The symptoms of FLUTD are the same or similar, regardless of the cause. This is because the symptoms are caused by inflammation, irritation and pain in the bladder and / or urethra. This means that all cases of FLUTD will usually show one or more of the following signs:
Straining or painful urination
Straining to urinate, or pain when passing urine. Medically, this is termed dysuria. This can cause vocalising (crying out) when urinating.
Urinating little and often
This is known as pollakiuria. The inflammation in the urinary tract causes a feeling of irritation, which makes the cat feel like they constantly need to wee.
Urinating in inappropriate places
Weeing outside the litter tray is termed periuria. The bath is a common place for cats to urinate inappropriately. This can happen when the inflammation causes so much discomfort that the cat needs to urinate straight away, so they don’t make it to the litter tray. Another common cause is aversion. If the cat starts to associate the litter tray with pain (as it hurts every time they wee), they may start to avoid it altogether.
Blood in the urine
This is called haematuria, caused by inflammation. The blood may be visible, giving the urine a pinkish-red tinge, or there may even be blood clots in the urine. Often, the blood is not visible to the naked eye, but it can still be picked up on urine tests.
Straining to urinate, but not passing anything
The medical term for this is stranguria. This is a life-threatening medical emergency. If you notice your cat straining to urinate and not passing any urine, you should take your cat to a vet straight away. They may have a blocked bladder, which means urine cannot pass outside the body. The urine starts to ‘back up’ and damage the kidneys.
Changes in behaviour
Such as lethargy, withdrawal, grumpiness or increased aggression. Overgrooming around the genital and/or tummy area is common too, as the cat tries to soothe the sore areas. This can cause fur loss.
Symptoms of a blocked cat video
In this video, vet Dr Sarah Wooten explains the symptoms of a blocked cat.
Please note this video is not owned by Petlearnia, we embed it here for educational purposes.
Summary
The symptoms of FLUTD are due to the inflammation and discomfort in the bladder and urethra. This means that the signs of FLUTD are similar, regardless of the underlying cause. The main signs of FLUTD are urinating little and often, urinating outside the litter tray, blood in the urine and discomfort when passing urine. Some cats also show behavioural changes. A blocked bladder, where urine is unable to pass out of the body, is a life threatening emergency. A cat with a blocked bladder will show signs of pain and will strain to pass urine, but nothing will come out.
Key takeaway
If you notice your cat straining to pass urine but they are not passing anything, this could be a life-threatening emergency and you should take your cat to a vet immediately.
