My cat has alkaline urine and strong, smelly pee. What should I do?

The best and most effective treatment to adjust a cat’s urine pH is to start a special prescription diet. Royal Canin, science diet and Purina all make prescription diets with additives to make the urine more acidic. This will also help to prevent urinary tract infections. These diets can be purchased in many pet stores and online as well but they do require the OK from your veterinarian. The diets will begin to take affect within two weeks and it is recommended to retest the urine one month after starting the new diet. I hope this helps.

Hello and thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Sometimes it may be normal for a kittens urine to have a stronger odor especially if the urine is very concentrated. You may want to try feeding an all canned diet with water mixed in to help reduce the urine concentration. However, sometimes a UTI can cause a change in urine odor. As long as Beasty is using the litter box normally and not having urinary accidents or going urinating small amounts frequently, I would be less concerned about a UTI. However, if changes in her urination habits occur (like straining to urinate, frequent urination, crying while urinating) or if she stops eating or drinking or becomes lethargic it would be a good idea to schedule a vet visit. Also, if the urine odor persists you may want to bring a sample to your veterinarian to have it evaluated. I hope this is helpful!

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Increased drinking in cats with a urine that has a strong odor is concerning for a couple possible medical issues, such as diabetes, a urinary tract infection, a kidney issue, or another underlying issue. I would recommend having Missy be evaluated by a veterinarian to determine if she has an underlying condition that needs to be addressed, have any diagnostic testing done (urinalysis, bloodwork, etc) and a treatment plan made if needed. Good luck!

Hi and thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! The strong ammonia smell is likely due to the urine being concentrated (not diluted by water intake). Male cat urine also has a special "scent" for marking. Neutering will help with this. The yellow stool will require a fecal from your veterinarian to check for parasites. Hope this helps!

Poor Chance! He could also be suffering from an Urinary tract infection. A lot of animals who have diarrhea will develop an UTI. What happens in some poop may get on the tip of his penis and then the bacteria will ascend up the urethra and into the bladder causing an infection. The diarrhea may just need a little more time to resolve. When you call the vet tomorrow I would just see if they can recheck him to check his bladder and urine and also to make sure he isn't becoming dehydrated. I hope this helps!

Hello and thank you for reaching out to Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. There is nothing necessarily that should make your cat's urine smell like garlic, but it may be possible that Butter's urine is just much more concentrated than your other cats. I would ensure that she is drinking enough water and not dehydrated, as dehydration leads to concentrated, very smelly urine. If she seems to be drinking a comparable amount to your other cats, I would not be worried. If she is acting abnormal in any other ways, I recommend having her seen by your veterinarian for an exam and a urinalysis. Your vet can test the urine for any abnormal chemicals such as sugar or ketones, or test for infection, that may cause it to smell different from your other cats. I hope this is helpful!

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Beatrice. Royal Canin Veterinary Diets makes a prescription urinary diet as does Purina ProPlan Veterinary Diets. These options may be better for her if the current diet is not helping the crystals. This should be verified by frequent urine examinations. Adding more moisture to her diet through water or canned food will help dilute her urine. This will help as well. I hope this information helps!