Water bowl problems - CRF kitty

When I first began my search for why my cat had
behavioral problems, I was hoping it was not
physically oriented. My vet told me her BUN was
53 and still didn't tell me she had CRF.
I had to find out for myself after visiting this
website and the CRF site that she does have CRF
but I am still not giving up.
She doesn't seem to see her water bowl is full
except when I am filling it with water.
She is eating her new diet- Walthams renal support
but how can I show her she has plenty of water too?
Help my cat to drink more water- please.

Bryan,

First of all I am sorry your cat has been diagnosed with CRF

I would suggest that you invest in a water fountain for her so she can hear the water and see that it is moving and become more interested in drinking the water that is there.

I would also strongly urge you to buy Amy Shojai's latest book Complete Care for Your Aging Cat. Amy covers this subject extensively in her book, gives wonderful case studies of long successes with living and caring for cats with CRF, as well as diet and nutrition and how to build fluids for the sick one and so much more.

Water fountain sounds good - where can I purchase
one? I believe the diet is correct - I viewed the
Waltham website and they are very knowledgeable
on this subject. Thank you hissy for helping me
through this crisis.

Sounds like you may also want to find a vet that's experienced with aging cats - some vets are much more concerned about quality of life & longevity, while some just say "she's getting old" and don't put too much effort into caring for elderly cats.

The fountain is a great idea...I would definitely go for that. Until you can get one you may want to try floating a small clean plastic object in the bowl so she can see the water level...also try leaving more than one bowl out for her so she doesn't have to go too far to find water.

If you go to www.meowhoo.com and look under Basic Care then Food & Water solutions you will find fountains for kitties!

I would highly recommend a Drinkwell Pet Fountain. I have had mine forover a year with no problems. I found the best prices at www.ebay.com

I agree with a water fountain, I picked up one for my kittys & they love it.l Also makes me feel better that the water is moving so it stays much healther, just my opinion there .

My CRF cat loves the water fountain, but don't be lulled by thinking that drinking water is the only solution. Keep a watchful eye on your baby and rerun the tests periodically. A CRF cat can get to the point that water can't be absorbed by his system and needs some additional help with IV fluids. Check regularly for dehydration and get to the vet if he shows any signs.

I wish you great success with your CRF baby! Mine has been stabilized and actually came off the IV fluids a few months ago. He will need the IV treatment from time to time, but doing very well now.

I got my water fountain at PetsMart - they also have them at PetCo.

I correct myself - my CRF cat (Bogart) was on sub-q fluids, not IV fluids. I'm used to using the term "IV" rather than "sub-q" for those folks that haven't gone thru this before.

MomofMany makes an excellent point about the importance of checkups. It's very important to set up a regular schedule for vet checkups. It's also vital to watch for any changes in your cat, and contact your vet immediately if anything seems amiss.

Your vet can also show you how to get a general idea of your cat's hydration status at home by pinching the fur at the back of her neck - if it snaps back she's probably getting enough water, but if the skin "tents" for a moment she's probably getting dehydrated.

Bad breath is also a sign that she needs her blood checked again.

With regular checkups , close observation and care a CRF cat's life can be extended - your vet can even show you how to give fluids subcutaneously at home if you ever need to.

Bogart has done very well since his diagnosis a year ago. A little thinner than he was when he was younger, but heck, he's 13 years old.

Bought a Drinkwell Water Fountain and it is working well.
She sees the water flowing out of the spout and goes for it
if she is thirsty, usually after eating.
Sometimes she drinks from the spout instead of the bowl,
but the most important thing is that she can see and hear
the running water, solving her problem of the water bowl.
Feed her 1/2 pouch of Waltham's Renal Support in the morning
and night (7AM and 7PM) and she eats it all. Tried feeding
a whole pouch when the vet said I could feed her 1 1/2 pouches
a day if one wasn't enough. She wasted most of it,so I went
back to one pouch a day and it's working fine.
She gets another blood test in a month, and I'll keep you all
posted if I'm making progress in bringing her back to health.

I'm so glad she likes the fountain. I sure hope it helps with keeping her kidneys flushed.

There's also a great website about CRF
www.felinecrf.com
that was helpful to me with my CRF cat.