Keto Pee Smells Like Cat Pee (Why? & Now What?)
If you are on the Keto diet and noticed that your urine is smelling like cat pee then you may be wondering why and what you can do to get rid of it.
Why does my Keto smell like cat pee?
When your body enters ketosis, it will start to produce ketones. There will be three of them. One of these will be acetone. Since urinating acts as a way to remove waste products from your body, some of these ketones will come out in your urine.
This will mean your urine will smell. Many will liken it to the smell of cat pee, and others may say that it smells very similar to nail polish remover, which also contains acetone. Keep reading to learn how to get rid of the odor, why cat pee smells so bad, what keto crouch is, and so much more.
What is Keto?
The Keto Diet is a low carbohydrate and high-fat diet. The purpose of a ketogenic diet is to help people to lose weight. The idea is to have your body burn off fat instead of carbohydrates for fuel. The Keto diet can also help to control blood sugar levels for those that may be suffering from diabetes.
The diet can be followed to help treat epilepsy in children. There is also some evidence that the ketogenic diet can be used to combat brain conditions such as Parkinson’s Disease.
How Do I Get Rid of the Cat Pee Odor?
If you are following a ketogenic diet, then your pee will inevitably end up smelling. Sadly, there is a very small chance that you will be able to get rid of the smell completely. However, there are a few things that you can do to help reduce the stench a little.
Perhaps the best way is to reduce the amount of protein you have going into your diet. The cat pee odor will be caused by an increased amount of protein in your body, so it makes sense that if you reduce the amount of protein your pee will end up smelling a little bit better, right?
At most, your diet should be formed of about 20% protein. A lot of people seem to forget that ketogenic diets are not high protein diets. They are instead low carbohydrate and high-fat diets.
You will also want to ensure that you stay properly hydrated when you are following a ketogenic diet. It is easy to become dehydrated when you are following a ketogenic diet. Therefore, you should be drinking more than you normally would. Your pee should be a light straw yellow color. If it is dark yellow, then you are dehydrated.
What is Ketosis in Ketogenic Diet?
Your body will normally burn carbohydrates for fuel. However, if it does not have any carbohydrates to burn, it will start to burn excess fat on the body. As it does so, your body will enter a state known as ketosis. This is when your body produces ketones from the fat. It is these ketones that will provide the fuel source for your body.
What can you eat on a Keto Diet?
Since the keto diet is designed to be low-carb, but high-fat diet, you will need to put a little bit of effort into choosing the right foods to eat. We want to give you an overview of some of the most common foods consumed when people follow a keto diet. Do bear in mind that this is not going to be an exhaustive list:
- Seafood, particularly shellfish, or excessively oily fish such as salmon or mackerel.
- Low-carbohydrate vegetables. This means most things should be fine, excluding potatoes.
- Cheese
- Avocados
- Meat
- Coconut Oil
- Eggs
- Greek Yogurt
- Cottage cheese
- Nuts and Seeds
- Olive Oil
- Butter
- Cream
- Berries
- Dark Chocolate
Is Keto Healthy?
For short periods of time, there will be no issues following a keto diet. It could result in fast weight loss and lower blood sugar. However, it is generally not advised to follow it for long periods of time. If you do so, then you will be increasing the risk of certain conditions. This includes:
- Dangerously low blood pressure
- Deficiencies in certain nutrients, which will have its own problems.
- Constipation
- Kidney stones
- Increased risk of heart disease
You should not be following a keto diet if you have ever had issues with these organs:
- Gallbladder
- Liver
- Pancreas
- Thyroid
There are no issues if you follow it for a short period of time. The only problem you may run into is the fact that following a keto diet may make you smell a little bit differently. Some people may not want you to be around them when that happens. In fact, a lot of people report that the only real downside to the keto diet for them will be psychological issues caused by social isolation.
Why Does Cat Pee Smell so Foul?
To be honest, cat pee doesn’t smell all that different from normal, at least when it first comes out. The reason why people often find that cat pee smells so bad is that they often do not notice it right away. The longer the cat pee is left without being cleaned up, the more it will start to smell.
When the cat pee is left without being cleaned up, it will start to decompose. This decomposition will start to cause a rather strong ammonia smell. If it is still not cleared up, then the cat pee will break down even further.
At this point, a compound known as mercaptans will start to be released. If you are not aware, it is the mercaptans that give skunks their unique smell. This means that the cat pee will smell awful. This is only going to happen if you leave the cat pee an exceedingly long time without cleaning it up.
Could the Excessive Protein Intake Cause the Cat Pee Smell?
Yes. Since you will be taking in more protein when you are following a keto diet, this can increase the amount of ammonia in your pee. it is this increased ammonia that will cause your pee to smell similar to cat pee. Over time, your body will get used to your new diet. This means that the ammonia smell will either disappear, or it will be reduced to the point where you will barely notice it.
What is Keto Crotch?
A lot of people that follow a Keto diet notice that a stronger smell starts to appear from their crotch. Some people claim that this is just a stronger version of their normal crotch smell, while others report that it almost smells foul.
Keto crotch seems to be a bigger problem among women than it does men, although this may be because women are more likely to follow a keto diet.
It is worth noting that there is no scientific evidence that states that Keto crotch is a thing. This means that it may not happen to you at all, and nobody really knows what is causing it. However, if Keto crotch does happen, then the smell will disappear as soon as your body is used to your new diet.
Could This Ketosis Also Cause Bad Breath?
Yes. This is known as ‘dragon breath’. It will smell similar to nail polish remover, as acetone will be released via the mouth. This is something that will disappear over time as you become more used to the Keto diet.
