Experts uncover why cats are prone to kidney disease
University of Nottingham
Researchers from the University of Nottingham have uncovered a surprising biological quirk in domestic cats that may help explain why they are so prone to chronic kidney disease.
Unlike dogs and most other mammals, cats appear to accumulate unusual fats inside the cells of their kidneys, sometimes from a very young age.
This new study, published in Frontiers of Veterinary Science, and led by Professor David Gardner and Dr Rebecca Brociek from the School of Veterinary Medicine and Science at the University, shows they are anything but ordinary.
Using advanced chemical analyses, the team discovered that cats accumulate a rare group of modified triglycerides (the most common type of fat in the body, essential for storing excess energy from food), some with unusual chemical bonds or branched structures, that are very rarely observed in other mammals.
Many of these fats have special ether‑linkages that behave differently from typical dietary fats. Dogs did not show this pattern at all, and the feral Scottish Wildcats showed it only occasionally.
Dr Brociek said: “Why these types of unusual fats accumulate in domestic cat kidneys, even from an early age, may offer an important clue as to why domestic cats are particularly prone to chronic kidney disease, one of the most common and serious illnesses affecting older cats.”
The researchers propose that this distinctive lipid buildup inside kidney cells could be an early sign of long‑term stress within the kidney, potentially contributing to tissue damage over time.
Professor Gardner says: "We are hopeful that soon we will understand why these unusual fats accumulate in domestic cats - we just have to collect the evidence to find the proof. If true, we believe we could develop a supplement or modified diet to help prevent these unusual lipid structures from accumulating, ultimately benefitting the long-term health of our companion animals.”
The discovery opens a new area of investigation into feline biology, suggesting that cats’ unique metabolism may predispose them to kidney problems. It could eventually lead to better diagnostic tools, improved diets, and new treatments for protecting cats’ kidney health.
The full study can be found here.
Journal
Frontiers in Veterinary Science
Method of Research
Experimental study
Subject of Research
Cells
Article Title
Lipid droplets in felid kidneys: prevalence and composition by lipidomics
Researchers create world’s largest dog and cat tumour database
University of Liverpool
Researchers from the University of Liverpool’s Veterinary Data Science Group and the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria have created the world’s largest open-source database of canine and feline tumours, containing more than one million records. This unique resource aims to help transform understanding of factors influencing the risk of pets getting cancer.
The team brings together expertise in veterinary pathology, epidemiology, data science and clinical practice. By working with veterinary diagnostic laboratories and applying advanced methods for extracting and standardising diagnostic data, they have created a unified resource.
The size of the tumour registry makes it possible to study rare cancers and uncommon breeds in meaningful detail for the first time. Researchers worldwide can now access rich and standardised data to explore patterns previously hidden by fragmented reporting.
David Killick, Professor of Veterinary Oncology at the University of Liverpool, said: “It is important to understand risks for cancers – and this applies to pets too. But for dogs and cats, most cancer diagnosis data sit in private veterinary labs, inaccessible for research. Working through SAVSNET , our Small Animal Veterinary Surveillance Network, we wanted to see whether we could bring together large volumes of these data into one meaningful, research-ready database.
“This tumour registry is a major step towards better understanding cancer risk in pets. In addition to allowing better identification of breed related risk of specific tumour types, early analyses have raised the question of how neutering practices may influence risks of particular cancers. The scale of the data also opens new possibilities for exploring the genetic basis of these cancers.”
Jose RodrÃguez Torres, PhD Veterinary Data Scientist at the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, added: “Analysing cancer diagnoses is well established in human medicine, but similar work in animals has lagged behind due to fragmented data. This study is a leading step forward. With more than 200 breeds and more than 150 tumour types represented, these data can now be explored by researchers worldwide to better understand cancer risk across many tumour–breed combinations.”
Dr Francesco Cian from BattLab, one of the participating labs, and a co-author on the paper said ” It has been a pleasure to work with University of Liverpool and ULPGC on this project and to see a new use for the data we generate. Typically, our results are used by veterinarians to support owners and their pets. In this research, we were able to collate anonymised results and generate new knowledge about the tumour risk faced by individual pets across a wide range of cancers”.
The team plans to expand the registry by collaborating with additional laboratories and continues to collect data in real-time. As the Registry grows, analysis can be further refined – for example, by better understanding how dogs with tumours compare to the wider UK canine population.
The team have created a publicly accessible summary of the data to allow vets, owners and researchers to better understand tumour risk here.
An element of the team’s work, that focusses on dog tumours, is explored in a newly published paper in Veterinary and Comparative Oncology, ‘Epidemiology of Four Major Canine Tumours in the UK: Insights From a National Pathology Registry With Comparative Oncology Perspectives’ (DOI:10.1111/vco.70056).
The work is funded by Petplan Charitable Trust.
Journal
Veterinary and Comparative Oncology
Subject of Research
Animals
Article Title
Epidemiology of Four Major Canine Tumours in the UK: Insights From a National Pathology Registry With Comparative Oncology Perspectives
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