Feline lower urinary tract disease (FLUTD) is a common and painful condition in cats, with stress, dry food diets, and indoor housing all identified as contributing risk factors for recurrent episodes.
Feline lower urinary tract disease causes significant welfare harm through recurrent episodes of dysuria (painful urination), haematuria (blood in urine), and in males, potentially fatal urethral obstruction. Cats with FIC experience painful inflammation that causes them to strain repeatedly at the litter tray, often vocalising in distress. The stress-disease relationship creates a vicious cycle: environmental stressors trigger episodes, episodes cause pain and anxiety, and the changed household dynamics around a sick cat add further stress. Recognition that FLUTD is largely a stress-mediated condition has shifted management toward environmental modification — providing multiple litter trays, elevated resting spaces, hiding places, interactive play, and separation of resources in multi-cat households. Transitioning from dry to wet food increases urinary water intake, diluting urine and reducing crystallisation risk. Cats that have experienced urethral obstruction require long-term monitoring and a prescription urinary diet to prevent recurrence.