My cat is very thirsty and peeing a lot. What vet tests are best?

Hi there and thank you for using pet coach to address your concern. With your history and knowing he is drinking and urinating quite a bit, I would be concerned about kidney disease or diabetes. I would recommend having a comprehensive blood panel run on pepper to rule these conditions out. I would also have his urine tested as part of a full workup. Blood work is a good place to start as it will help rule out many possible causes of the symptoms you are seeing. I hope this helps! Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns. I am also available via consultation if needed.

I forgot to mention that they will also require a urinalysis in addition to the blood test in order to confirm kidney malfunction exists, before proceeding with the recommended treatments that you mentioned.

A urine test, or [urinalysis](https://www.petcoach.co/article/urinalysis-testing-a-urine-sample/), analyzes a urine sample and may be performed as a part of a wellness screening panel or due to illness. A urinalysis is useful in aiding in the diagnosis of a range of medical conditions, including [urinary tract infection](https://www.petcoach.co/dog/condition/utis-in-dogs), crystals in the urine, [diabetes](https://www.petcoach.co/cat/condition/feline-diabetes) and kidney disease, among many others. Many different parameters are evaluated, including the concentration, pH, glucose, protein, red blood cells, white blood cells, bilirubin, ketones, bacteria, crystals and casts present in the urine. Annual wellness lab tests, including a urinalysis, are typically recommended for most senior pets. However, routine urinalyses are not typically performed on other healthy adult animals. If your pet begins to display changes in their urinary habits, such as urinating more frequently, straining to urinate, having accidents in the house, blood in the urine or is drinking more water, it is likely that your veterinarian will recommend performing a urinalysis.

It's interesting that her blood work was normal with that information. If she is losing weight and urinating a lot, it is possible that she could be losing protein in her urine. A urinalysis would check for this. Hyperthyroidism is another cause for weight loss in an older cat. Thyroid hormones are easily tested for but not commonly found on routine lab work - it has to be specifically requested. Another possible cause for the inappropriate urination and defecation in a senior-aged kitty would be pain from arthritis. It sounds like your vet hasn't quite gotten to the bottom of Olivia's medical concerns. I would take her back in for follow-up so they can move on to the next step in diagnostics. Also, we can never completely rule out cancer, since there is no simple cancer test. It can be a little tricky to find if the body isn't showing us specifically where it could be, but I am hoping that isn't what is going on in this case.

It is fairly rare, but ask your veterinarian if your kitty may be suffering from Cushing's disease or liver disease. Also sometimes cats can still be hyperthyroid, even though the thyroid parameters are within normal limits (this is called euthyroid sick). He could also have a tumor. In any case, this needs to be investigated further.

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Kiki. I recommend that she has a urine culture to see if she has a urinary tract infection. If so, it can spread to the kidneys causing damage resulting in an elevated SDMA. She will also need x-rays of her abdomen to check for bladder stones. If these tests are negative, idiopathic cystitis is common in cats. It is inflammation in the bladder that can lead to blood in the urine. If her veterinarian is concerned with kidney disease, then her blood pressure should be measured. Diet recommendations will be based on her final diagnosis. I hope this information helps!

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your concern. If the veterinarian did not test her urine, I would recommend having her urine tested to see if she is dealing with a urinary tract infection. If she has a UTI, she will need an antibiotic and potentially an anti-inflammatory. If her urine was tested and came back normal, I would recommend providing her with multiple litter boxes with different litter and consider the use of a product called Feliway, which can be found online or at your local pet store. I hope this helps guide you in the right direction. Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further. Please remember to rate this answer as helpful or not. Thank you!