Anyone have a cat with kidney problems?

Question

The vet just called me with very bad news about my cat. The kidney levels are very high and have gone up 2 points in two weeks since we had blood work done. She is losing weight fairly rapidly. I first noticed her symptoms about three weeks ago and started treating her with IV fluids immediately since we thought perhaps she got into a plant or something she shouldn't have. But the blood work indicates it is a chronic kidney problem.

She still looks good and is fairly perky but not eating much anymore. I am going to give her IVs at home once a day and pepcid which is not a problem since I've done it with her before. The vet said he doesn't believe she's in pain right now but when she stops eating completely and shuts down, bring her in. You know what that means.

Anyone else have experience dealing with this? I guess what I'm really asking is how did you treat your cat, i.e., what kind of food did you use? Any medications I can try that the vet isn't telling me about? I don't think I have much time but I want to make sure she gets the best.

Thanks for all answers.

Answer 1

Yes, both my cats died from kidney disease well one did the other I had to put down. Trouble with kidney disease is that it's not detected until the disease is at least 75%, pretty much from that point you are trying to prolong the cats life, to be completely honest it doesn't help at all. I had both cats on subcutaneous fluids three times a week I did not change their food because the vet did not advise that I do so, my eldest cat was detected in November 2005, she went into a coma and died in February 2006, however she was 20 yrs old. I highly recommend that if your cat goes into a coma that you put her down quickly. When the kidneys shut down they release a toxin that goes to the brain and causes seizures, I wanted my cat to die at home with me but I was unprepared for the seizures and it broke my heart. I to this day kick myself for not putting her out of her misery. My second cat got so depressed over the death of her best friend that she stopped eating. I tried everything to get her to eat and eventually I had to have her put down.



Depending on the age of your cat will depend on how long the cat will live, be prepared for only 6 more months due to how advanced kidney disease is before it's detectable.



Good luck

Answer 2

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Answer 3

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Answer 4

My cat had kidney failure that was very mild and didn't progress very fast - much less severe than your cat. I put her on a special kidney diet from the vet (kidney diets are LOW protein, not high protein because excess protein can speed up kidney damage) and switched her over to part canned food (instead of all dry) to increase her moisture intake. She lived another 3-4 years before we had to euthanize her for a different disease.



Treatment of cats in renal failure commonly includes all or some of the following:

- Increasing water intake by feeding canned food and putting out more water bowls (If she won't eat canned food, you can try adding a little water to the dry stuff - but a dry kidney diet is better than nothing if she won't eat it wet)

- Feeding a special low-protein kidney diet (Hill's k/d, Purina NF, Royal Canin Renal LP, Iams/Eukanuba Multi-Stage Renal)

- Medications for high blood pressure (which is a common side effect of kidney failure). Regular blood pressure checks are needed.

- Potassium supplements may often be needed

- Phosphate-binding medication may be needed (less commonly than potassium supplements)

- Appetite stimulants as needed

- Subcutaneous (SQ) fluids at home or intravenous (IV) fluids in the hospital. (If you're sticking the needle under the skin in her back to give fluids and you aren't looking for a vein, you are giving SQ fluids, not IV.



Once a cat gets to the point of needing SQ fluids on a regular basis, there often isn't much time left. You may have a month, or you may have as many as six months, but probably not much longer. Looking into the possibilities of these other medications could give you more quality time with your cat. You'll need a vet's guideance to give all these medications, so ifyour vet doesn't know about them you may want to get a second opinion. If you've got a feline-only vet practice in your area, try going there. Kidney failure is one of the most common feline diseases, so a feline vet would be very knowledgeable about treatment options.

Answer 5

Mine has had chronic renal failure for 4 years, we keep him on a high protein diet, lots of fluids (his food is a slurry usually) and pepcid when he needs it.



You may have to syringe feed, to keep food going in. It's fairly easy, and you don't have to fully rely on the A/D prescription food from the vet. If you have a Trader Joe's in your area, they have three canned cat foods that are very smooth consistency and can be syringe fed when mixed with some warm water. Or you can use a jar of meat baby food, that's smooth too. I'd warm it, and add a little water. Half a jar is a good portion to feed per serving--do that two to three times a day. If this stops the weight loss, you're ahead of the game. Keep doing the re-hydration too.

Answer 6

Natural Kidney Health Restoration Program - http://HealKidney.neatprim.com

Answer 7

My Doctor Told Me the depressing news - "Your Kidneys Are FAILING!"



