FLUTD claims the life of Grumpy Cat

Grumpy Cat, the world fur-mous feline sadly passed away on Tuesday, 14 May 2019 due to complications following a urinary tract infection.

Known for her distinctive disgruntled facial expression and small frame, Grumpy Cat (real name Tardar Sauce), was born with feline dwarfism. She became an instant celeb in September 2012, when a picture of her unhappy face was posted on Reddit. Her photo went viral reaching a whopping 1.3 million views in its first 48 hours, which was followed by a YouTube video which also received over a million views. She has since featured on countless memes and become a household name to millions of fans.

Watch Grumpy Cat’s first video:

Grumpy Cat became the most talked about kitty and inspired art projects, perfumes, merchandise and even a coffee beverage called “Grumppucino”. She was also the official “spokescat” of Friskies and appeared in US TV shows.

Sadly, Grumpy Cat’s feline fame came to an end due to FLUTD (Feline Lower Urinary Tract Disease).

Although she lost the fight against her infection, she’s saving many of her feline fans by motivating us to spread the word about Feline Lower Urinary Tract Disease (FLUTD). You can potentially save your beloved kitty from FLUTD if you can identify the below symptoms early on.

Here’s what you need to know about FLUTD:

Feline lower urinary tract disease (FLUTD) describes a variety of conditions that affect the bladder and urethra of cats.

What to look out for according to Hill’s Pet Nutrition:

• Pain when urinating – straining, crying or any other obvious discomfort.
• Changes in behaviour – urinating more frequently (possibly with little result), having accidents or passing urine in unusual places.
• Blood in the urine – seen as pink spots in the litter tray.

If you notice any of the above signs, don’t hesitate to take your cat to the vet. FLUTD can be painful and if left untreated, can even be life-threatening as stones can form in the urethra and cause a blockage.

How to reduce the risk of FLUTD:

• Encourage your cat to drink more water by leaving water bowls in all your cat’s favourite spots.
• Make sure that the water is fresh and the bowls are always clean.
• Feed your feline special food to support their bladders, such as Hill’s Prescription Feline Urinary Care c/d dry food.

On a more paw-sitive note, here are some of Grumpy Cat’s legendary memes, which will continue to turn frowns upside down for years to come. Enjoy!

Rest in peace Grumpy Cat.