CRF in 16 year old cat (Sneakers)

Hello there,

Do you know about/belong to the Feline CRF group on Yahoo? Here is the address, I encourage you to join:

http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/F...guid=485365100

Even though her BUN and Creat are much improved, did the Vet mention anything about giving her regular SubQ fluids at home?

Any suggestion about phosphorus binders to help lower phosphorus?

How is potassium level; was it ever checked? It can often become quite low in CRF cats...and often needs to be supplemented. Low potassium can cause weakness, poor appetite, nausea too. Potassium impacts muscle function and the heart is a muscle so it's critical that low potassium be supplemented (usually it's with Potassium Gluconate).

Is kitty on anything for stomach acid which is often quite high when their BUN is high, which then causes mouth ulcers, upset tummy, nausea/vomiting and lack of appetite? Pepcid AC (the regular one, not the extra strength....just plain Famotidine - that's the generic name) is commonly given to help with this.

Cyproheptadine or other appetite stimulants (there's newer one out there now, but I'm only familiar w/ Cypro as that's all that I've ever used in the distant past) can help to promote appetite.

Here's a really awesome website with tons of fantastic info on the common symptoms of CRF and the various treatments, meds, supplements, dosages, etc. This site is like a must-have "Bible" for CRF cat owners:

http://www.felinecrf.org/

How does your kitty do at the Vet? I know mine get very stressed there and if not wanting to eat to begin with, that's the last place they'd eat.....so if yours is the same, might be good if you can arrange to have your pet sitter/vet tech come into your home twice a day.........to reduce the amount of stress for kitty. She would be able to do regular subQ fluids and give whatever meds are needed........of course you giving her permission to take kitty to the clinic should kitty's condition deteriorate?

I've found with CRF cats or cats who are feeling poorly..........sometimes you have to try a zillion different kinds of food.........leaving out several kinds for them. Fancy Feast, although not high quality, is one that even sick kitties seem to like. It's always best to mix a little water with canned food.....the additional fluids are good for kidneys.........just mix it up good. Warmed canned food is more palatable to cats, too, and I think it triggers their sense of smell more, too. Just enough to warm it up, even if it's straight from the can (and particularly if you're serving refrigerated leftovers). I once had a vet tell me he'd been to a conference and learned there that if you sprinkle grated parmesan cheese (the kind you sprinkle from the can) onto canned food, it can entice some cats to eat.

Sometimes pouring a little tuna juice (tuna packed in water, not oil) over canned food can help, too.

With my first CRF cat, when she wasn't eating well and I was having to syringe feed her, sometimes I'd give her some Nutri-Cal. It's a high calorie paste in a tube......intended for cats who need supplementation because they're eating poorly .......or maybe not wanting to eat at all. It's very palatable to cats. I believe that PetsMart sells something like it. It's generally malt flavored and I've found that most cats will just like it off your finger...........similar to the furball stuff in a tube. I've been giving a little here and there to my current CRF kitty and even though she's been very fussy about eating canned food, she seems to like this stuff. Might want to look into that, too.

You're in luck. There is a new product coming out called RenAvast that has been clinically proven to reduce BUN and Creatinine levels in CRF cats. It's an all natural product that will be on the market very soon. Google it over the next couple of weeks and ask your Vet about it. I know a few people with cats that were in the study and the results have been AMAZING!! Sending love to Sneakers!

My cat Cleo who's almost 18 was also just diagnosed with CRF and I've been all over the internet looking for info. There are all kinds of great resources out there. The main problem is getting her to eat enough and we have a real kitty buffet here. Of course the food that's best for her is the least favorite! She stopped eating and drinking on Sunday so we went off to the vet on Monday morning. Vet felt she had a slight infection so gave an injectable antibiotic, some subq fluids and sent me home with a feeding syringe just in case. She was obviously feeling better during the day but I really felt I needed to get some food into her somehow so back the internet to look for instructions on syringe feeding. I found this video

 

 

which was so incredibly helpful. Got some food into her last night. She's way better this morning but still not eating much so I may be syringing again today. The crazy thing is that apart from the CRF there's absolutely nothing wrong with her! Oh, and we're in Canada so many of the helpful supplements etc aren't avilable here or cost a fortune to ship/

The best place I know for CRF cat owners is:

 

http://www.felinecrf.org/

 

Sound advice tempered with common sense.

When my CRF kitty would crash and go off her food, slightly warmed all meat human baby food did the trick every time.

I kept a case of it on hand in the event of a crash.

 

She passed last month after fighting it for almost 4 years, though she hadn't had a crash in over a year.

I bought a drinkwell fountain and switched her completely to canned food.

Any food is good food as long as you get it in them.

 

My 16 yr old, Sven, has CRF, and he's also skin and bones.  H give him Pepcid AC twice a day, and Reglan 3 times day, just for his nausea.  I also feed him freeze dried chicken pieces, which are pretty high in calories, and he not only loves them, he's actually putting on a little weight.  These are very high in protein, and some Vets are still under the impression that high protein is bad for CRF cats, but the latest theory is that GOOD high protein is not bad at all!