The cat urine test kit. (Photo courtesy of Chulalongkorn University.)
Researchers at Chulalongkorn University (Chula) in Bangkok, Thailand, have developed a cat urine test kit for detecting urinary tract diseases that cat owners can use. The kit screens for hematuria, which can indicate kidney disease, gallstones, cystitis or other urinary tract-related diseases.1
“We hope the cat urine test kit will be one of the tools that allow pet owners to monitor their cat’s health regularly. And if the risk of kidney disease, gallstones or cystitis is detected, it can be treated by a veterinarian promptly,” said Lunjakorn Amornkitbamrung, PhD, a postdoctoral fellow at Chula’s College of Science and co-inventor of the cat urine test kit, in a Chula press release.1
Additionally, the project received a grant from the National Research Council of Thailand. Researchers Amornkitbamrung and Kanet Wongravee, PhD, associate professor in Chula College of Science, developed the kit in a pilot project called ‘Thai Inventors, World Inventors.’1
The kit includes a test strip and a vial of liquid. To use, follow these instructions1:
- Take the urine-soaked cat litter and mix it with the solution.
- Drop the solution onto the test strip
- Wait 5-10 minutes to read the results.
Due to its non-invasive nature, the urine testing kit can be used by pet owners to routinely check their cat’s urine for blood, helping to keep their pet’s health in check, according to the press release.1
According to Amornkitbamrung, current methods used by veterinarians to diagnose kidney disease or cystitis in cats include inserting a needle into the cat’s bladder or inserting a catheter to extract urine, which can be painful for the cat. “These diagnostic methods are accurate because samples are taken directly from the cat’s bladder and genitals, but the procedures can be quite painful. Our research team wanted to solve this problem, so we invented a cat urine testing kit to reduce the pain of the diagnostic procedure and symptoms of kidney disease and cystitis,” Amornkitbamrung explained.1
Despite its ease of use and painless procedure, the urine test kit can only detect a level 3 risk of developing kidney disease, gallstones or cystitis.. “The test is performed on cat litter urine by making the sample [of the blood] to be diluted…in the urine. Therefore, the test will detect the presence of blood when the cat is in stage 3, so if the result is positive, the cat owner should take the cat to the vet immediately,” Amornkitbamrung said. According to Chula, there are plans to improve the sensitivity of the test kit, with the goal of allowing it to detect lower levels of hematuria.1
Prevalence of chronic kidney disease, feline idiopathic cystitis and cholelithiasis
Chronic kidney disease is prevalent among older cats, affecting approximately 30% to 40% of cats over the age of 10 and 81% of cats 15 and older. According to VCA Animal Hospitals, clinical signs are only seen when at least 67% to 70% of the kidneys become dysfunctional.two
Meanwhile, feline idiopathic cystitis (FIC) affects 250,000 to 500,000 cats in North America each year, with symptoms including increased urination, hematuria, straining to urinate, painful urination, and soiling the house or urinating outside the litter box.3
Limited literature on cholelithiasis in cats has revealed that gallstones are uncommon in cats and may be asymptomatic. However, symptomatic cholelithiasis may indicate other hepatobiliary disease, biliary tract obstruction, or both.4
References
1. Easy and fast cat urine test kit for early detection of kidney disease, gallstones and cystitis. Press release. Chulalongkorn University. June 18, 2024. Accessed July 1, 2024. https://vcahospitals.com/know-your-pet/kidney-failure-chronic-in-cats#:~:text=It%20is%20mainly%20a%20problem,of%20cats%20over%2015%20years.
2. Chronic Feline Idiopathic Cystitis Study. Michigan State University College of Veterinary Medicine. Accessed July 1, 2024. https://cvm.msu.edu/research/faculty-research/urology/center-for-feline-health-and-well-being-1/chronic-feline-idiopathic-cystitis-study-1#:~:text=Feline%20idiopathic%20cystitis%20(FIC)%20is,cats%20annually%20in%20North%20America.
3. Brunet A, Duperrier‐Simond C, Amoyal S, et al. Prevalence and clinical relevance of cholelithiasis in cats: A multicenter retrospective study of 98 cases. Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine. 2023;37(6):2157-2170. doi:10.1111/jvim.16868
