My cat has shiny urine crystals. Does he need an emergency vet now?
Updated On September 23rd, 2025
Pet's info: Cat | Domestic Shorthair | Male | neutered | 7 years and 4 months old | 15.4 lbs
I believe my cat has crystals in his urine. I was cleaning out the litter box and the piles looked shiny. Then in some of the urine there were small pieces that looked like hair with crystals in it. I know these can lead to blockages and am very worried about that happening since he’s a male. Does he need to go to the emergency vet?
4 Answers
Most Helpful Answer
Published on November 13th, 2021
As long as he is urinating within his usual frequency and volume and does not have any discomfort or blood with the urine I would not be immediately concerned with regards to an emergency visit unless anything changes. I would recommend submitting a urine sample to your vets office for analysis - you can use special urine collection litter in order to collect this from his litter tray. Your vet team can then assess concentration, pH and presence of microscopic crystals which can help to evaluate urinary health. A wet diet, or a dry diet specifically formulated to reduce crystal formation can be used to lower risk also.
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
Related Answers from Veterinarians
-
Published on July 8th, 2017
If he is urinating a normal amount just in abnormal locations he can wait till monday. At anytime if he struggling to urinate, straining or acting painful I would recommend taking him to an emergency clinic. Crystals in the urine can plug the urethra and when cats cannot pee it is a medical emergency. I would recommend looking for UTI and placing houdini on a prescription food to dissolve the crystals and prevent them from coming back.
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
-
Published on March 5th, 2019
It's definitely a sign to be worried about but many cats tend to do this as a behavioral issue rather than a medical one so i wouldn't panic either but i would recommend taking a urine sample for analysis.
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
-
Published on November 10th, 2018
It's very likely he is sore and uncomfortable due to the catheterisation, this can carry on for a few days. it's very important that he gets pain killers and anti inflamatories as well as antibiotics. he can get blocked again, it's pretty common too, you need to monitor him very closely to make sure he is urinating and improving, if he isn't you need to take him back to the vet.
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
My cat has been peeing in odd places and has crystals in his urine. Should I find an emergency clinic or will he be okay to wait until Monday?
Hi, this morning I found that my cat has peed on the floor (she’s never done this before) but it would appear that it has some sort of fine granules/crystals in it. She’s still her vocal and energetic self; no change in behaviour, but is this cause f
I have a 16yrd male cat that has started peeing in things beside his litterbox. He peed in my clothes basket & it was a lil darker & looked crystallized. He would never use litter in a box I used newspaper or papertowels. Is there anything I can do t
This is my first time using pretty litter and I got some alarming results. My cat's pee turned green which according to the bag means crystal formations/urinary blockage. What can I expect when we see the vet tomorrow?
My cat has bladder crystals and had a flare up yesterday. Tonight after I took a shower he’s laying in the tub he’s never done that before should I be worried??
My cat Bleu just peed on my husband's clothd on the floor and he never does this. Hes has Crystal's before but he didnt act like this the last time. Should I be worried?
Our cat was crying a lot (and still is) when he urinated and it was bloody. We aren’t sure if he’s really sick and needs to go to an emergency vet.
My cat is on Science Diet C/D because of previous urinary crystals. He's been doing totally fine but the vet is forcing me to come in for a check up before he'll refill the RX. It's been 6 months since his last check up. It is really stressful to
Hi. I have a cat with crystals in urine. He is on all wet food but still must not be feeling well as he wants to pee outside the litter box Last crystal episode was only 1month ago. Loody pee. Veg gave antibiotic and we put on all wet food. All
I am going to be removing my 9 yr. old male cat from Hills Science Diet Urinary Tract food and putting him on Purina Pro Plan Urinary Tract Formula. He had a blockage 2 yrs ago that was "fixed" with fluids and antibiotics. How long does it normally t
Book an appointment with the pros – our expert vets are here to help.
