Evaluation of etiology, risk factors and clinical signs of feline lower urinary tract disease (FLUTD) in Northern Kerala

Abstract

Feline lower urinary tract disease (FLUTD) describes multiple ailments and diseases associated with bladder and urethra of cats. A total of 37 cats presented with clinical signs pertaining to lower urinary tract disorders were evaluated in the current study. There were 96.3 per cent males and 3.7 per cent females with maximum distribution in the age group between one to two years (p<0.01). Persian cats (p<0.001) were mostly diagnosed with FLUTD with occurrence of 75.68 per cent. Most of the cats (72.97 per cent) were diagnosed with feline idiopathic cystitis (FIC). The other causes of FLUTD diagnosed were bacterial cystitis (8.12 per cent), bladder rupture/ urine seepage (8.12 per cent), pseudomembranous cystitis (5.4 per cent) and urethral plugs (5.4 per cent). Dry diet and indoor habitat were found to be risk factors (p<0.001) for FLUTD. Clinical signs associated with lower urinary tract like stranguria, pollakiuria and periuria were commonly noticed.