Bolinhas, a 4 year old neutered male cat presented to the clinic for routine vaccinations. According to the owner, he was in excellent health with a good activity level and appetite. On physical examination, Bolinhas was the picture of perfect health aside from his minor weight problem. Before administering the vaccines I asked if there were any health concerns. The owner promptly told me that he noticed some blood spots on the floor 4 days ago. He knew that they came from the cat but could not confirm where they were coming from. He thought nothing of it as it had not happened again and the cat was not exhibiting any abnormal signs. I asked him what diet Bolinhas was on and he explained that the cat only ate dry cat food from the supermarket. I recommended checking Bolinhas urine and stool as these were probably the 2 main potential sources of the blood. He agreed, and we admitted Bolinhas for further testing. The stool came back negative for any parasites or blood. The urine on the other hand showed a completely different story... There was blood in the urine, the pH was 7.5 which is abnormally high, there were large numbers of bacteria indicatiing an infection and there were numberous struvite crystals (crystals that tend to form in a high pH environment). An X-ray was performed and a large bladder stone was found (see below).
We are presently trying to dissolve the stone with a special diet but Bolinhas may require surgery in the long run.
There are 3 lessons to be learnt from this case:
1) Think twice about purchasing your food from a supermarket as most of the foods have not actually been tested on animals (they just meet minimum standards - ie. they may contain the necessary 18% protein but it doesn't necessarily mean that they are using quality protein sources). Purchase your foods from a reputable pet store or veterinarian. We would be happy to talk to you at length about the right diet for your pet. By the way, the "old" school approach of "low ash" doesn't apply any more. New research has shown that "low ash" foods do not protect cats from developing crystals in their urine.
2) Just because they look normal, doesn't mean they are normal. In this situation, Bolinhos looked great, but obviously had a major problem. Please report any abnormal occurances that you notice about your pet to us. We would be happy to discuss with you if these problems are something that needs attention.
3) Since problems like this one are more common than you think, we cannot begin to stress how important it is to have your pet insured. If this cat requires surgery it can get quite expensive and plans are available for this type of problem for less than $10.00 per month. Ask one of our stafff about the plans that are available for your pet