okay now, he’s back to his skittish non cuddly self and we take measures to keep those pesky crystals away. Lots of water(we have several water dishes around the house), lots of play time, that special food in both wet and dry to keep them hydrated, and trying to keep his stress levels down. Scariest cat mom moment right there, I had never even heard of this affliction before this so here is some helpful information:

The crystals are sometimes caused by UTI’s and form in the bladder, they can scrape up your Kittie’s urinary tract or block in entirely. The two most common types of crystals/stones are struvite and calcium oxalate. If your kitty is over 1 year old, a Neutered male, an indoor cat, over weight, doesn’t drink a lot of water They are more at risk to get crystals/stones. That’s not to say other cats that don’t match these traits can’t get them. Warning signs that they have a Urinary issue:

-Urinating outside of the litter box or loss of bladder control

-Straining when urinating, or odd coloured Pink, dark or bloody urine

-Crying out in pain/vocalizing during attempts to urinate

-Licking and other changes in behaviour or energy levels

-Lack of appetite, and swollen belly

If you find any of these contact your vet to get your baby checked right away, it could be the difference between life or death! If you have any stories about your cats ( happy endings please) feel free to share them maybe you’ll help someone else out. Well thanks for stopping by, Lots of Meows! Dee.

Sleepy baby says "bye"