Feline lower urinary tract disease (FLUTD) is not a diagnosis. It is a syndrome of lower urinary tract signs in cats, caused by several different problems that look alike. The first job is to decide whether the cat is obstructed; the second is to find which cause is behind the signs.
Key facts
Feline lower urinary tract disease (flutd) at a glance- Species and system: cat, lower urinary tract (bladder and urethra).
- Defining signs: hematuria, pollakiuria, stranguria and periuria (urinating outside the litter box).
- Most common cause: feline idiopathic cystitis, a diagnosis of exclusion that accounts for around 55 to 65% of cases in published studies.
- Other causes: urolithiasis (10 to 23% of cases), urethral plugs, bacterial urinary tract infection (uncommon in otherwise healthy adult cats), neoplasia, strictures and other anatomical or behavioural causes.
- Emergency form: urethral obstruction, almost always in male cats.
- Zoonotic or reportable: no.
What's inside
11 sections in the full guide- Key facts
- How the NAVLE tests this
- Cause and pathophysiology
- Clinical signs
- Diagnosis
- Differential diagnoses
- Treatment and management
- Prevention and prognosis
- Quick review
- Test yourself
- References
The full guide also has 4 tables, 3 self-test questions and 5 references, available to NAVLE members.
Read the full study guide
The full guide is part of every NAVLE plan, with diagnosis and treatment tables, figures, a quick review and self-test questions. Start a free trial to try the question bank, or log in if you are already a member.