stages of kidney disease in cats

Stages Of Kidney Disease In Cats

Nothing is more painful than seeing your furry friend in pain. Cats are sensitive animals and are prone to infections. Kidney disease is common in these pets, and most pet lovers often worry about their pet health. Although you take a lot of care of your pet, your kitty may get kidney disease at any stage of her life. It is not only painful for your pet, but for you as well. this article includes stages of kidney disease in cats.

Renal disease has different stages, from acute to chronic.

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What is kidney disease?

Kidney disease is also known as renal failure, is a type of dysfunction in which kidneys lose their functionality. As a result, harmful wastes accumulate in the body and cause many severe diseases.

Stages of kidney diseases in cats

Renal failure in cats may be classified in the following steps:

Renal insufficiency

It is the early stage of renal failure and is often difficult to diagnose. When a vet diagnoses this disease, your pet’s kidneys have lost almost 75-80% of their working. In this disease, returning of reusable products to the blood is difficult. Unfortunately, the lab test for this disorder is often regular or shows a mild infection, so the vet cannot get the severity of the disease. Signs of these renal disorders include loss of appetite, weight loss, excessive water consumption, and urination. No doubt, these symptoms sound easy to identify; the truth is the owner can miss them because these symptoms are usually minor.

Renal failure

Renal failure occurs when the kidneys lose 85% of functionality. Kidneys cannot remove the waste products, electrolytes, minerals, proteins, and other substances from the blood properly. In this condition, kidneys are also unable to reabsorb the useful substances from the blood. It all directly affects blood and body functions.

The dehydration is often surprising to owners as they usually see their pet drinking lots of water. However, most pets with kidney disease can’t drink enough to make up for losing their urine. Vomiting, diarrhea, and difficulty in breathing appear with the time as a result of the buildup of waste products.

Acute renal failure

It occurs where there is a rapid decline of kidney function over several days to weeks. Acute renal failure is reversible, depending on the degree of damage. It progresses to chronic renal failure.

Chronic renal failure

It may last for months to years, causing loss of renal tissues. Chronic renal failure is often irreversible, and it cannot be cured. There is something abnormal in the structure or function of one or both kidneys in chronic renal failure. By the time most chronic renal failure is diagnosed, the kidney has already lost at least 85% or more of its ability to filter the blood. It is often impossible to determine the original cause of kidney damage at this point.

Symptoms of renal disease

Signs of kidney disease are different at different stages in the early stage; the common symptoms are:

  • Lethargy
  • Loss of appetite
  • Poor or ragged hair coat
  • Increased water consumption
  • Increased urination
  • Poor or ragged hair coat

When it becomes severe, it shows the signs:

  • Vomiting
  • Diarrhea
  • Depression
  • Dehydration