Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Cat's urine changes from acid to alkaline after stress despite acid
By Buffington, C A & Chew, D J·Published in Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association·1996·Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Intermittent alkaline urine in a cat fed an acidifying diet.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A cat was brought to the vet after showing signs of stress during a long trip, which led to the detection of alkaline urine. Normally, alkaline urine can indicate a urinary tract infection or dietary issues, but in this case, it was likely caused by stress-related changes in the cat's body. The vet suggested that urine samples taken at home might provide a clearer picture of the cat's normal urinary pH. This approach could help identify if stress is the main issue when alkaline urine is found during vet visits.
People also search for: cat alkaline urine causes · why is my cat's urine alkaline · stress effects on cat urine · cat urinary tract infection symptoms
Abstract
Detection of alkaline urine traditionally sends an alert to the clinician to consider the presence of a urease-producing bacterial urinary tract infection, postprandial alkaline tide, or the ingestion of a diet that is nonacidifying. In the cat of this report, acid urine was produced while the cat was in the home environment, but alkaline urine was produced following the stress of a long trip to the veterinarian's office. Stress-induced respiratory alkalosis was highly suspected as the cause for the alkaline urine. If traditional causes for alkaline urine are not apparent for cats that produce alkaline urine at the veterinary clinic, we suggest that urinary pH be determined on samples collected in the home.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/8926188/