Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
How common is protein in urine in healthy and sick cats
By López, Maria Cristina et al.·Published in Open veterinary journal·2021·Hospital Clí, Spain·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Is proteinuria a rare condition in apparently healthy and sick cats? A feline practice experience (2007-2018).
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A study found that many cats, both healthy and sick, had increased levels of protein in their urine, which can indicate kidney problems. Out of 112 cats examined, nearly 55% showed signs of proteinuria, with a higher percentage in those already showing symptoms of chronic kidney disease (CKD) like weight loss or increased thirst. This suggests that even cats that seem healthy could have underlying kidney issues. Regular health check-ups that include urine tests can help catch these problems early, allowing for better management of kidney disease.
People also search for: cat kidney disease symptoms · protein in cat urine treatment · healthy cat annual check-up importance
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Proteinuria is assumed to be less frequent in cats than in dogs and is mainly associated with chronic kidney disease (CKD). AIM: The current study aimed to evaluate and compare urine protein-to-creatinine (UPC) values retrospectively in cats visited for comprehensive annual health check or for presenting systemic clinical signs related to CKD. METHODS: UPC ratio was retrospectively evaluated in 112 owned cats, out of which 51 (45.5%) were apparently healthy cats according to their owners who visited for comprehensive annual health checks and 61 (54.5%) sick cats, presenting systemic clinical signs suggesting CKD, such as weight loss or polyuria/polydipsia, among others. RESULTS: Based on UPC, the present study found that 54.5% of all cats included were borderline proteinuric or proteinuric, having increased UPC (UPC ≥ 0.2), with 35.7% included in the sick group and 18.7% in the health-check group. Increased UPC was also statistically associated with azotemia and isosthenuria (urinary-specific gravity between 1,008 and 1,035) in both sick and health-check groups of cats. CONCLUSION: Independent of the reason for their medical visit, it could be concluded that borderline proteinuria and proteinuria were statistically mainly related to CKD in cats. Furthermore, the measurement of UPC could be very useful in the detection and management of CKD in apparently healthy cats during a medical visit for annual health check irrespective of the age.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34722216/