Ok so my cat has cystitis and I've been asked by the vets to try and get a urine sample so they can make sure she doesn't have anything else going on.

I've got the special litter and a syringe etc, but I didn't ask about if I am successful, whether I need to put the sample in the fridge before I am able to drop it at the vets.

Does anyone know?

We don't refrigerate human urine specimens before sending them to the lab so I would advise not to. The microscopy is more likely to identify bacteria when the sample has been kept at room temperature. However, we try to send the samples to the lab while they are still relatively 'fresh'. I don't know about vet practice - is there not a 24 hour number at your practice that you can ring to ask for advice on this?

I hope your poor little cat is improving/ responding to treatment. She's quite young to have cystitis.

I'm surprised the vet can't somehow get a sample in the surgery. When we had a dog (I appreciate a dog not cat) some years ago with an ongoing medical condition, the vet used to extract a sample from him then and there. Perhaps I am showing my ignorance.

It really needs to be fresh, so put the litter down tonight and collect it tomorrow am and drop it straight to the vets, I'm sure chilling it won't have major effects but best to get it straight there if you can.

She's just had a wee now on the special litter, going by how her toilet patterns go, she won't now go again until the morning, I've collected the sample. I phoned the out of hours number and they said to keep it in the fridge and drop it at the vets as early as I can in the morning. They open at 8:30.

She is young to have it yes, the vet thinks it's stress related, possibly related to all the bad weather (she's not keen on the rain/wind) and so that has resulted in her not being able to go outside as much as she'd like and getting stressed.

They're not two until May, I'm gonna rename her "expensive" instead of Lola I think, she's cost the insurance over a grand so far in her little life. She nearly died this time last year from a tummy bug as well. Dave her brother has barely cost me a penny in the same space of time, other than routine stuff.

I've got metacam to give her, and 3 weeks worth of anti-inflammatories to help ease her discomfort. She also had an antibiotic jab when I originally took her in on Friday, am watering down her foods and giving her only soft food. Fingers crossed she's on the mend now. At least she's not dashing in and out of the litter tray every 5 minutes like she was last week

I'm bringing my Lucy for a vet check tomorrow. She is pulling out fur and she has multiple scabs - last time this happened was when I first got her a couple of years ago and the vet said it was due to stress then. I have been wondering what has been causing her stress now - but perhaps it is also due to the bad weather as she is the most outdoorsy of my 3 cats.

It's a shame you can't get a fresh sample of urine but cats are difficult creatures. My cousin's cat had to stay in the vets until she produced some urine because she wouldn't use the special litter in her own home.

Wee test results came back normal. They are confident it is "just" stress related cystitis, and nothing kidney or more sinister related.

Phew!

I needed to make a speedy appointment at the vets for my dog and just in case it would be helpful I decided to take along a wee sample. The thing is I was collecting the sample before I knew when I would get to see the vet and the last time around it had to be as fresh as possible - preferably within the hour. I saw some advice online about refrigerating it - so in the fridge it went! The vet didn't seem surprised when I told him and didn't say whether it was necessary or not.