Does your cat seem to have difficulty urinating? Is your cat urinating outside of the litter box, or is there blood in their urine? If so, your cat may have Feline Lower Urinary Tract Disease (FLUTD). FLUTD is an umbrella term that describes a variety of conditions that affect a cat's bladder and urethra.

If a cat has FLUTD, they will likely have difficulty urinating, they will urinate frequently, and have blood in their urine. It is also common for cats with FLUTD to lick themselves excessively, and owners often find their pet urinating outside of the litter box, especially on cool surfaces such as a bathtub or tile floor.

Signs of Feline Lower Urinary Tract Disease

If you suspect that your cat is suffering from FLUTD, look for these signs:

• Straining while urinating
• Urinating only small amounts
• Frequent attempts to urinate
• Prolonged attempts to urinate
• Blood in their urine
• Excessively licks the genital area
• Cries while urinating

If a cat has a urethral obstruction (something blocking the urethra), they will pass little to no urine, and they will become increasingly distressed. Urethra obstructions are more common in males than females because males have a longer, narrower urethra than female cats.

Note: urethral obstructions are emergencies and require immediate treatment from a veterinarian.

Diagnosing FLUTD

Since FLUTD has a variety of causes, your veterinarian will conduct a physical examination and likely order a urinalysis to look for any signs of bleeding, inflammation, crystals, an infection, and to test the urine's PH and concentration.

If the exam and urinalysis are inconclusive, it may be necessary to order X-rays, blood work, a urine culture and an additional urine test. Your vet will be essentially looking for the presence of urinary stones, a urinary infection, a urethral obstruction, diabetes, hyperthyroidism, or Feline Idiopathic Cystitis (FIC).