18/08/2026
Your cat was born with all the kidney filter units they'll ever have. The ones they lose never grow back.
That's why kidney trouble sneaks up on so many cats. The body quietly works around each lost filter, so nothing looks wrong until most of them are already gone. By the time a cat drinks more water or loses weight, the damage is usually years old.
And one of the biggest things wearing those filters down is phosphorus. It's in almost everything cats eat. Young kidneys clear the extra without a problem, but aging kidneys can't keep up, and the buildup keeps chipping away at the filters that are left.
Two things worth doing while your cat still seems fine: ask your vet to check kidney values at the yearly visit, and keep fresh water easy to reach. Cats are bad drinkers by nature, and the kidneys feel it first.
The filters your cat has today are all they'll ever get. Worth protecting early.
