Polycystic Kidney Disease (PKD) is similar to Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy (HCM) in that it only takes one parent to pass the disease. PKD is an inherited kidney disease that passes from a genetically affected parent at a statistical rate of about 50%. It can be a relatively silent disease for many years until it manifests later in life as renal failure. Or it can strike early and unexpectedly with renal demise characterized by multiple cysts in both kidneys. This disease, like HCM, can have variable expression from cat to cat.
