Association between Dietary Mineral Profiles and Hypercalcemia in Cats with Chronic Kidney Disease: A Retrospective Study

Umanets, Mykhailo and Tsvilikhovskyi, Valerii (2026) Association between Dietary Mineral Profiles and Hypercalcemia in Cats with Chronic Kidney Disease: A Retrospective Study. World's Veterinary Journal. 580 - 586. ISSN 23224568

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Abstract

Hypercalcemia is an important clinical problem in feline veterinary medicine due to its association with a wide range of pathological conditions, particularly chronic kidney disease (CKD). The present study aimed to characterize the clinical and biochemical characteristics of hypercalcemic cats and to investigate the association between the dietary calcium-to-phosphorus (Ca:P) ratio and CKD, urolithiasis, and total and ionized calcium levels. A retrospective analysis was conducted of 50 hypercalcemic domestic cats presented to the Veterinary Clinic in Kyiv, Ukraine, between 2023 and 2025. For each cat, data on age, breed, total calcium, and ionized calcium were collected. Additionally, serum phosphorus levels and any concurrent diseases were documented from medical records. Dietary composition was assessed based on manufacturer-reported analytical values, including calcium, phosphorus, the Ca:P ratio, and vitamin D content. Cats were divided into two groups based on their dietary Ca:P ratio; one with a ratio of 1.4 or less (� 1.4) and the other with a ratio greater than 1.4. (>1.4). The majority of cats (70) were over six years old. The median total calcium concentration was 3.05 mmol/L, while the median ionized calcium concentration was 1.60 mmol/L. Elevated ionized calcium levels, despite normal total calcium levels, was observed in 16 of cases. Chronic kidney disease was observed in 60 of cats with hypercalcemia, while 18 had urolithiasis, mainly calcium oxalate. Additionally, 18 of the cats had both conditions simultaneously. Comparative analysis demonstrated that cats fed diets with Ca:P ratios > 1.4 had a significantly higher prevalence of CKD (20/25, 80) than cats fed diets with Ca:P ratios � 1.4 (6/25, 24). However, total and ionized calcium concentrations did not differ significantly between the groups. The current findings highlighted the diagnostic value of total calcium, the importance of measuring ionized calcium, and suggested a possible association between high dietary Ca:P ratios and concurrent CKD in hypercalcemic cats. © The Author(s) 2026. This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article's Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article's Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Item Type:	Article
Keywords:	Calcium-to-phosphorus ratio; Chronic kidney disease; Hypercalcemia; Ionized calcium; Vitamin D
Subjects:	S Agriculture > SF Animal culture
Divisions:	World's Veterinary Journal (WVJ)
Page Range:	580 - 586
Journal or Publication Title:	World's Veterinary Journal
Journal Index:	Scopus
Volume:	16
Number:	2
Publisher:	Scienceline Publication
Identification Number:	https://doi.org/10.54203/scil.2026.wvj55
ISSN:	23224568
Depositing User:	Dr. Alireza Sadeghi
URI:	https://eprints.science-line.com/id/eprint/1711

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