Overview:
Frequent urination (polyuria)
goes hand in hand with frequent drinking (polydipsia).
It isn't a disease but a symptom of a medical problem.
It is defined as the excessive production & elimination
of urine. There are many causes of frequent urination
in cats which we will look at in this article. Frequent
urination differs from urgent urination in that the
cat produces excessive amounts of urine whereas in urgent
urination, the cat may visit the litter tray frequently
but only pass small amounts of urine & sometimes
none at all.
What
are
the causes of polyuria/polydipsia in cats?
There
are many causes of polyuria/polydipsia, some of which include;
Frequent
urination without passing much liquid may be a cause of
a UTI (urinary tract infection).
Frequent
passing of small amounts of urine either with or without
straining may be caused by FLUTD.
This is a medical emergency & veterinary attention
must be sought immediately.
Diagnosis
of
polyuria/polydipsia:
Your
veterinarian will perform a physical examination of your
cat & obtain a medical history including any medications
your cat is on which could have resulted in this. He will
palpitate the abdomen to feel the size of the kidneys
& liver, check for vaginal discharge & palpitate
the thyroid gland.
He
will want to perform some tests to determine the cause
of the frequent urination. These tests may include;
- Complete
blood count, Chemistry profile (biochemistry profile),
Urinalysis
to evaluate for diabetes mellitus acromegaly & hyperadrenocorticism
(hyperglycemia, ketones, glucose, low urine specific
gravity) , liver disease (hyperbilirubinemia; decreased
BUN; increased ALT, ALP, GGT, bilirubinuria), renal
disease (elevated BUN & creatinine with a decreased
urine specific gravity, hyperphosphatemia), hyperthyroisism
(increased ALT and or ALP, mild increase in PCV, low
urine specific gravity) & hypokalemia.
- Total
T4 to evaluate for hyperthyroidism.
- Abdominal
x-ray or ultrasound may help identify pyometra, renal
disease & liver disease.
- Water
depravation test to see if the volume of urine decreases.
This is typically performed after common causes of polyuria
have been excluded to evaluate for diabetes insipidus
& psychogenic polydipsia. It should not be performed
on cats with renal insufficiency.
How
is
polyuria/polydipsia treated?
Treatment
depends on the underlying cause.
Fluid
therapy may be necessary in cats which are dehydrated.
References:
For
further info on some of the terms used in this article,
please read our glossary
page.
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