Feline Polycystic Kidney Disease - Rare but Very Serious
Recently, Poppy was diagnosed with polycystic kidney disease (PKD), a rare genetic condition in both dogs and cats, male and female. With cats, it's most prevalent in Persian cats and cats whose breed derives from Persian cats - like Himalayan, Scottish Fold, British Shorthair, Chartreux, Exotic Shorthair, Burmilla, and Siberian Neva Masquerade. It's not usually found in mixed breed cats, but it can occur. PKD is a genetic abnormality and at this time cannot be prevented. It is passed on from mother cat to kittens. All it takes is one parent cat with PKD for kittens to inherit the condition. It's also been noted that some cats who have developed PKD don't have the gene mutation that causes it, which means there could be other genetic abnormalities behind it. There is a simple test veterinarians use now to detect PDK that involves a simple cheek swab. PKD affects the way a cat's renal system functions by causing cysts to develop on ...
