At 6 lbs, Curi (pronounced like ‘curry’) is just the cutest little orange ball of fluff and is an odditiy at an animal shelter: a pedigreed Persian.In fact, Curi’s papers show that she is from a lineage that traces its ancestors back to Russia.Curi’s owner ran into a dilemma when her grandson had to move in with her due to family problems.Her grandson was astmatic and, as they found out, severely allergic to cats.He was at the hospital emergency room no less than five times before they figured out that the cat was aggravating his disease.We were happy to be able to take sweet little Curi.During her intake examination, our vet felt something abnormal in Curi’s abdomen.A followup ultrasound showed that there was a cyst on Curi’s left kidney and many cysts on her liver.Such cysts are a symtpom of polycystic kidney disease (PKD).

PKD is an inherited disease that (more common in Persian cats than most other breeds) in which cysts spontaneously appear in the kidneys (and, rarely, other organs such as the liver and uterus).Problems occur when these cysts start to grow and progressively enlarge the kidney, reducing the kidney’s ability to function properly. The ultimate end is kidney failure.Unfortunately, there is no specific treatment for this disease.Instead, treatment is similar to that for chronic kidney failure of any cause, including regular blood testing (for kidney function) and dietary changes and fluid administration as the disease progresses.Currently, Curi is symptom free.And, altrhough the disese will inevtibaly progress, we hope that its progression will be slow enough that she can enjoy many more years of healthy life.

But we know that Curi’s disease will make her a difficult adoption.Please consider sponsoring Curi and helping us to care for this dear little girl.