# What IS THIS? Sparkling pee



## Astarael (Feb 20, 2013)

So I've noticed since I've had Mia, she's had a bad habit of peeing on things (I pinned it down to insecurity, usually arising after meeting new people/animals and their scent was every where). 

She just peed on my blanket and her pee was normal....but it had sparkles?

Which I can only assume is some kind of bad mojo in her peepee. Is it a UTI or is she passing kidney stones?

I'm feeling its safe to assume that I'm making an appt with a vet asap.  I haven't had to see a new one since I moved so this is gonna be double nerve wracking.. Sigh. It's okay though. Life happens and Mia is more important than that. Boo!

Anyways, her pee has never had this problem (I check because I'm kind of paranoid) but has anyone got an idea of what this sparkly urine means??


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## Astarael (Feb 20, 2013)

We have an appt with the back up vet now. Hate to bump my own thread but apparently a sign of UTI/infection is peeing on soft, flat surface, in which case this has been going on for as long as I can remember. Also, peeing outside the litter box. Hoping its just super low grade infection. We have an appt this afternoon, wish us luck!


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## librarychick (May 25, 2008)

Peeing out of the box, especially on soft things, is the #1 sign of a UTI.

Don't feel too bad though. It took me almost a year of having Jitzu to find that out, and it turned out she'd had a pretty bad UTI for most of that time - probably. It actually took ME getting a UTI to clue in.

I had awful back pain and had to pee constantly...she was super touchy about people touching her back, and peed on everything. I felt awful about it.

However, you can't beat yourself up too much. Good luck at the vet! I hope it's an easy fix and she'll feel better right away


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## dt8thd (Jan 7, 2013)

Best of luck to you and Mia today at the vet! I hope Mia, and by extension you, are feeling better soon!


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## 10cats2dogs (Jun 16, 2013)

Astarael wishing you and Mia a speedy diagnosis and it all gets sorted out, so you both can feel better!


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## Astarael (Feb 20, 2013)

Any science ehind whhy its soft things that they pee on? Just curiosu! interesting though.

We're having to collect a urine sample, but of course she didnt have any pee in her bladder when I went! Vet said she looks very healthy, she was really active and bright eyed in the waiting room, didn't hiss/bite/and only scratched when I had to pick her up and put her on the scale. 

My anxiety was not even slightly warranted, I'm just paranoid!!!

Anyways, for an in house urinalysis where they are looking for sediments, I feel like $65 is a little high (But I'm totally willing to pay). Just wondering how reasonable this is for a urinalysis. Vet was totally affordable and was not my normal vet, and I've never had one done but we'll see.


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## librarychick (May 25, 2008)

That's cheaper than what I've had to pay.

However, not having urine in her bladder can be a sign of urinary issues. They feel like they have to go all the time, so they don't hold it...makes collecting a sample a pain in the bum.

Also, keep in mind that since cats are prey animals they do a great job of hiding most signs of illness, especially in strange surroundings. I'd wait for the urinalysis to come back before you're sure it's not a big deal.

The best way for urine to be collected is in the vet's office, urine collected at home can give you a general answer...but it's not as useful to diagnose some issues. The sample also needs to be as fresh as possible when you get it to the vet. Cat urine does crystallize naturally, so an old sample will show some crystals whether your kitty has a health issue or not.

They pee on soft things because they're soft. Basically, if going in the box hurts they try and find a surface they find comforting to pee on.


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## Astarael (Feb 20, 2013)

Oh boy, no bueno. That makes me concerned b/c I didn't see her pee before we left but I was at school as well so maybe I missed it.

Also for the urine sample, what would be the best course of action? I'm having to syringe it up from some special non-absorbent litter. I was told to refrigerate the syringe after obtaining it if they office was closed. Would that make it worst/better? Should I go back and request they take one? How would they take one? Sorry for all the questions, this is my first real "issue".

Can I entice her to drink? She didn't seem to have any trouble peeing and I haven't noticed a change other than that she's peeing outside of it. Nos straining, no going more/less than usual.

