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My cat has struvite crystals and pees often. Should I see the vet?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Cat | American Shorthair | Female | spayed | 9 years and 3 months old | 11 lbs

My female cat is prone to struvite crystals. The vet always puts her on RC SO wet food and does not give her other meds. She is trying to pee often with very small amounts coming out. Not whining like usual but is grooming the area. I have started feeding her the food. Should I be taking her to the vet as they have only told me to feed her the food I am until problem clears? I want to be responsible but don't want to put her through the stress of the trip if we're on the right course.

2 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Megan, DVM, CVA

Veterinarian

Published on August 6th, 2017

Honestly, if she is prone to structure crystals and has often cystitis or uronsry tract infections then I would consider keeping her on the food long term. I would get the low calorie s/o food as the original one can cause pets to become infected over weight. If she is doing well and you plan to keep her on the food long term then I would only take her in one to ensure the crystals are clear. Then after that and she stays on the food and shows no symptoms then I wouldn't have her Irvine checked all the time. I hope this helps!

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Other Answers

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    Answered By Dr. Strydom, DVM

    Veterinarian

    Published on November 26th, 2017

    A vet visit is always warranted. If you want to try the food and extra water you can as long as she is actually producing urine. If she is not producing urine or keeps straining to urinate then that would be an emergency. In cats prone to crystals you should be keeping her on the urinary diet all the time and not just using it intermittently. The urinary diet keeps the urine pH at a constant level as to keep her body from making crystals. Any deviation from that diet is going to make this a recurrent problem. The diet is not a 100% cure but it sure makes it less likely that she will make more crystals. Same thing with the water. You should be encouraging her to drink more water all the time. You can do this by feeding her canned food only or getting her a water fountain to drink out of (many cats like to drink from running water and if available, will drink more). Finally, some urinary issues can be stress related so I would suggest you use some Feliway products to try to minimize stress: https://www.feliway.com/us#redirected https://www.petco.com/shop/en/petcostore/product/comfort-zone-diffuser-with-feliway-for-cats Hope this helps. Best wishes.

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