Eight weeks ago, an older couple came into the clinic with two new Siamese kittens - brothers. They had lost their beloved companion of many, many years, and they were ready to let two new little ones into their lives. They were small and playful and we all cooed and squealed over them.
Four weeks later, they called asking to make an appointment - one of the brothers was being very slow and weak. We got them in that same day, and it was not the same little kitten. He was flat and depressed,very dehydrated. We all feared the worst - that the kitten had FIP, a devastating, unpreventable disease that has no cure. They were willing to do anything for this twelve week old kitten, and he spent 4 days in our ICU with us, receiving fluids and medication, having bloodwork done, and eventually getting an ultrasound.
The blood work was disturbing - this was a 12-week-old kitten with the kidney function of a 17-year-old cat in end stage renal failure. And then the ultrasound revealed something sad - the kitten had Polycystic Kidney Disease, or PKD. PKD is a rare disease in humans, and even rarer in cats. It is genetic, and connected to only a few specific breeds, most notably Persians.
When little PKD kitten left, he was on many medications for such a young kitten, including fluid therapy. Our goal was to keep him happy and content for as long as possible.
Two weeks ago, the brothers came into our facility for a weekend of boarding. The healthy brother was twice the size of the other, but little PKD kitten was doing so well! He was wrestling with his brother, and unbelievably friendly. He did not seem sick, even a little. We were all amazed.
One week ago, the owners called to make a neutering appointment for healthy brother. Neutering PKD Brother would be too dangerous at this point, so we weren’t worried about it.
Yesterday, everything changed. PKD Brother was growing weak. He didn’t want to play. He didn’t want to eat. He was sad and depressed. Today, the owners brought him in for euthanasia. They decided they wanted to give everyone a chance to say goodbye, as we had all bonded with these kittens. We all took turns coming in to say goodbye to the sweet thing. I pet him for five minutes, crying the whole time and telling him what a good little kitten he was. I thanked the owners afterwards for thinking not only of themselves, but of us. I hugged one of my coworkers and cried. I’m crying right now.
Since I started working at the clinic, I have met so many, many wonderful cats and wonderful people. I have, in the past 7 months, also said goodbye to a lot of wonderful cats. This one, however, has affected me the most. I feel so bad for the owners, who did everything they could, who only made one mistake - not asking a breeder, who is breeding cats with a known genetic issue - if they test their cats for PKD. I know they’ll never, ever make that mistake again.
This post is not being made as a “DON’T BUY FROM A BREEDER” post. I personally wouldn’t, ever, but I’m not here to judge. I do, however, want to remind, ask, beg you that if you are going to buy a cat from a breeder, DO YOUR RESEARCH. PKD is completely preventable - all a breeder has to do is test their cats for the genetic markers.If they have the PKD markers, they should not breed that cat. Ever.
Ask your breeders questions. If their cats are a breed prone to PKD,do they test for it? Have they had kittens from litters that are FIP-positive? Do their cats frequently suffer from herpes virus (HVR)? Do they have hip dysplasia, bad hearts, bad kidneys. Research the common genetic issues your breed may have and ask about it. If they do not know, if they do not want to answer, if they laugh it off, find a new breeder (or adopt).
In memory of a beautiful kitten, little Hershey - sweetest dreams.
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