Genetic screening offers early insight into feline CKD

Veterinarians at Washington State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine recently developed Feline Apoptosis Inhibitor Macrophages (FAIM), a genetic test that detects predisposition to progressive chronic kidney disease (CKD). By swabbing a cat's cheek, clients can now help determine whether their cat is at high risk of developing these diseases years before clinical signs present themselves.

“Catching the disease early means cat owners can cut out certain foods and medications to maintain their pet’s health and slow the disease’s progression. That’s the big problem with this disease; you don’t know it is coming until it is too late,” said Nicholas F. Villarino, DVM, DVSc, PhD, DACVCP, in the WSU Insider.¹

“Once it is identified, there’s no way back, and those cats will likely require lifelong medical therapy.”

Matthew Wun, MS, DVM, a veterinary resident in WSU's College of Veterinary Medicine, demonstrating how to collect a DNA Sample from a cat with the help of Nicholas F. Villarino, DVM, DVSc, PhD, DACVCP (Image courtesy Washington State University's College of Veterinary Medicine/Ted S. Warren)

CKD is a progressive condition that causes kidneys to deteriorate, which often results in kidney failure and death. For feline patients, about 30-50% older than age 11 have some form of this disease, causing cardiovascular disease, anemia, and hypertension. In extreme cases of CKD, clients can spend thousands of dollars on care for their pet, but there is no cure.

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FAIM was able to be created due to a genetic variation that affects the productivity of a protein responsible for kidney pair, which was identified in 2016 by Villarino and other collaborators from the WSU Program of Individualized Medicine (PrIMe).² According to the WSU Insider, Villarino first noticed this genetic mutation during a study at WSU examining the biomarkers of kidney disease in cats. Once Villarino and the team looked closer after one cat was behaving differently than the others, they noticed an alternation in a gene that codes for the protein that is responsible for kidney repair.

“I’m a scientist, and so we’re always doing studies, and so to get to a point where we can actually take the science and potentially help pets live a longer life, it’s a really great feeling,” Villarino said.

Through the testing, Villarino hopes it can open doors to drug development and treatment for CKD and potentially be used by professional cat breeders to try and limit the number of cats with this disease.

For the test, pet owners can purchase it now for $100 by emailing Villarino directly at nicolas.villarino@wsu.edu but they will soon be available online through WSU’s PrIMe.¹ After receiving the test, owners can then swab their cat’s mouth and send the samples back to the center to be processed using droplet digital PCR testing.

These tests are possible with support from the WSU Office of Commercialization, the Washington Research Foundation, and dedicated donors Kay Fowler and Kay Yarborough Nelson, who were all determined to see the test come to fruition.

“This test aims to benefit the lives of so many cats and their owners, and there is no way we could have done this without donor support,” Villarino concluded.

References

1. Babcock J. Genetic test detects early signs of kidney disease in cats. WSU Insider. Published July 31, 2025. Accessed August 5, 2025. https://news.wsu.edu/press-release/2025/07/31/genetic-test-detects-early-signs-of-kidney-disease-in-cats/
2. Evangelista GCL, Hwang JK, Broughton-Neiswanger LE, et al. Apoptosis Inhibitor of Macrophages in Cats: A Potential Link Between an Exon 3 Variant Allele and Progression of Naturally Occurring Chronic Kidney Disease. J Vet Intern Med. 2025;39(4):e70136. doi:10.1111/jvim.70136