Ever Need a Urine Sample from your Cat? (Kit4Cat Review + video)

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How many of you have ever had to get a urine sample from your cat?  It really is no easy task. About 2 months ago, I noticed Oliver was acting different.  He was still playing but not as much and the clumps of urine were getting smaller in his litter box. It is hard to tell which cat did what in the litter boxes because we have 3, and they all share, but that mothers intuition was kicking in.  I just knew something was wrong.

I stayed up all night with Oliver in the basement trying all kinds of fake litter to try to get a urine sample.  First I tried the plastic beads the vet gave me.  There were so few beads, even in the smallest box we had Oliver didn’t think there was any litter in there so he wouldn’t go. Plus, since it didn’t feel or look like litter, even if we had more beads, I don’t think he would have went in the litter box.

Then I read online that you can use rinsed safflower seeds because their shells are hard and do not absorb liquids.  I happened to have a big bag on hand and tried that. Oliver sniffed it and walked away.

Then I tried packing peanuts, cut up plastic drinking straws and clear plastic wrap over his regular litter, each in their own litter box. He refused all 3.

After almost 16 hours of Oliver not using the bathroom, I gave up, and let him out of the basement. He ran right to the litter box we had left in the kitchen for the other cats to use, and pardon my language, but pissed his brains out.  Luckily I still had the urine sample cup in my hand so lifted his tail, and much to his dismay shoved the cup under his bum to get a sample.  He was in the largest litter box we have so he had room to sort of walk around while peeing, so that meant he ended up peeing on me half the time.  I didn’t care, I had the urine sample.

The vet said the sample had a TON of crystals in it, as well as an infection and blood. Awesome.  We started him on Hill’s® Prescription Diet® s/d® Feline Dissolution wet food as well as an antibiotic with instructions to bring in another urine sample in 30 days.

When the 30 days was almost up, I did more research on how to get a urine sample from a cat and saw that lots of pet parents swore by: Kit4Cat Hydrophobic Sand

kit4cat review urine sample

Kit4Cat is a revolutionary biodegradable hydrophobic sand that has a natural non-toxic urine repelling coating. It allows veterinarians, technicians, and cat owners to quickly and easily collect a cat’s urine sample, without resorting to invasive procedures such as Cystocentesis.

To use, simply spread the contents of a 2-pound bag of Kit4Cat sand into a clean and empty litter tray, and let the cat freely urinate onto the sand. The cat’s urine will stay on top, allowing you to collect the urine using the pipette and vial that are included in every bag of Kit4Cat.

How to Use Kit4Cat

Collecting a urine sample with Kit4Cat is non-invasive, keeping the cat and its owner happy, and the vet and technician scratch-free. Kit4Cat feels and smells just like regular sand, so cats are very cooperative patients when you need to collect a urine sample.Kit4Cat Bag If you have a diabetic cat, you can easily collect frequent samples in the comfort of your home.

It was pretty expensive at $15.49 for two pounds, but I figured that was a heck of a lot cheaper than paying for the vet to to do a cystocentesis, plus I wanted to keep Oliver as stress-free as possible.

I got home from work one night after it arrived, poured the sand in a clean, empty litter box and put Oliver in the bathroom with it.  Within minutes I heard him frantically trying to cover the urine in the box, which magically kept rising back to the top.  I calmed him down with some kisses and treats.  I grabbed my camera because it was the perfect opportunity to do a video review.  Please excuse me if I sound a bit delirious, it was after midnight when I shot this!

When I dropped this urine sample off at the vet, I explained I had used Kit4Cat.  The vet called back a few hours later excited to tell me that the crystals were ALL gone!  He had also done some other tests on Oliver’s urine to make sure that the  Kit4Cat didn’t interfere with any testing and was happy to report it didn’t affect any of the tests at all!  He said he could see the sand in some of the tests, but that he was able to see through it so it didn’t pose any issues.

I am going to continue using Kit4Cat anytime I need to get a urine sample from any of my cats! This stuff is not cheap, but if you have ever struggled to get a urine sample for your cat, you will appreciate how easy and quick this method is.  Trust me, it is worth every penny.  In case you were wondering if you could reuse the sand -once the bag is opened, and Kit4Cat is exposed to air, it has a shelf-life of 72 hours.

 

 


I purchased Kit4Cat with my own money.  I was not compensated to do this product review. However, this post does contain Amazon Affiliate links. All opinions are my own.

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8 thoughts on “Ever Need a Urine Sample from your Cat? (Kit4Cat Review + video)

  1. Carrie Phelps

    I also had a cat with a bladder infection. I locked her in the bathroom with her empty, clean cat box and she peed in it. I was able to collect her urine to have her treated.

    Reply
  2. krystal

    I have never had to get a urine sample for a pet before, but I can imagine that it must be no easy task. I think that is really cool that the urine just sits on top of the sand and you just suck it up like that. Definitely looks like a better choice than getting peed on!

    Reply
  3. Jamie

    Wow – never heard of having to do such a thing. Amazing how in today’s world, there is something for almost everything!! Great post! #ThrowbackThursdayLP

    Reply
  4. Yona Williams

    lol…poor kitty trapped in the basement and had to ‘piss his brains out’ – that was TOO funny. I couldn’t imagine a cat actually standing still where you can lift the tail and get a sample. I’ve never had a cat before and always had dogs, and getting a poop sample from a sick dog is not hard, but quite unpleasant.

    Reply

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