From urinary infections and blockages to stress-related urinary conditions in cats. Find out more about urinary problems in cats or feline lower urinary tract disease, including symptoms, treatments and prevention tips in our guide.
Feline lower urinary tract disease refers to various common conditions affecting a cat’s lower urinary tract, including the bladder and urethra (the narrow tube that carries urine from the bladder to the outside of the body). Read more below about the signs and what could be causing your cat to experience FLUTD.
One of the first and most common symptoms you may see if your cat has a urinary problem is peeing in inappropriate places outside the litter box or urinating more frequently.
It’s always good to check for any changes in your cat’s litter box behaviour, and if you notice any of the following signs you should book an appointment with a vet.
Cats of any age can experience urinary tract problems, but it’s more often seen in middle-aged and overweight cats.
Potential causes of feline lower urinary tract disease (FLUTD) can include:
Many cases of FLUTD are due to multiple factors. The concentration and makeup of urine, the cat’s individual ability to cope with stress, the stress the cat is exposed to, lifestyle, diet and any other health conditions can all play a part.
If your cat shows symptoms of a urinary tract disease or you suspect that something else is wrong, you should make an appointment with your veterinarian as soon as possible.
Your vet will take a thorough history to establish all the signs your cat is showing, when they are displaying them and do a physical examination. They may collect a sample of your cat’s urine, and treatment is often started based on the test results. However, if symptoms don’t improve further examinations may be carried out.
Whether your cat has a history of urinary troubles, or you want to know what you can do to help prevent disease development, try these tips:
Urethral obstruction otherwise also referred to as ‘blocked bladder’ or ‘blocked cat’ is a painful and life-threatening condition where your cat is unable to empty their bladder due to a blockage of the urethra. Both male and female cats can get it, but males are much more susceptible.
Some of the signs your cat might be blocked are:
If you suspect that your cat has a blocked bladder, you should contact your vet for an emergency appointment. Left untreated, it can unfortunately lead to serious consequences such as bladder rupture, kidney failure and can be fatal.
Finding blood in your cat’s urine can certainly be alarming. While peeing blood (haematuria) is something that needs to be addressed with your vet as soon as possible, in most cases it is caused by a treatable condition. It’s not an uncommon disorder and while both female and male cats can develop it, female cats are more prone to some of the more common underlying causes.
Potential causes of blood in urine can include:
Sometimes, the presence of blood in a cat’s pee might not be visible to the naked eye, or the colour of urine might vary from brown to orange and red indicating there is blood in their pee. If you notice your cat also showing other symptoms such as straining when urinating, peeing very little or being in pain, don’t delay booking a vet appointment.
If your cat’s toileting habits have changed and they have started consistently peeing everywhere or outside the litter box, there may be several different causes. It’s important to consult your vet if you notice this happening so they can rule out any potential health concerns and explore other solutions.
Some of the potential common causes include:
If you want to change their litter tray, always add a new tray before removing the old one, allowing your cat to choose and get used to a new litter tray this way.
Find out more about cat toileting outside the litter tray