Basal glucosuria in cats

Area of Science:

• Veterinary Medicine
• Clinical Chemistry
• Urology

Background:

• Standard urine dipstick tests may not detect low levels of glucose in feline urine.
• Previous assumptions about glucosuria in cats often linked it to diabetes mellitus or kidney disease.

Purpose of the Study:

• To demonstrate the widespread presence of glucose in the urine of healthy, euglycemic cats.
• To establish reference ranges for urinary glucose concentration and the glucose-to-creatinine ratio (UGCR) in cats.
• To highlight the limitations of standard dipstick tests and the importance of sensitive assays.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective analysis of 325 feline urine glucose measurements from an electronic database.
• Exclusion of cats with specific diseases (kidney disease, hyperthyroidism, diabetes mellitus) and treatments.
• Quantification of urinary glucose using a highly sensitive assay (Gluco-quant Enzyme Kit) and calculation of UGCR.

Main Results:

• 93% of analyzed feline urine samples showed glucose concentrations above the assay's detection limit (0.11 mmol/L).
• No positive results were observed using standard urine dipstick tests (Combur 9-Test).
• Median urinary glucose concentration was 0.389 mmol/L and median UGCR was 0.0258.
• UGCR was not significantly affected by age, gender, breed, or leukocyturia, but was slightly higher in cats with hematuria.

Conclusions:

• The study confirms the presence of 'basal glucosuria' in the majority of healthy cats.
• Basal glucosuria is not indicative of diabetes mellitus or renal disease in cats.
• Results emphasize the need to consider sensitive assay detection limits when interpreting feline urine glucose.