Polycystic kidney disease is a hereditary condition causing progressive renal failure in Persian and related breeds that is preventable through responsible breeding.
PKD causes progressive kidney failure that spans years of the affected cat's life, causing chronic nausea, weakness, reduced appetite and eventually terminal renal failure. The tragedy of PKD is that it is completely preventable through a simple DNA test that costs approximately the same as a routine veterinary consultation. Breeders who continue to breed from untested animals, knowing the high population prevalence, are making a choice that condemns a proportion of their offspring to chronic suffering and early death. Responsible breeding programmes that have implemented mandatory testing have achieved dramatic reductions in prevalence, demonstrating what can be achieved.