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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

Answered By Lindsey Edwards MVB, BSc, IVCA

Veterinarian

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

Answered By Susan England-Foster
Veterinarian
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
Answered By David Elbeze, DVM, MRCVS
Veterinarian
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
Answered By David Elbeze, DVM, MRCVS
Veterinarian
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

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