Polycystic kidney disease is an inherited condition in cats, most common in Persians, that progressively destroys kidney function and causes significant suffering.
PKD causes progressive kidney failure that produces significant suffering as the disease advances. Affected cats experience nausea, poor appetite, weight loss, increased thirst and urination, and eventually the profound malaise of uremic illness. The welfare tragedy of PKD is that it is entirely preventable through responsible breeding - DNA testing can identify affected cats, and a simple commitment not to breed PKD-positive cats would eliminate this disease from affected breeds within generations. Instead, the condition remains highly prevalent in Persians because the breeding practices that produce cats with desired physical characteristics continue to perpetuate the gene. Supporting breeders who test and breed only PKD-negative cats is a meaningful welfare intervention.