Feline idiopathic cystitis and urinary tract disease cause significant welfare problems in cats, with dietary and environmental management being highly effective preventive tools.
Feline urinary disease causes significant pain and distress. Cats with FIC experience dysuria, haematuria, and stranguria that can continue for days. The stress-FIC relationship means that environmental factors within owner control - multi-cat tension, litter tray inadequacy, predictability of routine - directly affect disease recurrence. The welfare investment in stress reduction through environmental enrichment has measurable, documented benefits in reducing the frequency and severity of FIC flare-ups.