19 Cats and Counting Podcast: Episode 128 - Kidney Disease in Cats

So the symptoms of chronic kidney disease are most commonly increased thirst and urination as the first thing we see. Now, when it gets very advanced and the kitty is in severe kidney failure, and those toxins, the bad BUN, and the creatinine build up in the bloodstream, a kitty can be lethargic, depressed, inappetent, anorexia, vomiting. But even way before that, we will see increased thirst and urination. There's very few things that cause that in the cat. So if you notice increased thirst or urination all of a sudden, those clumps of litter are really gigantic in the litter box, get to your veterinarian. They'll do some simple blood and urine tests because there's a few things we're going to want to rule out, including kidney disease, diabetes, or problems regulating blood sugar, and high-functioning thyroid gland as probably the big three.

What we can do though, even before we see that, is make sure you're getting your kitty who's over the age of 10, a veterinarian [exam] twice a year for proactive wellness, examination, and laboratory testing. Because six months for an older kitty is like a good five to seven years for you and I. So that's a significant length of time for your cat.