Home

Cat Urine

"Cat Urine color, clarity, smell and testing can be a window into the health of your cat. A test of the urine or urinalysis could indicate diseases such as a urinary tract disease, liver failure and other systemic diseases, such as liver failure and blood problems such as hemolysis (breakdown of red blood cells)."

Cat urine is something that is collected by most veterinarians as part of an examination. Feline urine health is examined based on three criteria:

Urine needs to be analyzed within 2 hours of being collected. If collected at home refrigerate until you bring it to the veterinarian.

What a Feline Urine Test Can Tell You

Urinalysis or the testing of your cat's urine is an indicator of several feline diseases and infections including:

Urinary Tract Disease: your veterinarian will look for blood in the urine (called hematuria).

Puss in the Urine (pyuria): Used to distinguish feline urinary tract disease from other diseases.

Organisms: Many types can be round in urine including bacteria, yeast, fungus and parasites.

Glucose: This is usually not found in feline urine. If it is it could be a sign of diabetes mellitus.

Protein: Too much protein in the blood could indicate kidney disease.

Urine Electrolyte Levels: High levels could indicate kidney disease.

Tumor test: this test can be used to detect cancerous cells or tumors.

What is in Normal Cat Urine?

Normal feline urine is made of the following components:

.05% Ammonia
.18% Sulphate
.12% Phosphate
.6% Chloride
.1% Sodium
.1% Creatinine
.003% Uric Acid
2% Urea
95% water

Normal cat urine production within a 24 hour period is between 20-44 ml/kg.  Each time your cat goes can vary in size, but the 24 hour period should be within the indicated range. The amount of urine produced can indicate certain medical conditions as indicated below:

Normal Amount of Cat Urine

Amount of Urine Produced in 24 Hour Period

Possible Causes

More Urine than Normal
(Feline Polyuria(

Physiological cause, caused by a medication your cat is taking, , pharmacological or caused by disease (pathological)

Less Urine than Normal (called oliguria)

Dehydration, kidney failure (renal failure), or urinary blockages.

No Urine Flow (anuria)

This is an emergency and may be caused by kidney failure, a blockage in the urinary tract, a blockage in the bladder or ruptured bladder.

Seek emergency veterinary care immediately.

Frequency of Feline Urine Tests

In general veterinarians recommend that a urinalysis is done during the normal annual health exam from age 7 on. It should also be done whenever your cat is being examined for an illness.

Feline Urine Appearance

Urine Amount: this depends on how much your cat is drinking and if the kidney if functioning properly (renal health).

Cat Urine color: cat urine is usually yellow or amber. If the urine is cloudy and red it indicates that there is blood in the urine.

Disease may still exist in feline urine that has a normal appearance.

Feline Urine Transparency (turbidity): Normal urine is clear. If it isn't clear it could indicate some type of disease is present.

Cat Urine odor: Smell such as a strong ammonia like odor might indicate a bacterial infection (sepsis). A weak ammonia odor is normal. An odor that smells like a paint solvent (acetone odor) or sweet smell may indicate diabetes mellitus, acetonemia (when the body burns fat for energy instead of glucose or sugar, indicates an insulin problem).

Cat Urine Collection

There are several ways to test feline urine. These Include:

Cat Urine Health

The cat urinary system is made up of several parts of the body including:

Problems with infection and other urinary problems start when one of the above becomes obstructed or blocked or if the urinary system is out of balance. Diet plays an important role in urinary health. You might also want to research a natural dietary supplement such as PetAlive UTI-Free Formula which contains ingredients specifically for the cat urinary tract.

Cleaning Cat Urine

Cleaning cat urine should be done as soon after an accident happens. Cats have an excellent sense of smell and will use the odor as a market for where to urinate next. To clean feline urine you can either try a home remedy if caught early or enzyme based urine removers such as Nature's Miracle Stain & Odor Remover which was selected by Good Housekeeping as a best pick. Odor removal in outside areas requires an enzyme based cleaner made for that purpose or natural approaches such as orange peels or repellent plants. Urine removal from carpet involves soaking the area with an enzyme ased cleaner. It can take 2 weeks for a carpet to dry and for odor to go away after treatment.

Sources:

FLUTD: Are you Missing the Correct diagnosis?
J.P. Lulich
College of Veterinary Medicine
University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN, USA.

Urinalysis and Urine Sediment - IVIS
Mary M. Christopher, DVM, PhD, DACVP, DECVCP
University of California Davis, Department of Pathology, Microbiology, and Immunology School of Veterinary Medicine
Davis, CA, USA

University of Tennessee

 

Help Others with a Cat Urinary Problem

Do you have a cat urinary system related question for our editors or a helpful story to share?

Please include your cat's medical history such as age, sex, breed, medical history, symptoms, diagnosis, diet, changes in behavior, diet and medications.

We will do our best to get back to you quickly (it depends on how many questions we receive each day). If you need an immediate response we suggest using this online cat veterinary answer service that is available 24 hours a day. You only pay for answers that you see and then accept.

[ ? ]

Author Information (optional)

To receive credit as the author, enter your information below.

(first or full name)

(e.g., City, State, Country)

Submit Your Contribution

  •  submission guidelines.


(You can preview and edit on the next page)

Vet Suggestions to Questions from Other Readers

Click below to see contributions from other visitors to this page...

I need help - cat urine burn????? 
My cat has no hair on one of her hind legs on the inside. The skin is red and raised like hives in the pattern of a dried river bed. It has been described …

Rustic Urine Not rated yet
Reader Question: What Causes A Cat To Have Rustic Urine? I have 2 cats that are indoor/ outdoor cats. All of a sudden we have one cat that is peeing …

Cat scooting, not anal glands,but urine rash Not rated yet
My cat is scooting, licking and crying. I took her to vet, but was told it was not the cat anal glands. I was told it was because my cat is overweight …

Cat Urine Smells Horrible Not rated yet
I have a female that is approximately a year old that has been fixed. We then got another female about 3 months ago that is approximately 11 weeks old …

Urinary Blockage in Male Cat Not rated yet
My cat, Baggins was leaking urine which I knew was not normal. But he ate food and drank alot of water..which I thought was ok. \ Then he disappeared …

Click here to write your own.


To Cat Health Guide Home