Feline lower urinary tract disease (FLUTD) is the most common cause of emergency veterinary visits in male cats, causing acute suffering that diet, hydration, and stress management can prevent.
FLUTD welfare involves both acute and preventable chronic suffering: urethral obstruction causes intense pain and rapid progression to life-threatening metabolic crisis. Indoor cats with stress, low hydration, and sedentary lifestyles are at significantly higher risk. The welfare prevention approach is multi-dimensional: increase water intake through wet food and water fountains, reduce stress through environmental enrichment and stable routines, and manage multi-cat household conflict. These interventions are accessible and effective — FLUTD is largely a preventable welfare problem.