Measurement of the influence of diet on feline urinary pH.

The kidneys eliminate the acid produced each day by metabolism and diet. Consequently, urinary pH is influenced by diet. The urinary pH of cats consuming a natural habitual diet consisting of small mammal carcasses is between 6.2 and 6.4. Although the only authoritative way to determine the effect of diet on urinary pH is a feeding trial, there is no universally accepted protocol for measuring urinary pH. When interpreting the urinary pH of a spot or random sample, it is necessary to consider when the sample was obtained relative to time of eating.