What are the causes of chronic kidney disease?
Chronic kidney disease is a slowly progressive and irreversible disease. It results in a reduction in kidney functionality. Up to 20% of cats can be reached by this disease. It is one of the most common diseases in cats.
Causes of chronic kidney disease are numerous. You must note that in most cases, the origin of the onset of this disease will remain unknown. Some cats may be at risk. The best-known example is the Persian breed cat, which may have a genetic predisposition to kidney disease called “polycystic kidney disease”.
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| 5 indications for chronic kidney disease in Cats |
What signs can cause suspicion of chronic kidney disease?
Chronic kidney disease can lead to kidney failure. It mainly affects cats over 8 years old. Clinical signs may be a loss of appetite, weight loss, increased drinking, increased urine emission…
If your cat shows these signs, a consultation with your vet will help to establish a diagnosis. You vet may need to do additional tests such as taking blood or takin urine samples.
It is also possible to monitor the functioning of the kidneys by making regular blood tests on an older cat. This way, the diagnosis will be early for a management from the beginning stage.
What if my cat has chronic kidney disease?
Chronic kidney disease cannot be cured. Management aims to slow the evolution for the cat to live longer.
The vet will prescribe products according to the stage of the disease. Regular monitoring will be necessary for therapeutic adjustment. In other words, the kidney is no longer able to regulate the concentration of phosphorus in the blood. It is therefore necessary to limit the intake of dietary phosphorus as much as possible.
Did you know?
Ailurophobia is the fear of cats. Julius Caesar, Henry II, Charles XI and Napoleon all suffered from this and would nearly faint in the presence of a cat
The penalty for killing a cat, 4,000 years ago in Egypt, was death
A group of kittens is called a kindle
Abraham Lincoln loved cats. He had four of them while he lived in the White House. Lincoln’s cat, Tabby, was the first of several White House cats
Cats are the only domestic animals that walk directly on their claws, not on their paws (Source: petcarefoundation. org)