Please help! My 17 year old cat is...

mews2much

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My Coco is 16.5 but she has problems now.
Her numbers show kidney problems and she has a Ecoli infection again in her bladder.
I hope the other tests are fine.
Coco has Asthma but she has had that for years.
 

libby74

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Glad to hear the vet didn't find any real problems with Edgar; hope the final results are all good news. A gentle head skritch to your senior boy.
 

catwhisperer

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Originally Posted by libby74

Glad to hear the vet didn't find any real problems with Edgar; hope the final results are all good news. A gentle head skritch to your senior boy.
...will do! I can't wait to see 'im...my husband picked him up this morning, so he'll be home when i get there.

...here i go...

Blessings!

=^..^=
 

catwhisperer

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Originally Posted by mews2much

My Coco is 16.5 but she has problems now.
Her numbers show kidney problems and she has a Ecoli infection again in her bladder.
I hope the other tests are fine.
Coco has Asthma but she has had that for years.
I hope that Coco[puff] gets better soon! I'm assuming the eColi can be treated with antibiotics(?)... Edgar wheezes, too...do you treat Coco for her asthma? I don't know much about this, as i figured it was normal, being how a cat's little nose is similar (it's pushed in) to pugs, boxers and bulldogs, etc...
(I grew up with boxers, so i know about the snoring, slobbering, etc...) [grin]

I tho't of you last evening and need to apologize for not responding sooner (like i don't appear to care). I was "out the door" last nite from our business, and i usually don't touch the computer in the evenings. I tho't of Coco, how you must be feeling, etc... Our little four-legged friends are our family!...we LOVE them! For some, they're all someone has!

Keep me posted on Coco[puff], okay?

Blessings!

=^..^=
 

booktigger

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i am glad that there is nothing obviously wrong with his kidneys and fingers crossed for his diabetes test. One other thing that might be worth asking the vet about is arthritis.
 

catwhisperer

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Well, everyone...

Seems as though Edgar may have the onset of kidney disease, as his urinalysis show "diluted" urine. If you don't already know, it's actually good when a cat's urine is concentrated - that indicates the kidneys are fully filtering the toxins in the blood. The doctor said that his blood tests can indicate that everything seems normal, even when renal failure is in process. Edgar IS anemic, too, which is a symptom of this (eventually fatal) disease. He's successfully taking a liquid vitamin that (thankfully!) can be put in his food. The little rascal WILL NOT take ANY medicine! He is adamant and is in charge! We have a precautionary antibiotic to give him, that is sitting in the refrigerator, brand-new, never used (because he's a little hard-head!) Sooooo...

Ya' know, hello!...Edgar IS 17! I know i've been in denial! He's lost 6 pounds, is anemic, sleeps all day and all night...c'mon!...i was just thinking it's old age without any cause!

He had a somewhat bad weekend. He slept, slept, slept, looking forlorn any time in between. He put his paw on "dad" Saturday morning, like, "dad, i don't feel good today". All mommy (me/I) could do was just comfort him and hold him, kiss his cheek (he loves that!), and tell him mommy understood and loved him. Some mornings he's good - alert, meowing with a little communicative voice, bright-eyed - then at night, he's spent and doesn't even want to be moved to my lap.

All we can do until further (severe) decline is to try to keep him happy and comfortable, unless we had the funds to spend on further treatments that wouldn't even assure he'd get better (as it's irreversible).

Big sigh!

=^..^=
 

midwife

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My cats have had FUS (feline uremic syndrome) and bladder infections.. this is often exhibited by change in litter box habits.. FUS causes crystals in the urine and is kind of like kidney stones.. irritates the bladder and can cause blockage.. That and infection are diagnosed with a simple urine sample.
Wet food provides more water and is a must with FUS. I would make sure the vet checked the urine, could be something simple to treat.
 

catwhisperer

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Well, everyone...

Seems as though Edgar may have the onset of kidney disease, as his urinalysis show "diluted" urine. If you don't already know, it's actually good when a cat's urine is concentrated - that indicates the kidneys are fully filtering the toxins in the blood. The doctor said that his blood tests can indicate that everything seems normal, even when renal failure is in process. Edgar IS anemic, too, which is a symptom of this (eventually fatal) disease. He's successfully taking a liquid vitamin that (thankfully!) can be put in his food. The little rascal WILL NOT take ANY medicine! He is adamant and is in charge! We have a precautionary antibiotic to give him, that is sitting in the refrigerator, brand-new, never used (because he's a little hard-head!) Sooooo...

