Overview
Chronic kidney disease means chronic (ongoing) disease of the kidneys. It is sometimes referred to as renal disease (“renal” means relating to the kidneys) or chronic renal failure (CRF). Chronic renal failure was the term previously used to refer to this condition. The term is unfortunate, because when they received the diagnosis, many people would only hear the word “failure” and presume death must be imminent; after all, if your kidneys have failed, how can you survive?
It makes more sense to focus instead on the word “chronic”: this means that the disease is an ongoing one, with gradual deterioration taking place as kidney function fails, which can actually take some time, even years in some cases.
For this reason, the academic literature now refers to “chronic renal disease” (or occasionally “chronic renal insufficiency”), because they think this more accurately reflects the true situation. In 2012 I changed the name of this website accordingly.
Whatever terminology is used, with appropriate treatments it may be possible to slow down this deterioration and keep your cat healthy and happy for quite some time.
This section contains the following pages:
What Happens in CKD
an explanation of how the kidneys work and what happens to them in CKD. This includes an explanation of why you cannot normally diagnose CKD until at least 66% of function has been lost
Causes of CKD
This page discusses some of the possible causes of CKD in cats. In most cases, however, the treatment will be the same whatever the cause.
Early Detection
It is impossible to detect CKD until around two thirds of kidney function is already gone (so don’t feel guilty for not noticing sooner. This page discusses possible methods for vets to detect CKD earlier.
How Bad Is It?
A discussion on the various stages of CKD, including the International Renal Interest Society’s four stage staging system, and how bad your cat’s case might be.
Is There Any Hope?
Discusses the various scenarios you may be facing and whether there is any chance of saving your cat (in most cases, the answer is yes).
Acute Kidney Injury
A discussion of acute kidney injury. This is usually seen in cats exposed to toxins such as lilies or antifreeze, or who have a blockage (e.g. kidney stones) or severe kidney infection. It may occasionally develop in addition to CKD, a condition known as ACKD, most commonly in cats with a kidney infection or a blockage.
This page last updated: 03 June 2025
Links on this page last checked: 03 June 2025