Clinical and Epidemiological Survey of Urinary Stones in Cats
Document Type : Original Article
Authors
Department of Clinical Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Bu-Ali Sina University, Hamedan, Iran
Abstract
Urinary tract stones in cats can have severe and dangerous complications, so evaluation the statistics of affected animals in different geographical areas can be helpful. The most common stone types are calcium oxalate (CaOx) and struvite that prevalence has changed over time. Breed, age, sex, lifestyle and underlying conditions in uence the formation of urinary stones. In this study, 537 cats were evaluated over a six-month period at a veterinary clinic in Qazvin. Approximately 7% of cats have urinary tract stones, that 90% in the bladder and 10% in the kidney. Older male cats are more likely to develop calcium oxalate (CaOx) uroliths, while struvite stones occur in younger female cats. Persian and Domestic Shorthair breeds were most affected and were at greater risk. Urinalysis revealed hematuria (72%), crystalluria (89%), and urine pH >7 (40%). These results highlight value of urinalysis, combined with clinical assessment and imaging, for effective diagnosis and management in feline.
Keywords
[1] Ayoub SM, Mostafa MB, Abdelgalil AI. Studies
on feline lower urinary tract disease in Egypt Cat
population. Journal of Applied Veterinary Sci-
ences. 2024 Jan 1;9(1):61-72.
[2] Dear JD, Shiraki R, Ruby AL, Westropp JL. Fe-
line urate urolithiasis: a retrospective study of 159
cases. Journal of feline medicine and surgery. 2011
Oct;13(10):725-32.
[3] Dvorska J, Saganuwan SA. A review on urolithia-
sis in dogs and cats. Bulgarian Journal of Veteri-
nary Medicine. 2015 Mar 1;18(1):1-8.
[4] Geddes RF, Davison LJ, Elliott J, Syme HM,
O'Neill DG. Risk factors for upper urinary tract
uroliths and ureteral obstruction in cats under
referral veterinary care in the United Kingdom.
Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine. 2023
Mar;37(2):567-77.
[5] Gomes VD, Ariza PC, Borges NC, Schulz Jr FJ,
Fioravanti MC. Risk factors associated with feline
urolithiasis. Veterinary research communications.
2018 Mar;42(1):87-94.
[6] Hesse A, Orzekowsky H, Frenk M, Neiger R.
Epidemiological data of urinary stones in cats
between 1981 and 2008. Tierarztliche Praxis.
Ausgabe K, Kleintiere/Heimtiere. 2012 Apr
1;40(2):95-101.
[7] Hsu HH, Ueno S, Miyakawa H, Ogawa M, Miya-
gawa Y, Takemura N. Upper urolithiasis in cats
with chronic kidney disease: prevalence and in-
vestigation of serum and urinary calcium concen-
trations. Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery.
2022 Jun;24(6):70-5.
[8] Hunprasit V, Pusoonthornthum P, Koehler L,
Lulich JP. Epidemiologic evaluation of feline
urolithiasis in Thailand from 2010 to 2017.
The Thai Journal of Veterinary Medicine.
2019;49(1):101-5.
[9] Kimani, Wilson K., J. Nguhiu-Mwangi, John
D. Mande, and Susan W. Mbugua. "Prevalence
of urinary tract conditions and factors associ-
ated with urolithiasis in domestic cats in Nairobi,
Kenya." (2021): 196-201.
[10] Kopecny L, Palm CA, Segev G, Larsen JA,
Westropp JL. Urolithiasis in cats: Evalua-
tion of trends in urolith composition and risk
factors (2005-2018). J Vet Intern Med. 2021
May;35(3):1397-1405.
[11] Lew-Kojrys S, Mikulska-Skupien E, Snarska A,
Krystkiewicz W. Evaluation of clinical signs and
causes of lower urinary tract disease in Polish cats.
Veterinarn medicna. 2017 Jul 1;62(7).
[12] Lund HS, Krontveit RI, Halvorsen I, Eggertsdottir
AV. Evaluation of urinalyses from untreated adult
cats with lower urinary tract disease and healthy
control cats: predictive abilities and clinical rele-
vance. Journal of feline medicine and surgery. 2013
Dec;15(12):1086-97.
[13] Mendoza-Lopez CI, Del-Angel-Caraza J, Ake-
Chi~nas MA, Quijano-Hernandez IA, Barbosa-
Mireles MA. Epidemiology of feline urolithi-
asis in Mexico (2006{2017). Journal of Fe-
line Medicine and Surgery Open Reports. 2019
Nov;5(2):2055116919885699.
[14] Merck Veterinary Manual. 12th ed. Kenilworth
(NJ): Merck & Co., Inc.; 2023.
[15] Okafor CC, Pearl DL, Blois SL, Lefebvre SL, Yang
M, Lund EM, Dewey CE. Factors associated with
Avicenna Veterinary Research/ Vol. 1, No. 4, Winter 2025 9
hematuric struvite crystalluria in cats. Journal of
feline medicine and surgery. 2019 Oct;21(10):922-
30.
[16] Ortega CJ, Stavroulaki EM, Lawlor A, Lulich
J, Cuq B. Retrospective analysis of 131 feline
uroliths from the Republic of Ireland and North-
ern Ireland (2010-2020). Irish Veterinary Journal.
