Symptoms in senior cat

Well, we were talking in this thread about symptoms to look for in senior cats that would alert us to problems:   http://www.thecatsite.com/t/268989/...n-senior-cat-to-identify-illness#post_3453993

and I mentioned one of my inherited cats (17 year old Travis), who had started acting a bit strangely.  We've had problems with him off and on with peeing outside the box, usually right beside it or on it.  It had mostly resolved with several changes of litters, boxes, foods, but mostly I think him getting used to his new life here with new people, other cats, etc.

Well, just this week he was peeing and pooping in odd places--on the tile floor in the bathroom, on a carpet in the living room.  One day he vomited his breakfast up, something he's never done before.  He's been meowing and more nervous than usual--so we called a mobile vet to come check him.  (Our regular vet had moved out of the area and we hadn't found a new one yet, so we thought we'd try a mobile service).  She reviewed his lab tests from June, gave him an exam, etc. and said he has mild (Stage I) kidney disease.  He has also lost 1/2 lb. since June. 

She gave me some samples of Royal Canin renal food, and some supplements--Feline Renal Support by Standard Process.  I gave him the new food with the supplement mixed in for dinner--what a mistake!  

Poor Travis has been vomiting all evening and just let loose with the most foul-smelling diarrhea I have ever smelled.  (At least he made it to the litter box first.)  

Not sure what I will do now, but I feel terrible for giving him something that made him worse, not better.  Even though the vet suggested it, I should have known better than to try new foods/supplements when he already didn't feel good!  Ugh.  The vet did take a urine sample so we'll see if there's a UTI or anything like that but I have a feeling there isn't one.

I'm definitely putting him back on his Friskies pate tomorrow, and will give him some Pro-Pectalin if he still has diarrhea.  Anybody have any ideas what might be going on?  

Other than foul smelling and loose is there anything else you can describe about his stool? (mucus? colour?) Older cats cannot fight off intestinal parasites or infections as well as younger cats, and having renal failure wouldn't help matters. Parasites can also make a cat vomit if they are severe.

If he is missing the litter box you may think about getting a low sided litter box in case there is an arthritis issue going on as well.

Did the vet take a blood or fecal sample?

I had a 21 yr old Turkish Angora who eventually lost her fight with renal failure as well. I hope your lil guy will love out his years comfortably and happily.

As Faery said, its important to know if the vet took blood in addition to the urine.  I don't think you can properly diagnose renal disease without a urine sample and usually blood work too (depending on what the urine sample shows) and so without answers to the urine and blood question, I don't see how the vet could make that diagnosis.

There are various symptoms of renal disease in cats, note that urine and blood work will detect a problem well before you see symptoms, and the most common early symptoms are probably increased thirst, increased urination, and weight loss.  Diarrhea is far from the top of the list for renal failure.

Even a Vet can't diagnose a problem in a forum like this, but given your cat's age and symptoms, he needs full blood work and a complete exam.  Restoring his original diet is totally the right thing to do at the moment, but his behavior and symptoms are a cry for full professional help.

He did have blood work in June and now a new urine test, which we don't have the results of yet.  I have records from his previous vet from a year saying he has "mild" renal insufficiency.  I didn't mean to imply that this vet made the diagnosis based on thin air.  

My concern was the very sudden horrible diarrhea and vomiting all evening. I couldn't believe that just giving him the new food and supplement would cause such a violent reaction in his body.  Does that seem likely?  

He seems better this morning though I haven't seen him use the litter box so I'm not sure if he's done with the diarrhea.  For now, I think the answer is to not try anything new.  I saw this website mentioned in another post on kidney disease http://www.felinecrf.org  so I think that will be my reading material for the weekend.

Boy, if you could earn a veterinarian license based on hours spent "in the trenches", we'd all have one, wouldn't we?!  

Well, folks, I've had an epiphany--it wasn't the new FOOD that made poor Travis so sick, probably.  I made a rookie mistake giving him new food when he was already having intestinal distress AND had just had an exam and was stressed.   What was I thinking?!  I should have waited to try anything new for a couple of days and then only mixed a bit of it in with his regular food.  

Lessons learned--never try anything new the day of an exam (unless it's prescribed med or something of course) and introduce new foods/supplements veeeeeery sloooowly.....

I hope your kitty does better.  Yes the stress of the vet visit and the new food/supplements could have upset his system.  Some cats don't get phased by stuff others do.  I have a very nervous boy who always gets sick when he goes to the vet.