The pathology of the disease is that cysts form and enlarge in the kidneys as the cat gets older …
Polycystic Kidney Disease {PKD } is a well known inherited disease in some breeds of pedigree cats such Persian and Persian-related cats but Himalayans and other long-haired and exotic short-haired cats are also affected. Although it would be possible to have a sporadic occurrence which was not inherited this would be very very rare so I think it safe to assume you are dealing with the inherited form if your cat is affected. It would be important to let the breeder your know what has happened so he or she can modify their breeding program as at present this the only way the disease can be tackled long term.
The pathology of the disease is that cysts form and enlarge in the kidneys as the cat gets older, clinical signs of the disorder typically occur around the age of seven years. This disease will almost certainly affect both kidneys. The cysts replace and degrade normal kidney tissue and if the disease progresses this will cause kidney failure. The disease varies with individuals and will advance at different rates, it is much better documented in Persians than other breeds. In Persians some cats die quickly from kidney failure and others lead a normal enough life even with multiple cysts. The cysts themselves are probably painless and problems can only occur when frank kidney failure has set in.
The symptoms you would actually see would be those of chronic kidney failure. These could include weight loss, inappetance, lethargy, and a marked thirst amongst other symptoms. The disease is best monitored via ultrasound to check both kidneys for cyst formation, the size of the cysts, and the appearance of new cysts. Blood urea, + creatinine, combined with a simple urine test would give you some idea about kidney function. Kidney function can sometimes be quite acceptable even when many cysts are present. It would be wise to have your cat checked each six months. Unfortunately there is no know treatment whatsoever to halt the advance of the cysts, so the root cause of the disease is untreatable.
Treatment would be the same as the treatment for chronic kidney failure which is a common disease in the cat. This would include special diets such as Hills K/D, fluid therapy, and drugs such as phosphorus binders, calcitrol, Erythropoietin, and antacids. More is done these days to treat cats with chronic kidney failure but the treatment is symptomatic not curative and the disease will normally progress.
Scott Nimmo BVMS MRCVS
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