Do you have any tips/helpful links? I'd love to get as much info as possible

ETA: I figured, it was only 10 more than what seemed the "high-end" of the general scale, so I'm not overly concerned!


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## librarychick (May 25, 2008)

Females tend not to have the same severity of issues with UTIs as males. Males have smaller urethras, so they have a much higher chance of becoming blocked...females generally are less likely to block, so you get cases liek Jitzu where she most likely had a UTI for months, and her only symptom ( I thought) was peeing everywhere.

At this stage you collecting it will work fine, here's the method I used:

-Know your vet's hours and plan to do the collection then drive there right away so you get the most accurate results possible.
-Spike some water with tuna juice, then put the bowl of spiked water and Mia into a large hard-sided kennel for a few hours. (yeah, she'll hate it. She may even dump the water and make a big mess...but it helps get the sample)
Take her directly from the kennel to the litter box. if she pees take the sample directly to the vet (after collecting it the way they instructed).
If she doesn't pee put her back in the box for another hour and try again.

IME That's the easiest way to get a fresh sample. I had to do it with Doran a few weeks ago and the little jerk spent all night holding it...on the one hand I was like "Yay! He's feeling better!" and on the other I was like "I need to take a sample to the vet to make sure he's clear...why won't he peee!!!!!!" *sigh*

If it is a UTI and the first course of antibiotics doesn't cure it then the vet should do the collection. To collect sterile urine they use a long needle and collect the urine directly from the bladder. The cat obviously needs to be sedated for that, and the tests they run are typically more expensive and take longer. (They culture the urine to find out what bacteria is causing the problem so they can directly target that bacteria with anti bios.)

At this point though you doing the collection should work.

If my method above doesn't work you'll just need to wait until she pees, if you can't get the sample in right away then refrigerating it is best - it'll slow the process of crystallization - but that isn't ideal.


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## Blumpy710 (Feb 24, 2014)

This happened to my youngest. I had no idea what was going on until she started peeing blood in the bathtub. I brought her in right away. The vet had to keep her overnight to collect urine straight from her bladder. She had a UTI so they shot her up with antibiotics and hydrated her. She was healthy a week later. Her UTI was due to stress.


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## Astarael (Feb 20, 2013)

Sorry for going M.I.A., we're nearing the end of the semester and I'm trying to get through all my classes!

I got the sample really fresh. I heard her pee and then came in right after and had to suck it up in a syringe.  the things we do for love. Anyways she did have Crystal and just recommending switching to c/d prescription pet diet. 

My question is that I feel like the ingredients aren't the best in Science Diet. Would it be better to just switch to a higher quality wet food? I've been feeding her the smallest bag of C/D and it's already running out. I feed BB grain free, and sometimes I put warm water in the food just to make it more moist (which is not a substitute for wet food but yeah). I've been reading about diets and it seems like a low magnesium and low "ash" (do they really put that in cat food?!?!) will help.

I'm wondering if its just her biology. She hasn't peed anywhere and the *visible* crystals seems to be gone which is good, but do I have to feed her C/D for the rest of her life?

Also she was fine.  She is 14.5 lbs of pure muscle! I really liked the vet. Also she was much more comfortable at this vet. She explored the room and was bright eyed and alert. <3 So proud of my bb!!!!


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## librarychick (May 25, 2008)

You've got the exact right idea. High quality wet food, add a bit of extra water, and get a water fountain for her.

You may not need to feed her c/d at all...but you WILL need to keep in mind that she's prone to crystals- which means you'll need to watch for warning signs and make sure she gets as much water as possible.

Search the forum for other threads on crystals, I haven't personally dealt with crystals so other forum members who have may have other suggestions that could help.


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## Astarael (Feb 20, 2013)

Gotcha. I have a fountain for her already, which is a help. I turned up the pump setting so that the flow goes much faster, which I'm hoping makes it fresher, so she'll drink it. I have one regular water bowl too. I try!!

Should I look for specifically low ash/low magnesium cat food? Is Tiki Cat good food? I feel like thats missing a lot of vitamins in it, because its so basic. I was thinking of just sticking with Blue Buffalo, but now i'm not so sure?


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