A client brings her 19-year-old cat to the veterinary clinic for its annual exam. The veterinary assistant brings them into the exam room and begins the process of updating the patient’s medical record. The client tells him that the cat has been drinking a lot more water than it used to, and is urinating much more frequently. She also tells him that the cat has been much more sedentary over the last few months, and no longer likes to be picked up. The client asks, “What do you think is wrong with her? Will she be all right?” The veterinary assistant has seen these symptoms in older cats before and is relatively certain that the cat has kidney disease. He knows that the veterinarian is likely to have the same suspicion and will order bloodwork to assess the cat’s kidney function. If the cat does have kidney disease, the veterinarian will prescribe medication that might help slow the progression of disease, but this condition will eventually kill the animal. How much of this information can the veterinary assistant share with the client, and why?