Empty pods on cattleya
 

What would be the cause of having empty pods on my Cattleya? They seem to turn brown and whither away. What do I need to do so that this doesn't happen next time?

There are so many reason's for this it is hard to know where to start without knowing your growing conditions,,,,
lets start with light, most Catt's need bright light to induce flowering, next could be the fertilzer that your are or are not using and the list goes on, we need more info on your conditions and the name of the plant to give you more advice.

Warren

I have had this happen as well, I don't know that there is a 100% certain reason as to the cause but just make sure your conditions are right and next time it may not happen.

I'm not completely sure but, theres also a chance that it formed a seed capsule without actually having fertile seed... including what Warren & Bolero said, any of the above could've happened. I hope you have better luck next time Scerdena.