Ya' know, hello!...Edgar IS 17! I know i've been in denial! He's lost 6 pounds, is anemic, sleeps all day and all night...c'mon!...i was just thinking (wishing) it's old age without any cause!

He had a somewhat bad weekend. He slept, slept, slept, looking forlorn any time in between. He put his paw on "dad" Saturday morning, like, "dad, i don't feel good today". All mommy (me/I) could do was just comfort him and hold him, kiss his cheek (he loves that!), and tell him mommy understood and loved him. Some mornings he's good - alert, meowing with his little communicative voice, bright-eyed - then at night, he's spent and doesn't even want to be moved to my lap.

All we can do until further (severe) decline is to try to keep him happy and comfortable, unless we had the funds to spend on further treatments that wouldn't even assure he'd get better (as it's irreversible).

Big sigh!

=^..^=
 

libby74

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We've gone thru kidney disease/renal failure several times at our house. There will be days when Edgar seems like his old self, then days when he just wants to be left alone. All you can do is make him comfortable, provide what-ever medical care your vet thinks may help, and love him like crazy. My heart goes out to you & your DH.
Please give Edgar a gentle head skritch for me.
Hopefully, he'll have many more good days ahead.
 

booktigger

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I 'think' that if it only shows up in the urine and not in bloods, then it isn't very advanced, you normally only notice symptoms when they lose 75% of their kidney function and that does show up on bloods, he is probably just on the higher end of normal on his bloods. Did his urine show any sign of infection as well, as infections are common in cats with kidney issues. Good luck wtih him.
 

phillygal

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My Casey - who went to the Bridge nearly 2 weeks ago - developed kidney disease too. He was 15. I have read that many cats do not show many symptoms until the kidneys are compromised 70% or so. Cats are very stoic and can hide illness well. He had lost weight, but not much and was drinking a good deal of water, but he always enjoyed water.

Also, kidney disease and hypothyroidism are often found together when the blood tests are done. It can be challenging to decide what to treat first, as the treatment for the thyroid issue can initially (if I remember this correctly) make the kidney disease worse. So my vet opted for the CRF treatment and I gave Casey sub-q fluids at home after he spent a day at the vet's getting fluids through an IV. His levels improved steadily. But, unfortunately, he had other issues that were not immediately apparent.

Good luck; it is hard to see kitties of any age sick, but it is especially tough with the seniors, even though you know it probably is inevitable. That doesn't make it any easier.
 

mews2much

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I was afraid your cat would have that.
My Coco has Kidney disease now and high bp.
Thanks for thinking about Coco.
She is now Neg for Ecoli and done with Baytril.
She started K/D last friday.
The vet said the infection got to her kidneys also.
What is the vet doing for your cat?
Everything you said in your post goes with kidney disease.
Coco had a thyroid test but hers was a little low.
Is your cat getting K/d now?
 

catwhisperer

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Everything you're saying is accurate, per my vet's handout on this disease. We originally tho't Edgar HAD hyperthyroidism, but when his blood tests indicated negative, i admit i was disappointed, as it was "treatable". Now, in knowing that disease can spawn kidney disease, i guess i'm relieved now that he DIDN'T have it! (It's been such a roller coaster, emotionally) I read where the subq treatments are effective - the vet said she had cats that were on it for years - but the cost! We can't afford that...we truly can't! And I agree, that when the blood counts show otherwise (than okay numbers), then the disease has progressed quite extensively. Can you imagine your little cat's kidneys becoming HARD and SHRIVELING UP in his body?!!! That just kills me! =^..^=

Originally Posted by PhillyGal

My Casey - who went to the Bridge nearly 2 weeks ago - developed kidney disease too. He was 15. I have read that many cats do not show many symptoms until the kidneys are compromised 70% or so. Cats are very stoic and can hide illness well. He had lost weight, but not much and was drinking a good deal of water, but he always enjoyed water.

Also, kidney disease and hypothyroidism are often found together when the blood tests are done. It can be challenging to decide what to treat first, as the treatment for the thyroid issue can initially (if I remember this correctly) make the kidney disease worse. So my vet opted for the CRF treatment and I gave Casey sub-q fluids at home after he spent a day at the vet's getting fluids through an IV. His levels improved steadily. But, unfortunately, he had other issues that were not immediately apparent.

Good luck; it is hard to see kitties of any age sick, but it is especially tough with the seniors, even though you know it probably is inevitable. That doesn't make it any easier.
 

catwhisperer

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Is k/d kidney dialysis? If so, no...currently (i don't think) Edgar doesn't need dialysis. I think, tho', his kidney failure is in early/mid stages.

