Addison's Disease, congenital deformity, or cancer...... :(

These are the possibilities I'm waiting to hear about. I'm new here. In fact my "introduction" post was less than a week ago and I mentioned how happy I was that our kitty, Izzy, beat acute kidney failure and was home. It looked as if it was a toxin by the way things got bad and better so fast but, to be safe, we were to continue with antibiotics. I should note that she never had a fever or high WBC count. The second day we had her home we started giving her the prescribed antibiotic. By the next day she wasn't eating well. I read that appetite suppression is a common side effect and was relieved. She stopped eating at all so I called the doctor and she moved her scheduled visit to check kidney function to this morning instead of tomorrow. We both thought it was the antibiotic but were sadly proven wrong. Izzy's BUN and creatinine levels are elevated again. We're hoping for Addison's because the treatment is simple and very effective, however, it is rare in cats and her potassium/sodium levels are reverse of what they usually are with Addison's- her sodium was high and her potassium low. A congenital deformity seems vague to me right now because I don't know what and where yet. I'm hoping it would be a situation where we could rehydrate her to do what her kidneys are not doing. Does the location/severity of the deformity dictate all of it, I don't know. Cancer is just a horrible word and a much more horrible infliction. I don't want to think about it but I probably should. What % success rate is a prognosis worthy of putting your animal through the battle? Does chemo put cats through the same horribleness it puts humans through and is chemo even an option for all types of cancer in cats? Such a horribly sad day.....

I have an Addy dog, and did a bit of research on it when she was diagnosed.  Addison's is a disease that affects the adrenal gland, causing it not to produce enough cortisol and other enzyme balancing hormones.  Addisson's is extremely rare with cats.

Not to pile on, but the opposite of Addison's is Chrone's.  Given that you mention the enzyme levels are the opposite of what might be expected for Addison's, Chrone's may be the other possibility... also quite rare in cats, from what I understand.

My guess is that kitten is still dealing with the previous kidney issue.  Kidneys do not "heal" like the liver does.  She may need to be on medication for her lifetime. 

Diet is important for both Addy and CRF animals.  To ease stress on the kidneys, they should be put on a high protein, grain free diet.  I am convinced that my dog's raw diet saved her life, as her symptoms were comparatively mild, most dogs symptoms escalate quickly and catastrophically.

I'm sorry you are going through this, waiting on tests is the worst.  Try not to let your fears escalate into panic, as your furbaby will pick up on it.  Take a deep breath, and just love on her. 

Thank you Furmonster Mom, I really appreciate the feedback. I wish she was home so I could love on her all day! She is the best for cuddles and kisses. It's amazing how much I miss her..... even just the jingle of her collar. I know she is getting good care where she is and that's comforting. I just didn't think we would be dealing with anything like this until she is much older. It looks like I'll be researching another disease too, thank you for bringing it to my attention. Knowledge is definitely power in this situation!
 

Update- we now know that Izzy has a congenital deformity that doesn't allow her kidneys to do what they're suppose to. We will bring her home tomorrow morning from the animal hospital. While there, we will be trained to give her subcutaneous fluids once a day. She will also start a special kidney diet. The doctor told us that some cats live years this way. I just want her to feel well and be happy. I guess now I need to find and learn all I can about administering subcutaneous fluid and kidney diets. She is so young to have to be dealing with this (18 months).....

Awww, so sorry.  It's sad that more kittens seem to be born with these types of problems. 

Like I mentioned, diet is going to be very important for your furbaby's longevity.  The problem with a lot of the prescription diets is that they are loaded with carbs (corn, barley, rice) which can actually exasperate the issue.  Also, some of them claim to be "high protein", but the protein source is usually soy, which has been shown to be inflammatory for some sensitive cats. 

You may want to consider a raw diet especially formulated for a CRF kitty (high protein, low phosphorus).  Such a diet usually replaces some of the meat portion with cooked egg whites.  Don't just jump into it, though, definitely do the research first.

I see much Googling in your future. 

Best thing you can do in the meantime is just to give her lots of luvin'.

Even if she only lives another couple years, she will at least have you.

I'm sorry.  I agree, you might want to consider a raw diet.  Along those lines, you might want to consult with a holistic vet; holistic vets tend to know more about nutrition than regular vets and will also be knowledgeable about the medical issues and CRF diet.  "It takes a village" to take care of Izzy.  (And count us people on The Cat Site as part of your village!)

Ok, now deep breaths .  Many, many of us have or have had cats with kidney disease.  And they CAN indeed live for a long time with it, especially with the proper diet and hydration.   I will tell you, though, that most cats do not like the special prescription kidney foods out there, but not to worry, there are other foods they can eat that are nearly as good (or maybe better).  The main thing is you will want the foods to be low in phosphorus.   I recently learned about a food that I think is just about perfect for a kidney cat, so ordered a case of it (since it's not sold anywhere near me I had to order via internet - sure home my girl likes it)  It's By Nature Organic and it's high in protein, high in fats, and very low in carbs, sodium and phosphorus.  These are all things that I think are important when looking for the perfect food for kidney cats.  (the old theory was to feed them low protein, but that's being re-examined now)

As to doing the sub-q fluids at home, it's really pretty easy.  And we can help you with the best places to order your supplies (via the internet, etc.), what the best needles are to use, all of that.  And always remember, you are not hurting her with you "poke" her...YOU ARE HELPING HER .  It's kind of funny, but  every time after we gave our Sven his sub-q fluids, he would jump down off the table and immediately go get a drink of water.  I guess it was a comfort thing for him

Anyway, here is a website that has more information then you will probably ever need, but it has So MUCH valuable info also.  I have it saved as a bookmark because am constantly referring to it: 

http://www.felinecrf.org/index.htm

Thank you all so much! Along side the shock, sadness, and worry is a feeling of loneliness and you have definitely helped with all of these. My husband is a trooper and always willing to do needles in our house- we're a family (me and my two children) of health issues and so, being the only healthy one, he has had to step up many times and I am grateful. I've read online that there are two different ways to administer the fluids so I'm curious to see which way he is trained tomorrow. I've also been reading a lot about diet and the one common thread in all of the different opinions seems to be low phosphorus and low sodium. I also know that just getting them to eat is important which Izzy has shown us before and between her hospital stays.

I just love her so much and am nowhere near ready to be without her and she is still so young. I've smiled and cried as I find all of her "things" around the house- twist-ties, water jug cap seals and caps, all the cardboard boxes that are never too big or too small for her to make into her own kitty spot....there are several, and the Christmas tree ornament and plastic Easter egg between the fridge and the cabinet that I've left there because it makes me smile..... I love all of these cute kittyisms and the kitty that creates them.

Again, thank you!!!