Cat diagnosed with kidney disease today. Please help!

My cat, Julez, was diagnosed with kidney disease today. My follow-up appointment is scheduled for Monday where the vet is going to show us how to give Julez fluid. He has been throwing up every single day for 2 weeks, sometimes several times per day. Yesterday the vet gave him a shot against nausea, which has worked extremely well (ha has not thrown up since we took him to the vet yesterday). My concern is this: he has lost 2.5 pounds in 4 weeks. How do I stop/prevent the vomiting? Julez is a rescue cat (I took him in 4 years ago) and want him to have a nice life.

I have a follow-up appointment on Monday with the vet (who seems very qualified and caring), so I was just wondering if anyone has any advice on how to relieve his nausea and increase his appetite? The vet is recommending a low protein diet; we already tried a brand called k/d, and he does not eat it. So I gave him high quality tuna for dinner mixed with water (for fluid) which he ate ate some. My reasoning is that a low protein diet is no good if he is going to starve to death. I also gave him a small slice of low sodium ham with cosequin.


Another concern that I have is his diet. I was feeding him Halo wet food and Blue dry food. He can not keep that food in, so I am not giving that to him anymore. When the vet called today, she mentioned that his kidney values were high; and it is most likely his kidneys. What if the diet (blue and Halo cat food) had something to do with his puking?

Sorry for the long post guys! I am just really worried about poor Julez. Any advice about the nausea and a new diet for cats with kidney problems? Thank you so much

Read the link about CRF (chronic renal failure) that is stickied at the top of this forum. Also, here's a link to a recent thread about renal disease. Lots of good advice on both threads.

http://www.thecatsite.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=229778

Thank you stephanie! I had no idea that this is such a common disease among cats. Could you (or anyone, please ) recommend a cat food with a low % value of phosphorous? My cat, Julez, is very, very picky!

I'm sorry your cat has been diagnosed with kidney disease. My Sven has it too, as do many, many cats here. As you will see when you read the link Stephanie provided, there will also be discussions on food there. You may not need low phos food, yet, however...my Sven's phos are not a problem. Have you gotten the bloodwork back yet? I'm guessing so, since you know it's definitely kidney issues. Anyway, there are phosphate binders (I think that's what they are) that can be used...it's all there in the link, although it's VAST reading, but all very informative.

Don't be afraid of doing the sub-q fluids on your furbaby either. It may appear to be intimidating, but it's actually quite easy. There are lots of people here who can help you with any questions you have along the way.

Originally Posted by mrsgreenjeens

I'm sorry your cat has been diagnosed with kidney disease. My Sven has it too, as do many, many cats here. As you will see when you read the link Stephanie provided, there will also be discussions on food there. You may not need low phos food, yet, however...my Sven's phos are not a problem. Have you gotten the bloodwork back yet? I'm guessing so, since you know it's definitely kidney issues. Anyway, there are phosphate binders (I think that's what they are) that can be used...it's all there in the link, although it's VAST reading, but all very informative.

Don't be afraid of doing the sub-q fluids on your furbaby either. It may appear to be intimidating, but it's actually quite easy. There are lots of people here who can help you with any questions you have along the way.

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Great; thank you for the information. Julez is feeling much better today. I see to it that he drinks and eats enough. Getting his weight under control is my #1 focus and I will go from there. Gonna continue the reading (it is sooo long, haha). Thanks again for your input!

Just thought I'd mention that weight loss is quite common in "kidney patients". I think that, along with drinking and urinating more, is usually the indicator that something is wrong in the first place. My Sven used to weigh about 11.5 lbs and is now only about 6.5 ('course, he started out a little bit overweight). We try and try to add pounds on, but nothing works. I even feed him lots of treats throughout the day because he is very prone to an upset tummy (too much acid), and keeping something in his stomach helps prevent that.

Some cats like the K/D prescription foods, and some don't, but, luckily, there are lots of other options out there that are perhaps not as good for the kidneys but not a bad option. My Vet says for US that our main goal is to get Sven to eat anything he will eat, so we aren't even trying anymore to stay within low protein guidelines. But keep in mind, he's also 16 years old.

