Feline renal transplantation is available at a small number of specialist centres and raises significant welfare and ethical questions about both the recipient cat and the donor cat from whom one kidney is removed.
The welfare implications of feline renal transplantation involve two animals. The donor cat undergoes a major surgical procedure with associated pain, anaesthetic risk and recovery period without capacity to consent or understand the procedure. Although living with one kidney is generally compatible with normal lifespan in a healthy cat, the surgery itself causes real welfare costs. The recipient cat experiences surgery, post-operative pain and lifelong daily medication with immunosuppressive drugs that increase infection risk. Post-transplant quality of life can be very good in successful cases, but complications including rejection, infection and medication toxicity occur. The ethical framework for this procedure remains contested within veterinary medicine.