Practical urinalysis in the cat

Series outline:This is the second article in a two-part series on urinalysis in the cat. The specific focus is urine microscopic examination. Part 1, which appeared in the March 2016 issue, discussed urine macroscopic examination.Practical relevance:Urinalysis is an essential procedure in feline medicine but often little attention is paid to optimising the data yielded or minimising factors that can affect the results.Clinical challenges:For the best results, appropriately collected urine should be prepared promptly by specialist laboratory personnel for the relevant tests and assessed by a clinical pathologist. This is invariably impractical in clinical settings but careful attention can minimise artefacts and allow maximum useful information to be obtained from this seemingly simple process.Audience:Clinical pathologists would be familiar with the information provided in this article, but it is rarely available to general or specialist practitioners, and both groups can potentially benefit. Equipment:Mo...