Chronic Kidney Disease: Signs and Diagnostic Tests

What is Chronic Kidney Disease?

Chronic kidney disease, or CKD, is really common in older cats. It affects about 40% of cats over 10 years old and up to 80% of those over 15.

The kidneys do a lot of important jobs like balancing fluids and salts, getting rid of waste products, making urine, producing certain hormones, and helping control blood pressure.

CKD happens when the kidneys slowly stop working over time, which can lead to a range of health issues.

Since age is the only known risk factor, it’s very important to have senior cats checked regularly to catch the disease early.

Clinical Signs:

In the early stages of chronic kidney disease, most cats don’t show any obvious signs because their bodies can still make up for the loss in kidney function. But as the disease progresses, their kidneys can’t concentrate urine as well, so you might notice your cat urinating more and drinking a lot more water to compensate.

Over time, they can start losing important proteins and vitamins in their urine, which can affect their metabolism and lead to a loss of appetite. As the kidneys continue to decline, waste and other substances that should be filtered out start to build up in the bloodstream. This can make your cat feel sick, often leading to tiredness, weight loss, a messy coat, and just generally seeming "under the weather"

CKD can also cause other problems, like high blood pressure (hypertension). Normally, the kidneys help regulate blood pressure, so when they’re not working right, it can lead to issues like sudden vision changes, confusion, weakness, or even heart problems.

The kidneys also make a hormone called erythropoietin, which helps the body produce red blood cells. Cats with CKD don’t make enough of it, and that can lead to anaemia. Anaemic cats may seem very tired, lose their appetite, and have pale or whitish gums.

We can perform a full blood profile in-house, including SDMA, and a blood pressure check as part of your cat's regular health check.

Our Senior Cat Clinic is priced at £125

Next post: Treatment and Management of CKD