Is my 6-month kitten's high BUN/Creatinine a sign of kidney disease?
Updated On September 23rd, 2025
Pet's info: Cat | Domestic Mediumhair | Male | 6 months and 21 days old | 5 lbs
Hi, my vet told me my kitten had an abnormal blood result that indicated possibility of kidney disease. He is only 6 months old. His BUN is 30.3 & his Creatine is 1.6. From what I have read online those fall within the normal range for cats, unless it is different for 6 month old kittens vs adults? He has been given antibiotics even though his urine test was negative for signs of infection. Should I be concerned about my 6 month kitten having kidney disease?
2 Answers
Most Helpful Answer
Published on February 22nd, 2019
Every lab has different reference ranges, so according to the lab that your cats blood was run in, the BUN and CREA are considered to be mildly elevated. However, unless your cat has a low specific gravity (concentrating ability of the kidneys), we have to assume that the BUN and CREA levels are not indicating any kind of kidney failure. In other words, if the kidneys are concentrating normally, and the pet is asymptomatic, then the BUN and CREA levels should simply be rechecked at a later date or another more sensitive test called the SDMA test should be done to clarify what is really going on with your pets kidneys. So based on the information you have provided we cannot say if Frodo has true kidney disease, but if his urine test was negative for bacteria then no infection is present. Ask your vet about Frodo's specific gravity and if that was normal or not. If it was normal, then go forward with the SDMA test to confirm that the kidneys are ok. If you need further help regarding your pet Frodo's case, since this can be a bit complicated to explain on the forum, please feel free to request a private consultation with either myself or another expert here and we will be more than happy to assist you further. I hope that this helps and best wishes with your pet Frodo moving forward! Take care: )
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
Related Answers from Veterinarians
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Published on November 13th, 2019
Elevated BUN in a pet can indicate either kidney disease, internal bleeding, a high protein diet, or just like any other value can be erroneously elevated (an error). The next test that should be done to rule in/out a kidney problem is to do a urinalysis and check your pets urine concentrating ability (specific gravity). This is an easy and inexpensive test to do, because if the kidneys are not concentrating well, then we know that the kidneys are likely failing. Also, just to note, labs can have different normal ranges, so I am assuming the CREA was within normal range since you only indicated the BUN was high. At any rate, your pet is certainly not feeling well. Antibiotics can certainly have an adverse effect with pets and cause lethargy and inappetance, so if these symptoms didn't start until after the medication was started, you should certainly notify Cosita's veterinarian. I hope that this provides some insight on what to do next to get the bottom of your pets elevated blood values. Best of luck and take care.
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
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