Today we are going to talk about cats. Nowadays, cats are living longer, often over 15 years old and in some cases over 20 years old. As they get older, diseases naturally appear. In humans, diseases such as heart disease, diabetes, kidney disease and oncological diseases are common. In particular, kidney disease occurs more frequently in older cats. This disease, called chronic kidney disease, can be caused by a variety of factors, but once it occurs, the disease can progress at different rates, but it is certain to worsen and eventually lead to death from uremia.

 Why is chronic kidney disease so common in cats? This is largely due to the origin of the cat. The origin of the cat dates back to around 4000 BC. It is widely believed that the ancient Egyptians domesticated the Libyan cat in order to protect their crops from rats, and that this was the beginning of the relationship between cats and humans. Prior to this, cats are thought to have lived in forests and grasslands, and to have adopted a nocturnal behaviour. The environment was so harsh that they did not have access to food or even water at all times. So they built their bodies in such a way that they could recycle water.

 Cats have a low water requirement compared to other animals. The kidneys are made up of two parts: the glomerulus, which filters waste products from the blood and produces urine, and the tubules, which reabsorb nutrients and water from the urine that the body needs. In particular, feline kidneys have very long tubules in order to increase the recycling of water. The kidneys, on the other hand, concentrate waste products. This means that after the glomerulus has produced the base of urine, the tubules reabsorb the nutrients and water required by the body to produce the remainder, i.e. the urine. Urine is therefore concentrated in the renal tubules. Since urine is not only the excretion route for the waste products of the body, but also for toxic substances, including drugs and poisons that have been inadvertently ingested by the body, the tubules, where the toxic substances are concentrated, are particularly vulnerable to damage in the kidneys. So, as life expectancy increases, so does the effect of toxic substances on the renal tubules, resulting in their failure.

 When the tubular function is damaged, inflammatory cells and fibres appear around the tubules. The inflammation then spreads to the glomeruli, resulting in kidney damage and chronic kidney disease. There is no known way to completely cure chronic kidney disease. In humans, there is no cure for kidney disease either, and we rely on artificial kidneys (haemodialysis) or kidney transplants. In the case of cats, artificial kidneys and kidney transplants are becoming more and more available, but in the case of veterinary medicine, where there is no insurance system, the problem of how to afford haemodialysis and the problem of donors for kidney transplants are becoming more and more serious. In order to live a long and healthy life, it is essential that chronic kidney disease is diagnosed at an early stage and managed so that the disease does not progress.

 There are still many diseases that veterinarians deal with for which there is no cure. It is in these cases that the veterinarian's insight and ethics come into play. One of the most important aspects of studying to become a veterinary surgeon is to have a broad perspective and a sense of ethics that allows you to think about what is best for the cat and for its owner.

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