How do I get a urine sample? Needed SOON!

I have to take my Vinny into the vet tomorrow for a follow up visit to check on his UTI and see what other antibiotic they recommend. The vet tech told me I had to collect a urine sample from Vinny within 8 hours before I bring him in. How on EARTH do I do that? She said to use packing peanuts or non-absorbing cat litter? Can I use some non-clumping cat litter? And won't packing peanuts absorb urine anyway? His appt is tomorrow at 4:45, so I'd like to know soon what to do, so if I have to go buy something early tomorrow morning I can.

Thanks in advance!

If possible, I always just hung around until they had to go and then slipped something small under them at the right moment. (usually a jar lid, something with a lip so it wouldn't run out) Then, if you happen to have a syringe, suck it up in there, cap it and off you go. Or just put it in a small container. (baby food jar, etc)

I've never tried either method they suggested. But I suppose if you confine him with a litter box with the packing peanuts, the urine should go to the bottom. (That's where syringes come in real handy)

Agreed..packing peanuts won't absorb the urine.

Regular cat litter would get the sample awfully dirty, I think. I don't think that would work.

I have heard of people placing a trash bag on top of the litter, so the cat can sort of "feel" the sand under him and will be more likely to go ahead and pee on the top surface (trashbag).

My suggestion would be to put Vinny and his litterbox in a room with a hard floor...with nothing absorbent laying around. He won't want to use the "strange" litterbox...so if there's anything absorbent laying around he will likely choose that, then you won't have a sample. Good luck.

I use the same method as Cinder. I had to get seven samples at once.

I use a small lid, you can also try a baggie. Hopefully your litter box is large enough and has low enough sides so you can get the lid under the cat without disturbing too much. ( remember they pee slightly backwards, not straight down so you have to be pretty careful when placing the catch container. You will get peed on )

Having done this for a few years I have discovered my cats like to pee between 3 and 5 am for some reason! So I lock all of us in the living room, put the favorite litter box right in from of me laying on the couch.

sometimes cleaning the box and adding new litter then putting kitty in there will get them to go as well. My crew can't resist dirtying a nice fresh box immediately.

You don't want any litter particles, or cleaning detergents in whatever you catch and store the urine in. These will cause false results, (usually false positives)

Ok, one more thing about specimen handling. Urinary pH can change very quickly. The sample should be refriderated and kept out of the light until you are ready to head to the vets office.

Good luck! It isn't easy, but is possible.

I guess I'll just try the old clean-the-litter-box-and-pray method, hopefully the baggie or lid thing will catch what i need. I keep my litter boxes in our bedroom (odd i know, but without a basement and 2 relatively small bathrooms, I didn't have much of a choice!), so I can always just hang out and watch tv 'til he opts to go. If I move the box, chances are he won't go, cuz he's picky like that.

Problem is, he usually only pees once during the day, and once overnight, so I hope I can catch him in his one visit tomorrow afternoon!

Maybe I'll try the trash bag over the litter thing, just in case I don't get to him with a baggie or what-not....?

Or would you suggest the packing peanuts?

I had to do this for my other cat Toby, when he went towards the litter tray or out into the garden I would grab anything, usually a mug (its ok we didnt use them again!) and push it under his bum as he weed.

Our vet takes the urine sample with a needle into the kidneys to get a pure sample.
I would like to see the look on my cats faces if I stuck a little cup under them when they were peeing.

Good luck...
let us know if you succeeded.

I have absolutely no idea how I'd go about collecting urine from my cats either ! My vet has always collected urine from my cats via cystocentesis where they draw the urine through a needle. It takes, literally, a few seconds at most and doesn't bother the cat in the least. Much less stress for the cat, and for me! Might be something to ask about.........??

Good luck !!

You can try using fish tank gravel as litter, it will not absorb the urine, so you can tip the litter box and pour the urine into a container and bring it to the vet.

I went with the slip something under the stream of urine method. It was easy and worked well. I started early and put the sample in the fridge until the appointment time. You can mold foil to be the right shape to get under there.

I have no luck getting a urine sample from my kitty. The vet always has to do it, and from what I understand the sample is more "pure" that way. I usually drop him off early in the morning and by lunchtime they are calling me saying they've gotten a sample.

Well, I had absolutely no luck with getting a urine sample from Vinny. He's either too smart, or too dumb, to know better, haha.

I first tried the garbage bag over the litter thing, and after being confined in the bathroom with that litter box and a bowl of water (I even gave him a whole can of wet food to get more fluid in him, as opposed to the normal half-can he gets) for 3 hours, I had nothing. So, I then opted to empty out the litter and try the packing peanuts. He got ANOTHER whole can of wet food and was confined to the bathroom for another 3 hours. I went in every hour to check on him, and all 3 times he had crawled in the box and was laying in the styrofoam! I had about another hour and a half until our vet appointment, so I let him out and thought I could try the cup under the butt thing. No luck. He went in the other box literally right after I let him out of the bathroom, and before I could get the baby food jar I had cleaned out for this.

I let the vet know when I got there, and they said that was ok -- they were able to get a little bit from him there (all they did was squeeze his bladder and just a bit came out -- enough, though, I guess). No blood was visible as it was the last time, and they didn't give me any more medication to put him on, even though I only had him on the Clavamox for 4 days. The vet said he's not going to prescribe an antibiotic until he sees what the urinalysis reads. But...he thinks that it wasn't a full-blown "infection" just an "irritation"...I dunno, we'll see what the urinalysis says. Vinny's peeing normally, too, so hmm....

When i need to take a urine sample from an animal at the shelter, i give them a little bit of anestesia in their vein to knock them out. then i lay them on the ground and a sanitary container under them while pressing down on their bladder- then i can collect the sample in a sanitary manor without distressing the animal or worrying about the owners/foster parents trying to get a sample. It's just easier that way Also, this is much easier on the animal because it doesn't require a needle to the bladder

One. There is a new kit some vet have. We do at the clinic I work at. I think it comes w/a sirynge (not to use on the cat!). You keep the cat in a room w/out a reg pan & when he/she urinates you suck it up w/the syringe and place it in the provided tube (I think it has a preservative. I'll look it up)

Two. I would want to place the cat in a confined room, so it does not pee elswhere, Use a small amout of non absorbent kitty litter. We have small plastic like pellets. Just pick something that the cat uses but wont absorb, and then you can just collect the urine w/a syringe or a turkey baster, or whatever works. (if it is a turkey baster, it really would be good if you used a diff one next thanksgiving. )


Good luck and please let me know how you solved your dilemma.

i can just imagine if i tried to get a urine sample by sticking something under her as she was going? it would NOT work. lol.