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I missed the opportunity to reply to this post when it was made, and only discovered it last weekend when it was quoted in a new post which has since been deleted.
By its name, CRF is indeed a "chronic" condition...but...in this case, the word chronic is being used to define the future prognosis of kidney function.
"CRF is characterized by irreversible structural damage to the kidney"
( http://vetsites.vin.com/Kidney/CRF.doc )
Because it is based on irreversible damage, it is describing kidney function from the time of diagnosis onwards, CRF can therefore have a very rapid "onset". Dr. James, quoted above, uses a time frame of "more than a month" in which to make the diagnosis. The reality "on the ground" is that Veterinarians will most often diagnose the condition much earlier, often within a couple of days to a week. (Join one of the CRF online support groups and read the real-life stories to see how quickly diagnoses are made.)
From http://felinecrf.org/ :
Types of Kidney Failure
There are two kinds of kidney failure, Acute Renal Failure (renal means kidney-related), abbreviated here as ARF; and Chronic Renal Failure, abbreviated as CRF.
ARF is a serious condition which usually comes on suddenly and which is often triggered by a particular event or "insult", such as your cat eating something poisonous. Lilies and antifreeze are both extremely toxic to cats and may cause ARF. ARF is usually treated with IV fluids and other medications at the vet's and, although it is hard to treat, if the cat survives the initial crisis, he/she can often regain much or sometimes all of his/her normal kidney function.
CRF may also manifest itself very suddenly and require IV treatment at the vet's, but in contrast to ARF it is an ongoing disease in which it is not possible to regain lost kidney function; so the goal is to keep the remaining function for as long as possible.
Hope this helps to clarify any misunderstandings!