The (new) vet has been wonderful! - caring and gentle, both with Edgar AND us! She's given us many options, and it's up to us in which direction to go. As i said in an earlier post, we can't afford too much more, like the on-going subcutaneous treatments. I'm sure with the sterile needles and pouches, etc, that it all adds up!

I'm glad Coco(puff) is now negative for eColi, and I hope she adds meaning to your days for many, many, many more days!

Blessings!

=^..^=
Originally Posted by mews2much

I was afraid your cat would have that.
My Coco has Kidney disease now and high bp.
Thanks for thinking about Coco.
She is now Neg for Ecoli and done with Baytril.
She started K/D last friday.
The vet said the infection got to her kidneys also.
What is the vet doing for your cat?
Everything you said in your post goes with kidney disease.
Coco had a thyroid test but hers was a little low.
Is your cat getting K/d now?
 

booktigger

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k/d is hills kidney diet - my vet doesnt stock it, as they normally use Royal Canin prescription diets, and apparently the Royal Canin is more palatable than the Hills. My cat with CRF didn't like RC though, but I did find some on teh internet that she would eat, and Senior food is the next best thing, so she mainly had that. I opted not to go down the med route, and my vet didn't suggest sub-q, although I know enough to have asked if I thought necessary, but for Rosie, it was just giving her some quality of life, not quantity (She came into rescue at the age of 15 and struggled immensely with it, I just wanted her to have one good summer - she also had arthritis that we couldnt do much about as the main anti-inflam for arthritis should be avoided with CRF).
 

mews2much

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Would you like to join the Crf group on yahoo?
They are very helpful.
Do you know his bun?
Coco has a few other problems which made it harder to decide what food for her to be.
I will ask the vet about Royal Canin for kidney.
I used Royal Canin Urinary.C/D and Purina so to see what she would like but now she is on kidney food.
The vet said no sub q's right now and he said come in 3 months unless she acts sick again.
I got Coco purina n/f besides the k/d and believe it or not she likes the k/d better.
My other cats hated it.
I spent over 10 thousand on Stripe when she got Crf but she only lasted a yea and I had to have her pts.
Who thought she would beat brest cancer at age 4 and die from crf at age 11.
Some people do have cats that last for years.
A person in the Crf had a cat with Crf that lasted 12 years.
Here is a link to the group.
http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/F...message/207561
 

libby74

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I read where the subq treatments are effective - the vet said she had cats that were on it for years - but the cost! We can't afford that...we truly can't!
You can afford it, really. If your vet won't work with you, you'll need to find one who will. Depending on how often Edgar might (eventually) need sub-q fluids, a bag of fluid may last a week to 10 days. Your vet can show you how to do this yourself at home. PLus, there's no 'car-ride-to-the-vet' stress involved.
If you took Edgar to the vet to have this done, the cost would be horrendous (as we found out with our first CRF kitty years ago). Now, when the need arises, I do the fluids myself. Our vet is amazing, and sells me the fluids at his cost. It's been a couple of years since I've had to buy any, thankfully, but the cost at that time was only $3 a bag. The vet was also kind enough to throw in the delivery set (the tubing) and several needles.
Hopefully, Edgar won't need the sub-q fluids for quite some time yet, but when that day does arrive, it's definitely something both affordable and do-able.
 

catwhisperer

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...okay, everyone...i'm gonna switch gears here a little...you're NOT gonna believe what i'm gonna ask!...

Without hanging out any "dirty laundry" here, do you find it acceptable to walk in your home, and have the smell of urine knock you down?!!

Please respond honestly! Some of you may have 25 cats in your home. I, on the other hand, have 2, and i practice fastidiousness with the litter box (and everything else, for that matter...)

I'm taking a poll...please be honest!
 

abbycats

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I have 6 cats and I don't get urine smell when I walk in my house. Sometimes their boxes don't last as long as they usually do and I'll get a whiff of urine and I change litter right away. I scoop poop all the time but every once in awhile somebody lays a bomb. I don't like the smell of overwhelming cat urine. If one of my cats was elderly and started to reek up the house I would really work hard to deal with it. I had a 17/18 year old cat that had CRF I rescued her when she was a baby. We gave her sub-q for a year to keep her going, the cost was minimal since the vet showed us how. She didn't smell up the house with urine odor, but for some reason she quit pooping in her litter box. I had to put newspaper out by the litterboxes for her to poop on the newspaper. I cleaned up after her many times a day and would do it again. She put up with me for 18 years and I told her no matter what I would always do the same for her until her little body could no longer sustain life.
 
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