Kidney transplantation in cats raises significant welfare ethics questions about the donor cat, whose welfare must be considered alongside the recipient's.
Feline kidney transplantation raises genuine welfare ethics about the use of one animal's body for another's benefit. The donor cat undergoes major surgery and removal of a kidney without any capacity to consent to the procedure. While cats generally survive with one kidney and the long-term impacts are typically minimal, the surgery itself carries anesthesia risks and recovery pain. The tradition of requiring the recipient family to adopt the donor cat is a welfare-positive element - the donor is guaranteed a loving home rather than being discarded after use. The ethical question is whether we are justified in performing surgery on a healthy cat for the benefit of another animal. This debate parallels human living organ donation ethics, with the additional complication that the donor cannot consent. These questions are worth engaging with seriously rather than dismissing.