There is a cat health crisis and it is chronic kidney disease (CKD). CKD means an irreversible, long term disease of the cat’s kidneys that leads to death, eventually. Treatment slows the process.
Here are some quotes:
Studies suggest that about 50 percent of cats older than 10 suffer from chronic kidney disease (Colorado State University)
Some experts believe that CRD [Chronic Renal Disease] affects 8 percent or more of cats ten years of age and older (Your Cat by Dr Hodgkins DVM)
[Chronic kidney disease (CKD)] was most common in cats ≥ 10 years of age (7.5 percent [5,498/73,396]) (Banfield Pet Hospital)
The prevalence of CKD appears to be increasing (Banfield Pet Hospital)
Maine Coon, Abyssinian, Siamese, Russian Blue and Burmese cats… prevalence of CKD twice as high as the average prevalence in all feline patients (therefore at 15% of 10 year old and over cats). (Banfield Pet Hospital)
37% of Persian cats have PKD – a form of chronic kidney disease (Michael on PoC – see the page)
The age 10 for a cat is about aged 56 for people.
If 10 percent of people in their mid-fifties had chronic kidney disease that would make around 30 million people in the USA. Do you think there would be an uproar? Do you think the doctors and hospitals could cope?
In people, CKD is also increasing but the amount of CKD is much lower. For people in the age bracket 20-64, 0.5% have CKD¹. Like-for-like at the same age the prevalence of CKD in cats is about 15-20 times higher than for people
I have to conclude that there is a scandalous situation regarding kidney disease in cats. It is not discussed enough and the potential causes are not being assessed adequately. There needs to be far more work on causes and less work on treatments.
Do vets discuss with their clients how to minimize CKD in their cat? No one has discussed it with me.
Without wishing to be a conspiracy theory nutcase, it almost seems that there is a conspiracy of silence about this cat health catastrophe amongst vets, cat food manufacturers and “cat experts”.
Ten years of age for a cat is not that old yet some experts consider cats geriatric at aged 7. It is almost as if the experts have given up.
- Associated: Maine Coon health – Siamese health – Abyssinian health – Burmese health.
- Written in memory of Binnie.
- (1) National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK)
Wow, is that how they keep cats with kidney disease alive where you live? It does sound like a money spinner.
I don’t understand the premise here. But I wondered if my cat was being diagnosed so that they could charge me the 2-3 visits per month for check-ups which she now requires, the fee for the tubes and bags for under-the-skin hydration which she now requires, their $60 every 45 day supplements and the Royal Canin food which she now requires. My cat now will cost $7,000 a year to keep alive according to their requirements above.
We never feed our cats dried food now, and it’s easy to get meat from a butcher. Most have excess bones and stuff which they will happily sell if you ask. It’s not worth their time to fiddle about getting to all the tricky bits of meat, but your cats will love you for them.