2023 Feb 6;76(1):2.
[17] Picavet P, Detilleux J, Verschuren S, Sparkes A,
Lulich J, Osborne C, Istasse L, Diez M. Analysis of
4495 canine and feline uroliths in the Benelux. A
retrospective study: 1994{2004. Journal of animal
physiology and animal nutrition. 2007 Jun;91(5-
6):247-51.
[18] Taylor S, Boysen S, Buffington T, Chalhoub S,
Defauw P, Delgado MM, Gunn-Moore D, Korman
R. 2025 iCatCare consensus guidelines on the di-
agnosis and management of lower urinary tract
diseases in cats. Journal of feline medicine and
surgery. 2025 Feb;27(20):1098612X241309176.
on feline lower urinary tract disease in Egypt Cat
population. Journal of Applied Veterinary Sci-
ences. 2024 Jan 1;9(1):61-72.
[2] Dear JD, Shiraki R, Ruby AL, Westropp JL. Fe-
line urate urolithiasis: a retrospective study of 159
cases. Journal of feline medicine and surgery. 2011
Oct;13(10):725-32.
[3] Dvorska J, Saganuwan SA. A review on urolithia-
sis in dogs and cats. Bulgarian Journal of Veteri-
nary Medicine. 2015 Mar 1;18(1):1-8.
[4] Geddes RF, Davison LJ, Elliott J, Syme HM,
O'Neill DG. Risk factors for upper urinary tract
uroliths and ureteral obstruction in cats under
referral veterinary care in the United Kingdom.
Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine. 2023
Mar;37(2):567-77.
[5] Gomes VD, Ariza PC, Borges NC, Schulz Jr FJ,
Fioravanti MC. Risk factors associated with feline
urolithiasis. Veterinary research communications.
2018 Mar;42(1):87-94.
[6] Hesse A, Orzekowsky H, Frenk M, Neiger R.
Epidemiological data of urinary stones in cats
between 1981 and 2008. Tierarztliche Praxis.
Ausgabe K, Kleintiere/Heimtiere. 2012 Apr
1;40(2):95-101.
[7] Hsu HH, Ueno S, Miyakawa H, Ogawa M, Miya-
gawa Y, Takemura N. Upper urolithiasis in cats
with chronic kidney disease: prevalence and in-
vestigation of serum and urinary calcium concen-
trations. Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery.
2022 Jun;24(6):70-5.
[8] Hunprasit V, Pusoonthornthum P, Koehler L,
Lulich JP. Epidemiologic evaluation of feline
urolithiasis in Thailand from 2010 to 2017.
The Thai Journal of Veterinary Medicine.
2019;49(1):101-5.
[9] Kimani, Wilson K., J. Nguhiu-Mwangi, John
D. Mande, and Susan W. Mbugua. "Prevalence
of urinary tract conditions and factors associ-
ated with urolithiasis in domestic cats in Nairobi,
Kenya." (2021): 196-201.
[10] Kopecny L, Palm CA, Segev G, Larsen JA,
Westropp JL. Urolithiasis in cats: Evalua-
tion of trends in urolith composition and risk
factors (2005-2018). J Vet Intern Med. 2021
May;35(3):1397-1405.
[11] Lew-Kojrys S, Mikulska-Skupien E, Snarska A,
Krystkiewicz W. Evaluation of clinical signs and
causes of lower urinary tract disease in Polish cats.
Veterinarn medicna. 2017 Jul 1;62(7).
[12] Lund HS, Krontveit RI, Halvorsen I, Eggertsdottir
AV. Evaluation of urinalyses from untreated adult
cats with lower urinary tract disease and healthy
control cats: predictive abilities and clinical rele-
vance. Journal of feline medicine and surgery. 2013
Dec;15(12):1086-97.
[13] Mendoza-Lopez CI, Del-Angel-Caraza J, Ake-
Chi~nas MA, Quijano-Hernandez IA, Barbosa-
Mireles MA. Epidemiology of feline urolithi-
asis in Mexico (2006{2017). Journal of Fe-
line Medicine and Surgery Open Reports. 2019
Nov;5(2):2055116919885699.
[14] Merck Veterinary Manual. 12th ed. Kenilworth
(NJ): Merck & Co., Inc.; 2023.
[15] Okafor CC, Pearl DL, Blois SL, Lefebvre SL, Yang
M, Lund EM, Dewey CE. Factors associated with
Avicenna Veterinary Research/ Vol. 1, No. 4, Winter 2025 9
hematuric struvite crystalluria in cats. Journal of
feline medicine and surgery. 2019 Oct;21(10):922-
30.
[16] Ortega CJ, Stavroulaki EM, Lawlor A, Lulich
J, Cuq B. Retrospective analysis of 131 feline
uroliths from the Republic of Ireland and North-
ern Ireland (2010-2020). Irish Veterinary Journal.
2023 Feb 6;76(1):2.
[17] Picavet P, Detilleux J, Verschuren S, Sparkes A,
Lulich J, Osborne C, Istasse L, Diez M. Analysis of
4495 canine and feline uroliths in the Benelux. A
retrospective study: 1994{2004. Journal of animal
physiology and animal nutrition. 2007 Jun;91(5-
6):247-51.
[18] Taylor S, Boysen S, Buffington T, Chalhoub S,
Defauw P, Delgado MM, Gunn-Moore D, Korman
R. 2025 iCatCare consensus guidelines on the di-
agnosis and management of lower urinary tract
diseases in cats. Journal of feline medicine and
surgery. 2025 Feb;27(20):1098612X241309176.
)