EveryCat Health Foundation
https://everycat.org/
2021 CaP-K Grant Awards
2 Grants Funded Totalling $99,105

EveryCat Health Foundation, in a special funding opportunity co-sponsored by Nestlé Purina Petcare and Mars Petcare, is funding grants that address the effect that dietary phosphorus and calcium to phosphorus ratio have on renal health in cats as well as biomarkers to detect early renal disease. 

Topics of Interest:

• The Impact of Dietary Phosphorus and Calcium (CaP-K) on Feline Kidney Health
• Early Renal Disease Biomarkers

The overall goal of such research is to provide evidence that will lead to scientific consensus on safe levels and types of dietary phosphorus for feline diets. High-priority areas that have been identified and will be given special consideration include:

• Investigation of factors that influence phosphorus bioavailability and metabolism including source and form of phosphorus in foods.
• Identification of biomarkers of renal injury (i.e., especially markers that detect early kidney changes before irreversible damage occurs).
• Identification of in vitro assays that correlate with in vivo function of phosphorus sources.

“Kidney disease is the number one cause of death in older cats, but its cause is unknown. EveryCat Health Foundation has teamed up with two giants of the pet food industry, Nestlé Purina Petcare, and Mars Petcare, to fund health studies investigating these critical areas that improve the quality and longevity of every cat’s life,” states Drew Weigner, DVM, EveryCat Health Foundation’s Past President.

2021 grants awarded are as follows:

The impact of synbiotics on the gastrointestinal microbiome and phosphate homeostasis in cats with chronic kidney disease. $49,355
Principal Investigators: Dr. Thurid Johnstone, Professor Caroline Mansfield, University of Melbourne. CaP-K21-004
The intestinal tract of cats contains many different bacteria in a delicate balance, but cats with kidney disease have alterations in these bacteria (“dysbiosis”) that may lead to worsening disease. This study compares the intestinal bacteria of normal cats to those with kidney disease to determine how it changes, leading to improved diagnostic tests and potential treatments with pre-and probiotics.

Evaluation of untargeted urinary metabolomic profiling, microRNA (miRNA), and advanced glycation end products (AGEs) in cats with chronic kidney disease (CKD). $49,750
Principal Investigators: Joe Bartges, DVM, PhD, DACVIM, DACVN; Art Edison, MS, PhD; GRA. University of Georgia. CaP-K21-005
Kidney disease is common in cats, but current tests can’t diagnose it until the disease has progressed significantly. This study looks at different compounds in cat urine to determine if they can be used to diagnose kidney disease in earlier stages, improving the prognosis and longevity of these patients.