Causes of Kidney Failure in Cats (Acute and Chronic)
Cats develop chronic kidney disease more than any other domestic animal. Why is that?
One reason is that cats don’t have as many nephrons to spare as other species have. Nephrons are the filters in the kidneys that clean the blood and create urine. Human kidneys contain around a million nephrons (each kidney). A dog kidney contains around 400,000 nephrons. A cat, however, is born with only about 200,000 nephrons per kidney. This makes them especially susceptible to kidney failure because they don’t have a lot of nephrons to spare.
Some Common Causes of Acute Kidney Failure
Acute kidney failure means kidney failure that has come on suddenly. It can sometimes be reversed, especially if you act fast. The faster you treat your cat, the better the prognosis can be.
- Ingesting Toxins
Curious cats are like toddlers who will taste-test random things in the environment. Unfortunately, many of these items are harmful to a cat’s kidneys – this includes toxic plants, such as Lilies, pesticides, vitamin supplements (such as vitamin D), household substances like Ethylene Glycol (common in antifreeze) and many over the counter medicines.
The ASPCA has several good lists of substances poisonous to pets. ASPCA (Just do a search for poisonous plants or toxic substances)
You can also call their hotline but note that they might charge a consultation fee. ASPCA Poison Control Phone Number: (888) 426-4435. ( If the incident happens in normal business hours, try calling your veterinarian first).
- Urethral Obstruction:
This occurs when something blocks a cat’s urethra, stopping urine from flowing out. It is relatively common in male cats. Signs of this include frequent trips to the box, small amounts of urine or no amount when straining to urinate. Meowing while urinating (or crying out in some way). Some cats might start urinating in other areas of the home. If any change occurs in your cat’s litterbox habits, always call your vet and let them know what you are observing. If you suspect there is an obstruction, take the cat to the vet as soon as possible. An obstruction is an emergency.
- Kidney Infection (Pyelonephritis)
This is a very serious infection that can cause acute or chronic kidney failure in cats. Most of the time a kidney infection is caused by a urinary tract infection that migrates. Sadly, you might not notice your cat having any symptoms until the infection has been going on for some time. When there are symptoms, it is the same as UTI symptoms – urinating outside of the box, straining to pee, frequent trips to pee.
Chronic Kidney Disease Causes
- Kidney injury from things that cause acute kidney failure can also lead to chronic kidney diseases (Chronic Renal Failure),
- Disease
- Chronic Stress
- Genetic Predisposition
- Disease
Diabetes and FELV, are among the diseases that can put a cat at higher risk for kidney disease.
Pumpkin had diabetes and, therefore, Diabetic Nephropathy was likely one contributing factor in his kidney problems. High blood glucose is poisonous to kidneys and diabetes also makes cats more susceptible to urinary tract infections and, hence, kidney infections.
For him, this doesn’t rule out kidney injury from other causes, however. Cats are easily exposed to toxins in the environment, and he might have ingested something or his kidneys could have been damaged when he was a tiny kitten. Unfortunately, cats’ kidneys are susceptible to injury from multiple sources.
It is important to try not to spend too much energy blaming yourself for your cat’s condition. It is better to use that energy to help your cat live the best life she can despite the illness.
This is by no means a complete guide to the causes of feline kidney disease, but I hope it gives you some ideas of some of the most common ways cats develop kidney problems.