Hi Mrs. Green,

That's great that your cat, Sven, is doing well. Jules saw the vet today and we brought home Purina CNM cat food. However, he is not eating it. In fact, he is not eating anything right now. I am reading mixed reviews about whether I should buy a low protein food or just focus on a low phosphorus value. What is your feeling on this?

Finally, what cat food should I buy? This is obviously a very important part of his treatment; I have been running around town trying to find a cat food that is low in phosphorus with no luck. I want him to like it too; so there needs to be a balance of healthy and tasty. Does anyone have an input? (I did follow the guide from katkarma/can food but few places evidently carry these brands where I live so I will need to order online. What does your cat like? Thanks!

I'm hoping some others will pipe in here soon.

In our case, we actually feed Sven HIGH protein food, because that's what he wants, and strangely, his BUN has only increased by a very few points in the last 6 months. But I am by no means advocating that you do that! As I stated earlier, we decided to just feed him anything that he will eat, because we are going for quality of life versus quantity at this point in time, since he's already 16 years old.

Did your Vet say anything about giving Julez anything daily for the nausea? Like Pepcid AC? Lots of kidney cats have nausea, and get Pepcid, and some get a prescription medication for it. The Sub-Q's should help flush out toxins that cause nausea also, according to our Vet. As I mentioned, I feed Sven treats (Temptations) several time a day to try to keep something on his tummy to cut down on acid build-up, and that seems to help him.

Maybe you could post another thread under the Nutrition Section and ask people what they think would be a good food...telling what you are currently feeding, what you have tried so far, etc.

Originally Posted by mrsgreenjeens

I'm hoping some others will pipe in here soon.

In our case, we actually feed Sven HIGH protein food, because that's what he wants, and strangely, his BUN has only increased by a very few points in the last 6 months. But I am by no means advocating that you do that! As I stated earlier, we decided to just feed him anything that he will eat, because we are going for quality of life versus quantity at this point in time, since he's already 16 years old.

Did your Vet say anything about giving Julez anything daily for the nausea? Like Pepcid AC? Lots of kidney cats have nausea, and get Pepcid, and some get a prescription medication for it. The Sub-Q's should help flush out toxins that cause nausea also, according to our Vet. As I mentioned, I feed Sven treats (Temptations) several time a day to try to keep something on his tummy to cut down on acid build-up, and that seems to help him.

Maybe you could post another thread under the Nutrition Section and ask people what they think would be a good food...telling what you are currently feeding, what you have tried so far, etc.

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Thank you very much for all of your help. Julez, unfortunately, passed away this afternoon. He stopped eating, heavy breathing, lethargic, and appeared to almost be unconscious. So I decided to have him euthanized (per the vet's suggestion). He is in a better place now than his last few weeks alive. Thank you all, again, for caring.

I'm so, so sorry, but it sounds like you did the best thing by not prolonging his suffering. I had no idea he was that far along in his disease, poor guy.

Hope you are doing ok

We had no idea either; I was optimistic (perhaps in denial) till the end. We took him to two different vets. The first one told us that his kidney values were in the "gray zone." We decided to take him to a different vet one month later (closer proximity and for a second opinion) and they said that his kidney values were higher than before but that they has seen worse. It all happened so fast. The first vet gave him an antibiotic to cure a cold virus, and it all went downhill from there. I cannot say that it was the antibiotic that made his health decline; but if his kidneys were already in poor shape, one can at least speculate.

This was the first cat that I owned and this whole experience has been a true wake up call for me. I can only recommend others reading this thread not to ignore any signs of a declining health. Feline kidney disease is a very serious condition (even at an early stage as health can decline rapidly) and I wish I had learned more about it before it was too late. He did not eat any prescription diets (and I think this is relatively common among cats). The vet pushed a low protein diet on us when it seems that phosphorus, sodium, magnesium and ash were the culprits all along. I just feel so sorry for Jules, having to go through the last few weeks that he did. I was optimistic till the end, but it was just his time to go. Thanks again, Mrs GreenJeens, your support has been truly appreciated.

