To comprehensively evaluate the occurrence of renal lesions in a variety of nondomestic felids, necropsy cases from 1978 to 2008 were reviewed from a municipal zoo and a large cat sanctuary for those in which the kidneys were examined histologically. Seventy exotic felids were identified (25 tigers, 18 lions, 6 cougars, 5 leopards, 3 snow leopards, 3 clouded leopards, 3 Canadian lynx, 2 ocelots, 2 bobcats, 2 cheetahs, 1 jaguar), and their histologic renal lesions were evaluated and compared. The most common lesion was tubulointerstitial nephritis (TIN); 36 of 70 (51%) cats were affected to some degree. Lymphocytic interstitial nephritis was the most common lesion in the tigers (9 of 25, 36%) and was rarely seen in other species. Although the renal pelvis was not available for all cats, 28 of 47 (60%) had some degree of lymphocytic pyelitis. There was no significant association between the presence of pyelitis and that of TIN. Only 1 cat had pyelonephritis. Renal papillary necrosis was present in 13 of 70 (19%) cats and was significantly associated with historical nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug treatment (odds ratio, 7.1; 95% confidence interval, 1.9 to 26.8). Only 1 cat (lion) had amyloid accumulation, and it was restricted to the corticomedullary junction. Primary glomerular lesions were absent in all cats. Intraepithelial pigment was identified in many of the cats but was not correlated with severity of TIN. Despite several previous reports describing primary glomerular disease or renal amyloidosis in exotic felids, these lesions were rare to absent in this population.Keywords exotic felid, kidney, leopard, lion, nephritis, Panthera, tiger Chronic kidney disease is the most common disease affecting older domestic cats. 15 The reported prevalence of kidney disease in domestic cats ranges from 1.6 to 31%.2,15 Despite numerous reports of renal disease in exotic felids, 1,3,8,14,16,19 we could find no reports that describe and compare the occurrence of renal lesions across multiple species of exotic felids.Previous reports of renal lesions in exotic felids have focused mainly on renal AA amyloid deposition in association with systemic AA amyloidosis. 14,16,19 Large studies have reported glomerulosclerosis in captive cheetahs 1 and glomerulonephritis in the Iberian lynx (Lynx pardinus).8 Renal papillary necrosis (RPN) has been reported in 3 lions and a tiger, 3 and there is a single case report of pyelonephritis in a Siberian tiger (Panthera tigris altaica). Materials and MethodsNecropsy records from the University of Tennessee's pathology service were searched for submissions of exotic felids from a municipal zoo and a large cat sanctuary from January 1978 through December 2008. All the cats in this study were housed at a municipal zoo or a large cat sanctuary at the time of their death. Most of the animals were similarly housed, in earth-floored enclosures, and fed all-meat diets. The large cat sanctuary serves as a rescue organization, so the prior history of many of these cats is unknown. Cases we...

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