Analysis of feline urinary calculi and urethral plugs by infrared spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy.

The chemical constituents of 34 feline urinary calculi and five urethral plugs were analysed by infrared spectroscopy. The analysis revealed that 18 (52.9 per cent) of the calculi contained magnesium ammonium phosphate hexahydrate (struvite) as the major component; 10 (29.4 per cent) contained complex ammonium urates (three of them also containing calcium phosphate, mainly on the surface); three were composed of calcium phosphates and three were composed mainly of calcium oxalate mono and dihydrates. The urethral plugs were composed primarily of struvite, but also contained large amounts of organic matter. The examination of 16 selected samples by scanning electron microscopy and electron dispersive x-ray analysis revealed that their crystalline structures were similar to those of canine stones.