Persian Cats are Ticking Time Bombs

If you know of anyone with a Persian cat, tell that person to have the cat checked for PKD (Polycystic Kidney Disease). I've learned w-a-y too much about this disease in the past 72 hours and it's pretty fucking horrible. It's genetic, it's incurable and it's fatal, completely destroying the kidneys. Anyone with a Persian cat should only feed it specially formulated stuff which has lower protein and phosphorus, easing the load on the kidneys. All cats, really, but especially Persians.

I can't concentrate at work right now and I sure as hell don't feel like ranting except at the fucking vet in the US who never bothered to check the fucking cats for PKD during the seven years my mother regularly brought them in for check-ups, despite the fact that at least 1/3 of all Persians have this disease thanks to it being caused by a dominant gene, those fucking incompetents. Oh, and also the fucking breeder who never did any follow-up with owners and kept sending out litter after litter of these poor beasts born with a death sentence reading "End Stage Renal Failure within nine years" for $400-$5000 a pop. I've got her name somewhere and I'm calling the CFA.

For the record I despise breeders and their genetic "purebred" freaks; my mother wanted the damned cats for some reason, probably to keep her busy. When she died I inherited them and quickly grew very attached to them despite the high maintenance that defines the fucking breed. And now I'm losing them.

PKD info starting points:

• http://www.felinecrf.com/
  
• http://www.cat-world.com.au/PolycysticKidneyDisease.htm
  
• http://www.felinecrf.org/related_diseases.htm
  


• http://www.cfainc.org/articles/health/pkd.html (with pictures)

This sucks, Beavis. I may be back in a couple days.