Feline lower urinary tract disease – signs and care

Updated 2026-09-30 · 1 sources

Based on: International Cat Care (iCatCare)

Contact a vet today

Contact your vet today if you think your cat has this – it can become serious. Feline lower urinary tract disease is a group of urinary signs in cats, rather than one diagnosis.

What to do now

What you can do now

  1. Contact your vet today
  2. Note when it started, how often it happens and what else you see
  3. Take a photo or short video to show the vet
  4. Keep fresh water available
  5. Let your cat rest somewhere calm

Don't

  • Do not give any human medicine
  • Do not wait if it gets worse

What it is

Feline lower urinary tract disease is a term for a combination of urinary signs, not a diagnosis.[1] Straining to pass urine may indicate a urethral blockage, which is an emergency.[1]

Signs

  • Difficulty passing urine or straining
  • Passing urine more frequently, often in small amounts
  • Blood in the urine
  • Urinating outside the litter tray or in unusual places
  • Overgrooming
  • Behaviour changes

Causes and risk factors

  • Feline idiopathic cystitis (FIC)
  • Urolithiasis (urinary tract stones)
  • Bacterial infections
  • Urethral plugs
  • Anatomical defects
  • Cancer

How a vet finds out

  • Blood tests
  • Urine tests
  • X-rays
  • Ultrasound
  • Biopsy

How vets treat it

  • Surgery
  • Diet change
  • Increasing water intake
  • Encouraging more frequent urination

What the experts say

“Remember, FLUTD is not a diagnosis, but a collection of signs that need further investigation to try and find out the underlying cause. Some of the tests your vet may perform include: Urine testing – collecting a urine sample to analyse is an important step.”

— International Cat Care (iCatCare) [1]
If your pet is struggling to breathe, has collapsed, is having a seizure or can't stand up: go to the nearest vet now.

Not sure how serious it is?

OkPaw asks a few quick questions about your pet and tells you in 30 seconds whether it can wait. Free on Google Play for Android.

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Common questions

What is feline lower urinary tract disease?

It is a term describing a combination of urinary signs, rather than a diagnosis.[1]

When is it an emergency?

Difficulty passing urine or straining to pass urine may indicate a urethral blockage, which is an emergency; take your cat to a vet immediately.[1]

How might a vet investigate it?

A vet may perform urine testing by collecting a urine sample to analyse.[1]

Sources

  1. International Cat Care (iCatCare)

How this page was made: written with the help of AI from the sources below, then checked claim by claim against those sources. Urgency levels follow OkPaw’s fixed safety rules. It is guidance, not a diagnosis. How we write our pages

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