Feline PKD is preventable through genetic testing and responsible breeding decisions, making breeder behavior the primary driver of whether this welfare-compromising condition persists in affected breeds.
PKD is a preventable disease whose continued prevalence reflects breeding decisions rather than scientific impossibility. Every Persian or related breed cat born with PKD today was born because a breeder chose to breed an affected parent. The welfare harm — progressive kidney failure over years — is entirely avoidable through genetic testing and breeding only clear cats. The barriers to elimination are economic (testing costs) and cultural (attachment to particular lines regardless of health status). Buyer pressure for tested, clear-status kittens is a market force that can accelerate elimination of this preventable welfare burden.