Where Are Cats Kidneys Located?

Cats, just like humans have 2 kidneys. A cat’s kidneys are relatively small and bean shaped, and they are located on each side of the cat behind his or her rib cage. A cat’s kidneys play a very important role. The kidneys help control a cat’s blood pressure and also produce a variety of required hormones and enzymes, contribute to the production of red blood cells, and control the fluid in a cat’s bloodstream.

The kidney’s most important job, however, is to remove metabolic waste from a cat’s blood. A cat’s kidney tissue contains thousands of tiny filtration units known as nephrons. A cat’s waste filled blood enters the kidneys through his or her renal artery and it continues to move through smaller arteries until it reaches the nephrons, where it is then filtered once again through minute structures known as glomeruli. This cleaned blood then recycles itself back to the cat’s heart for yet another trip through the body. The remaining blood, which contains the waste material, is then selected as urine through the kidneys to the bladder and will eventually be passed by kitty.