Free tool
Lab Decoder: your cat’s blood work, in plain English.
Type in the kidney values from your cat’s report. We’ll explain what each one means, show where creatinine and SDMA sit in the IRIS reference ranges, and give you questions to take to your vet.
Your plain-English summary will appear here
Start with creatinine and SDMA if you have them. Every value is optional. Try 2.4 for creatinine and 19 for SDMA to see an example.
How the Lab Decoder works
Every explanation here is a fixed, rule-based template. Nothing is generated on the fly. Creatinine and SDMA are compared with the reference bands published by the International Renal Interest Society (IRIS Staging of CKD (modified 2023) — iris-kidney.com; phosphate targets: 2026 iCatCare consensus guidelines). Phosphorus is compared with the IRIS target range for the highest band suggested by your cat’s creatinine or SDMA. Other values are compared with typical feline reference intervals.
Labs differ. If your report prints its own reference range, trust that range over ours. A single result is a snapshot: hydration, a recent meal, stress and lab-to-lab differences can all move numbers. That’s why your vet looks at trends, and why IRIS staging is only done on a stable cat with repeated results.
Want to go deeper? Read about creatinine, SDMA, phosphorus or the IRIS stages.
Lab Decoder FAQ
Can this tool tell me what stage my cat is?
No. It shows the range IRIS associates with each stage, which helps the numbers make sense. Only your vet can stage your cat: staging uses more than one test, needs stable results over time, and considers your cat as a whole.
My cat’s creatinine and SDMA point to different stages. Is that bad?
It’s common. Creatinine is affected by muscle mass, so thin or older cats can have a lower creatinine than their kidney function suggests, while SDMA is less affected by muscle. Your vet will consider both, along with urine tests and blood pressure.
How do I convert creatinine from µmol/L to mg/dL?
Divide µmol/L by 88.4 to get mg/dL. For example, 212 µmol/L ÷ 88.4 ≈ 2.4 mg/dL. The Lab Decoder has a unit switch that does this for you.
Is my data stored?
No. The Lab Decoder runs entirely in your browser and nothing you type is sent to us. In the KidneyPaw app you can save results to see trends over time.
The KidneyPaw app
Track every lab, over time.
Save each report in the KidneyPaw app to see how every value changes from visit to visit, with your questions ready for the vet.