Oh no! I'm so sorry to read that things progressed so quickly. My Callie lived with kidney disease for 5 yrs, but the end was much like your situation, quick & with me in denial. Im so thankful for the 12 years I had with her, but still miss her every single day.

Thanks Stephanie

I am so sorry for your loss. Your Jules was dearly loved.

My Schweppie has CRF. He was diagnosed in December 2009 and he's probably at stage 3. Keep in mind that when CRF is discovered, a cat has only 25 % of kidney function left.

Schweppie gets subQ fluids every other day, about 75 mls. I should be doing it every day but can't. He's the pickiest kitty ever. He refuses to eat the Medi-cal Reduced Protein and gave me a look when I offered the IAMS Renal diet (looks like diarrhea anyway). So I rotate foods every can. He gets 1/2 can three times a day. I rotate k/d, royal canin renal lp (he's getting turned off by that one now too though), Natural Balance's Limited Ingredient diets - all flavours (duck, venison, chicken & salmon), Eagle Pack Holistic Selects (Turkey & Barley, duck & chicken, chicken and lamb), and I just added Wellness' Turkey. I had his bloodwork done 2 weeks ago and his values were better! So maybe that is what you have to do is rotate foods. There is some research that says cats with CRF shouldn't eat foods with lower protein as that will contribute to muscle wasting.

CRF cats will tend to have a lower appetite so ultimately, your goal is to get your cat to eat. You can try adding some tuna water to his food. I'm' concerned about the salt in the tuna - that could affect his kidneys as well as his bloodpressure. There is a food brand called Almo Nature - it's a company from Germany but their foods are a great supplement to a cat's food. I've suggested this to many a client and they've reported that their cat responded well to it. You could try it and add it to the k/d. Try the other rx diets and see if yyour cat will accept a rotation. Also, invest in a fountain to encourage drinking. My bathroom faucet leaks so Schweppie uses it as his fountain (usually when I need to spit out toothpaste).

I'm sorry about your cat's diagnosis. Unfortunately, kidney disease is far too common..I don't think it's too far behind urinary blockages. Good luck with everything and let us know how things are going!

I have not been checking in so I just read this. I am so sorry about Jules. It makes me sad to hear that. How wonderful these little creatures are in our lives and what a loss. Condolences.

Originally Posted by darlili

I am so sorry for your loss. Your Jules was dearly loved.

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Thanks Darlili! We had him for approximately 6 years. There is a funny story behind how he came to adopt us as his new owners. One day I was outside when Jules climbed into my garden. I decided to feed him a slice of ham (which became his favorite treat after that). He was homeless but had a previous owner (as he was fixed and trained). We were so convinced that he was a she, so we called him Julie for nearly six years. (We had taken him to the vet several times and they never said anything about Julie being a a boy). So recently we took him in and the vet looked at him very closely and said, "It looks like we have a case of mistaken identity, Julie is actually a Julian." haha I laughed so hard; I just could not believe that we had called him Julie all this time.

When we first brought him in, he was very aggressive (because he was scared). He was an abused and neglected cat (in fact, before we brought him in, someone had thrown glue on his fur). As the years went by, he started to trust us more and more. He became the sweetest cat ever; one would have thought he had lived with us since he was a kitten. Just a few months ago, he started sleeping next to my pillow at night. He was also very well mannered. He would never claw the furniture and when he had to throw up, he would do so in his litter box. So his previous owner (who just dumped him) trained him very well.

Finally, I would just like to say that this has been a complete eye opener for us how animals are many times just misunderstood. Aggression is many times just a sign of fear and mistrust. Underneath their skin, just like with human beings, there is often a sweet cat who needs a home and with lots of patience, time and effort, his/her true colors will show.

Thanks everyone for the support. Julez will be missed. (The "z" to represent the feminine side within him, haha.)

Omg im so stupid! I didnt read the whole thread and then went on my spiel. I'm so sorry. Cor your loss. Funny how these felines get into our hearts and melt them. Forgive my ignorance.