I have a 7 yr old cat in renal failure.

[alittlelark]

He has always been QUITE overweight. We have other kitties w/ no weight problems. We have spend more than a few pretty pennies on trying to figure out what his issue is.

The bottom line ended up being 'try the Atkins diet'. He never went below 22 lbs on the diet.... until he dropped 5 lbs in less that 2 months. I was happy that he was losing weight. I didn't figure out that something was wrong until he came up to me and 'told' me. I took him to the Vet ER and got him back almost a thousand dollars later - still very sick, needing home IV's, and w/25% or so kidney function. I did not ask the vet his prognosis.... I just couldn't.

I know that many on this forum have experience w/ feline renal failure. I need advice - I have had many kitties - this is my first experience w/ renal failure.


Any advice/tips would be greatly appreciated.O8)

[Qanisqineq]

1. I am so sorry

I recently learned my 13 year old cat has kidney disease and I don't have the slightest idea what to do. I bought Dr. Pitcairn's book, http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/157954973X/sr=1-1/qid=1138217707/ref=pd_bbs_1/104-1437727-4879106?%5Fencoding=UTF8

My cats will not eat raw foods, so that is not an option. Or should I say, I am not willing to listen to them cry (one literally yells at me) for days on end. I've tried, can't do it. The book talks about herbal supplements to give cats with kidney disease, such as alfalfa. But I did a search on alfalfa and so many sites say it is poisonous for cats (both in plant form and in herbal form). I just don't know what to do. So much contradicting information. I did switch their diet to canned cat food every day after years and years of many vets saying, "feed only dry, it keeps their weight down and is better for their teeth". Yeah, I have one cat that is 20 lbs., that sure worked.

My thoughts are with you and your kitty.
:hugs:

[prozacnation]

2. He's a total love bug!

I hope that he comes out of this okay. I've never know a more cared for cat. alittlelark is definitely going to be that crazy old cat lady living on the hill with 200 cats. I can say that because I'm related to her. Heck I'll probably be joining her at the rate I'm going.

[superconnected]

3. I don't have any advices

But sending you and your cat good wishes.

[Coyote_Bandit]

4. I have a small renal dog

He developed pancreatitis (my vet thinks this was probably caused by puppy food that was high in protein and fat - something I will never again feed to any dog) and went into secondary renal failure at 5 months of age. He will be 4 years old in June. All of his bloodwork has been at the upper range of normal for the past two years. He is a real sweetie and I do worry about what lies ahead for him. That said, he is doing very well. I am quite strict with his diet. He eats mostly prescription food that is protein, fat and phosphorus restricted - but my vet has also given me some recipes that offer variety and can be effectively used as food enticements (he is a picky eater) and treats. He eats several small meals every day. I also encourage him to drink lots of water to help flush his kidneys. I limit his activity (short walks in moderate to cool temperatures but no long walks ever) and his exposure to heat - or anything else that might stress him out. We do not do IV's as his condition does not warrant it at this point in time. Occassionally I will give him a bit of Pepcid but other than that he does not take any medication or supplements - though I admit I am trying to figure out how to get some fish oil into his diet. I have found several bulletin boards on the net that deal with canine renal issues. Some have been very helpful to me.

Since my little guy got so sick at such a young age his breeder took him for a secondary vet workup in a large clinic. This included some genetic testing and an ultrasound to determine whether his kidneys were cystic or undersized. That ultrasound was sent to a veterinary professor for another opinion. I've gotten lots of advice regarding his prognosis. While nobody was optimistic and reassuring, the universal prognosis seemed to be "wait and see - and, oh by the way, all of these things (diet, water, activity and stress levels) will be beneficial."

My best to you and your furkid. I know it's hard to watch him and not be sure of his future.

[alittlelark]

11. Thank you for your response.

I finally got the bottom line at the vet's a few days ago.... Kidney failure is permanent - it's just a matter of time and quality of life.

Olivers quality of life went downhill sooo fast.....

I had him euthanized a few hours ago.

My keyboard has been drenched and may need replacing.:cry:

[Eurobabe]

14. Oh my gosh, I am so sorry lark

This is terrible news. I hope Oliver is in a big green field with lots of sunshine, catnip and playmates. RIP Oliver... :cry:

[sasha031]

16. I am so sorry alittlelark

I have lost 2 the same way, it is so difficult, I know. Your beloved Kitti was so blessed to be with you for the time you had together.

[iconoclastic cat]

5. Oh, that's awful. I wish I had advice.

Hell, I've been right there recently: in the past year, I've spent at least 2K on cat health problems. And I'd spend it all again.

Good luck to the both of you.

:pals:

[roguevalley]

6. how is it going with your baby?

[prozacnation]

7. Things aren't going well

I don't know if alittlelark has been posting lately. Her baby is doing very poorly and she is a complete wreck. As of our last conversation it was just a matter of time before she was going to have him euthanized. I know she would appreciate your good thoughts at this time....

[Eurobabe]

8. Oh that's awful news...

I hope things work out for the best. It's so hard, I can't imagine, but you also can't stand to see your furbaby suffer. Sending thoughts your way alittlelark. Hugs, -48%er

[legally blonde]

9. I read the sad news in the lounge . . .

alittlelark, I'm so very sorry. My thoughts are with you and your furbaby.

[alittlelark]

12. Thank You.

[ET Awful]

13. My condolences alittlelark, and RIP Oliver

:hug: :cry: :hug:

[prozacnation]

10. Oliver is gone

He had to be euthanized this evening. Please send good thoughts to alittlelark she is obviously devastated.

[Beaverhausen]

15. {{{{alittlelark}}}}

I'm so sorry. :cry:

:hug:

[Lisa0825]

17. I'm so sorry....

I lost my 9 year old kitty to renal failure too. :hug: :cry: :hug:

[sasha031]

18. I have one left with Kidney failure

but she is doing very well. I give her subcutaneous fluids every other day, plus Hi-Vite vitamins and Tumil-K because they lose potassium.
the vet will also give you a special food for their diet.Your kitty might like the dry rendition instead of the canned as does mine. They also need moist fluid due to dehydration, I feed her fancy feast.
Don't be timid about the fluids, it's a matter of life and death and once the both of you get use to it, you will be fine.
What I do is warm the fluids before administering, next to a heater for a couple of hours. Therefore the chill isn't so bad. What I do when it's time is put her outside of the room while I set up the IV. Put her on a pillow on my lap and pull gently on the back below the neck to cause a bit of numbing affect. Insert the needle and your in business.
All of these things aren't difficult and it's so well worth it because you will have a happy comfortable cat,(hopefully)
There are groups on Yahoo for just this sort of thing, the groups are very well informed, they helped me tremendously, so that I gained tons of hope.

Good Luck:)