Q: My veterinarian is suggesting my cat have a urinalysis. He has suggested it in the past, but I have opted not to go ahead with it. Now that my cat is 10 he’s saying it really would be a good idea. What do you think? One reason I am concerned is that I don’t know how I would “catch” the urine.
Karen Rossi
Spring, Texas
Dear Ms. Rossi,
A: It’s not uncommon for a vet to suggest a urinalysis as part of a routine screening, especially as a cat grows older and becomes more prone to a number of conditions associated with age. Consider that checking urine’s chemical makeup can tell how much glucose it has; high levels suggest a cat has diabetes. If there are blood cells in the urine, it can indicate bleeding somewhere in the urinary system — and perhaps a disease of the kidneys, ureter, bladder, or urethra. A urinalysis can also tell whether there are bacteria present, signifying an infection. Checking the appearance of the urine can also prove helpful in these instances. If it’s not yellowish and clear but instead dark or cloudy, it could mean it contains blood or harmful pathogens that need to be taken care of with an antibiotic.
Sometimes a vet will want to order a urinalysis for a cat regardless of age because a client reports that their pet has been urinating much more frequently or drinking much more water than usual. That can be a sign of kidney disease or diabetes. The vet will also want to check the urine of a cat if the pet is having difficulty urinating, which could indicate FLUTD — feline lower urinary tract disease. Finally, urinalysis can tell the difference between kidney disease —extremely serious — and dehydration — still serious, but not at all to the same degree and much more easily corrected.
As for collecting the urine, the veterinarian will most often take care
of that, either by gentle manual expression, catheterization, or with
a needle through the patient’s skin.
