Feline Lower Urinary Tract Disease (FLUTD) is a broad term used to describe a number of urinary tract conditions, including obstructions and inflammations in the cat's bladder or urethra (the tube that carries urine from the bladder to outside). Effectively FLUTD means your cat has difficulty or is unable to urinate.

Urination can become very painful due to crystals forming in the urine, which in turn causes inflammation or obstruction of the urinary tract. When urine cannot be passed, the bladder soon fills up to capacity and may rupture, releasing its contents into the abdominal cavity. The cat can then die from shock and peritonitis. Blockage is more common in male cats, as the male urethra is much narrower than in the female.

Causes
FLUTD is more likely to effect cats that are overweight and lack exercise, but any cat that is very reluctant to urinate is at risk. Reasons for this reluctance vary and can include laziness in walking to the litter tray, a dislike of sharing the litter tray with other cats, or a dirty litter tray.

Causes of FLUTD are many and varied, but include viral or bacterial infections, stress, a lack of water, too much magnesium in the diet, obesity, or a lack of exercise. Check with your vet immediately, as the condition can be life-threatening if left untreated.

Symptoms
Look out for signs that can be very similar to constipation - straining in the litter box, crying when trying to urinate, frequent urination with little result, and blood in the urine. In male cats the urethra can become blocked by deposits that form in the bladder. Your cat may keep licking the genital area or anus, and the abdomen may look bloated. 

Treatment
Your vet will carry out a pH test on your cat's urine, so take a fresh urine sample with you to the surgery. The specific treatment will depend on whether there are crystals present in your cat's urine and, if so, what type they are.

In some cases antibiotics will resolve the problem. However, the most important step is for your cat to increase their fluid intake.

• Mix extra water with their food if it is tinned.
• Leave more water bowls around the house.
• Use bigger water bowls as some cats don't like drinking because their whiskers touch the sides or try a free-flow water drinking fountain.
• Fill water bowls up to the very top as cats like to see their reflection.
• Ensure you always provide fresh clean water. Remember that your cat will get used to the taste of the water you are providing, so be careful if you install a water filter or move house.
• Avoid over-feeding your cat with foods that are high in magnesium, such as pork, beef, heart and oily fish. Your vet may recommend a special prescription diet, to produce urine with the correct pH level.