Research overview: renal transplantation and regenerative approaches in cats

Feline renal transplantation has been performed at specialized centers as a treatment for advanced CKD, with recipient cats requiring lifelong immunosuppression and donors typically adopted by the recipient's family, raising distinctive clinical and ethical considerations. Outcomes vary, and the procedure remains limited to a few institutions. Parallel research explores regenerative approaches such as mesenchymal stem cell therapy aimed at reducing fibrosis and inflammation. This overview compiles the surgical and experimental literature rather than one source, describing what transplantation can achieve and its substantial demands, why regenerative therapies are being investigated for a disease driven by progressive scarring, and the practical and ethical issues these advanced options raise. It matters because they represent the frontier of treatment for a disease with limited curative options.