The succinct infographic provides core information on Polycystic Kidney Disease (PKD) in Persian cats. My objective is to convert the technical information from a study “Inheritance of Polycystic Kidney Disease in Persian Cats” (link) to an easy-to-read infographic. I think that it is important to make studies accessible to everyone. They are difficult to read. I like to simplify the language and enhance the presentation.
Note: On phones it is better to expand the infographic using the arrows lower-right.
Polycystic Kidney Disease (PKD) in Persian cats in an infographic by Michael BroadThe take away from the infographic is that PKD is too common in Persian cats. It is a shame that Persian cat breeders have got themselves into this dilemma due to inbreeding for appearance. PKD is synonymous with Persian cats as is tear duct overflow causing that staining below the eyes that we see a lot which is due, as I am sure you know, to the distortion of the tear ducts in breeding flat faces.
The prevalence of PKD is high at around 35% for non-homozygous individuals. It needs to be reduced but as far as I am aware effective efforts to tackle this inherited disease are not happening. The health of this breed is in the hands of the cat fancy administrators and their breeder members. The flat-faced, extreme-bred Persian has declined in popularity over the past 30 years in part due to this and other health problems in my opinion. We can thank the internet for educating potential adopters on this important health matters.
Here is a video I made many years ago in Oklahoma (I think) at a cat show of a Persian cat receiving an ultrasound scan for PKD:
