LOS ANGELES (AP) — It's one of the leading causes of death for cats, but there is no cure and no known cause: kidney disease.
One in 12 older cats has chronic kidney disease, according toBanfield Pet Hospital's just-released 2012 State of Pet Health Report.
Banfield, the largest veterinary practice in the world with 800 hospitals in 43 states, based its report on medical data from more than 2 million dogs and nearly 430,000 cats seen by its veterinarians.
Acute kidney disease, caused by eating antifreeze, grapes, lilies or other poisons, can be cured if treated quickly enough. "If you catch it, you can treat it," said Dr. Nina Nardi, chief of staff at Banfield's Canoga Park hospital, 25 miles northwest of Los Angeles.
But chronic kidney disease is much more common, more progressive and irreversible, she said. Treatment is aimed at easing pain and prolonging a quality life.
Cats diagnosed in the early stages of chronic kidney disease live two to three years, while those diagnosed in later stages live only a few months. (Dogs can get kidney disease, but it is seven times more common in cats.)
Nate Glass can only try to ease the pain of his cat Girly, who he rescued as a kitten after she'd been shot with a BB gun in an alley behind a dollar store.
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