My worsening kidney disease symptoms included:

- Nausea and vomiting and constant stomach upset

- Passing only small amounts of urine and stopping and starting while urinating

- Swelling in my ankles and lower legs

- Puffiness around my eyes with brain fog and moodiness

- Chronic fatigue and shortness of breath when exerting myself

- Loss of appetite and not wanting to eat at all

- Increasingly higher blood pressure

- Bouts of anxiety and depression

- Muscle cramps which were worse in my legs



That a friend of mine sent me a link to a website (http://NatureHomeCure.com) that helped his Mother. She was just like me, and was suffering with failing kidneys and experienced the same worries and fears I was going through. All I could do was try it and see if it worked.



Here's where the story gets a little strange. Two months later, Instead of my kidneys sliding down the slippery slope of kidney failure and getting progressively worse, they started to get better.



My Doctor could not believe how much improved my kidney function output had increased and my GFR was UP and creatinine levels lower. My kidneys were starting to work again, and removing all the toxins in my body. I got my life back!



Now, I am using this 100% all natural protocol which restored my kidney function and did it naturally, without the use of unnatural man-made pharmaceutical drugs or dialysis. In less than two months my kidneys were on the mend. Now six months later, My kidney's are back to normal again.



Check Website Here : http://NatureHomeCure.com

Answer 8

I am sorry you are going through this. This advice applies for crf cats not kidney failure.

Treatment of Chronic Renal Failure



If your cat is not in final stages, this is not want you want to do. You do not want to put your cat on the

Vets low protein diet. There are simply so many better options out there than to hand the poor cat a low amount of poor quality protein - which often results in a poor appetite and muscle wasting since the body is now robbing its own muscle mass to feed itself a decent quality and amount of protein.

. There are new thoughts on this and the thinking is it is not the amount of protein but the quality of protein that matters.

The Merck veterinary manual [www.merckvetmanual.com] says that cats need "4 g of protein of high biologic value per kg body wt/day". That's about 7 calories from protein per pound body weight per day. If a cat isn't a good eater and consumes, say, 20 calories per pound per day, then 7/20 = 35% of calories can safely be from protein. It must be high quality protein, which means meat, milk, and eggs, and not grain or soy.



I am under the assumption that you have been feeding mostly dry foods. Many use a vegetable based protein instead of animal and that is part of the problem.. Your cat needs protein as it is a carnivore and cutting down on it will lead to other health issues and may cause faster degeneration.

You want to cut down on phosphorous (no fish allowed now)



The best way to do this is with a raw diet which you can make yourself or buy. (Making yourself is better) link provided at the bottom

If you are unwilling to do that then something like the non fish flavors of Wellness or Merrick with NO grains are good alternatives. Wysong is also a good canned choice. This list gives a breakdown. Remember you want low phosphorous

http://binkyspage.tripod.com/CanFoodOld.html

http://binkyspage.tripod.com/CanFoodNew.html

You should be giving sub-Q fluids as needed.





You also will want to look into phosphorous binders. Something like aluminum hydroxide

Ask your vet or look into calcitrol





You may want to talk to the vet about having injectable Pepcid AC on hand or you can buy it in pill form (ac not plain pepcid) and give 1/4 tab for stomach upset which happens a lot in crf cats due to acid in the stomach.

I hope this stuff helps, here are many links for you

Making cat food

http://www.catinfo.org/makingcatfood.htm

other links. Read, read, read!!!!

http://www.felineoutreach.org/EducationDetail.asp?cat=KidneyDisease

http://www.marvistavet.com/html/kidney_failure_where_to_begin.html

http://www.felinecrf.org/

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About that vets diet. This report is for dogs but applies to cats

http://mousabilities.com/nutrition/crf/bovee_protein_RD.pdf

http://www.geocities.com/Vienna/Opera/21...

Answer 9

My cat had the exact same issue. We treated her with IV fluids and medications and ended up extending her life by 1 year. When she took a turn for the worse (stopped eating and having accidents) we had her humanely euthanized. I was so thankful to my vet for guiding us through the treatment I started volunteering at animal shelters.



Go by what your vet recommends. I can't remember the meds but I do recall we fed her soft prescription food. It was Hills but I can't remember the initials.



Stay strong and when the turn for the worse does happen, don't try to fight on. By you making the decision to end it you are doing your cat a great service.

Answer 10

I had a cat that had this problem for about two years and we did the IV thing. He went blind which had nothing to do with the kidney thing and he couldn't cope with it so we had him put down. I am glad I had him for those two extra years.

I almost forgot to add, the Vet told us to give him any food that he would eat.

Answer 11

I put my cat on high protein food that I got from my vet. No medications, there's isn't any to deal with this issue.



Your vet is right on the money with his advice.

Answer 12

Heal Kidney Disease Forever : http://NaturallyGo.com/Info

Answer 13

when my cat had this they flushed his kidneys out,they think it was lilies in the garden.but now his fine