Q: My cat's all messed up. Peeing everywhere and stuff. In pain from something. Probably a UTI. Also, she's pooping everywhere. So i have a vet appointment for her this afternoon. They said to try and bring in a urin sample. There is a little spot on our basement floor. Would it be okay to soak it up in a paper towel and put it in a plastic bag? Would they be able to extract it from the paper towel? I really don't want them to have to take it from the cat. That's going to hurt her)= Thanks!
A: You could try that but they really need a sterile sample. That's not something you're going to be able to accomplish on your own though. Usually they give you some plastic beads to put in a freshly cleaned litterbox. The beads give the kitty something to scratch so it doesn't feel so weird for them to pee in an empty box. You also get a syringe to suck the urine up. You can try emptying out the box, cleaning it, and then putting in just a sprinkling of litter. Then wait for her to go. Offload the whole thing into a secure baggy. But if you don't have time or can't get it, don't sweat it.