The wide range of different kidney diseases which may affect your cat means that it can often be difficult to pinpoint the exact cause of his symptoms. The kidneys are a crucial pair of organs for your pet's body. They serve to regulate and filter many of the different liquids in the body. When kidney function decreases as a result of disease, your cat's body is not able to get rid of toxins as well as it was previously. This results in a set of potentially very dangerous symptoms and may end up being fatal. Correctly identifying and treating these kidney problems early on is the key to making sure that you're giving your pet the care he needs.
Infection
One of the more common kidney diseases which may affect one or both of your cat's kidneys is a bacterial infection. Most often, bacterial infections in the kidneys were actually started at some other point in your pet's body. They may have then developed to a certain extent and then traveled through your pet's bloodstream. When the bacteria reaches the kidney, it can settle in there and begin to cause another point of infection. This is a great reason to treat surface level and more minor infections with antibiotics as early on as possible.
Toxic Response
Although not a disease in the normal sense, one of the other primary causes of kidney problems, kidney damage and even kidney failure in cats is the response to a certain type of toxin in the environment. If your cat mistakenly ingests one of several different types of household chemicals or other substances, he may begin to suffer from kidney damage as a result. One of the most serious and unfortunately common of these chemicals is antifreeze. Antifreeze contains chemicals which are poisonous to your cat and which will likely result in extreme damage to the kidneys. However, the taste of antifreeze makes it attractive to cats; be sure to keep any antifreeze in your home safely stored away from where your cat cannot access it.
Cysts and Tumors
Other more serious and long term kidney diseases which affect many cats are cysts and tumors. These may be cancerous or benign, but in either case they can seriously impede your pet's kidney function. Cysts are growths that tend to be inherited through genetic links, while tumors can arise for a variety of different reasons.
If you have any reason to suspect that your cat is suffering from some sort of a kidney disease or other problem related to this crucial organ, take him to a veterinarian right away. Bring a list of the symptoms that you've detected and some idea of how long they have been going on. This will be helpful for your vet as he goes about trying to make a diagnosis of your pet's condition.