Chronic Renal Failure 2 Year old Cat

trishaz

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I'm heartbroken as I write this.  I have a young cat who is not even 2 years old that was diagnosed with CRF.......a death sentence to any cat.  This cat has never been outside/outdoors, we have no plants that would contribute to this............no exposure to onions/garlic etc.  I'm being told that her BUN and creatinine are sky high,  We had her in to see the vet 6 months ago and all was well at that visit but now?  2 YEARS OLD and in renal failure.  How did this happen?
 

happybird

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I don't have any experience with CRF, I just wanted to tell you how sorry I am that you and your kitty are dealing with such a devastating issue. Hopefully, someone will be along soon with some insight and helpful information. I will say a prayer for you both tonight.
 

denice

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I am wondering since it had a sudden onset and she is so young if it is actually acute renal failure.  Of course if it is acute something would've had to cause it but the acute type, depending on the cause and how much damage has been done, can sometimes be reversed.
 

peaches08

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Your kitty went from normal levels to sky high in 6 months? I'd be thinking acute rather than chronic as well. And you're going to have to play detective too. Pesticides, cleaners, even kitty's food is suspect until cleared.

Is the kitty at the vets for now or home?
 
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cprcheetah

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What stage did the vet say your kitty was in?  Kidney Failure is not an automatic death sentence.  My dad had his 21 year old cat live 3 years with kidney failure with doing nothing more for him than feeding him canned cat food (all he would eat was fancy feast and friskies), but he was fed 5-6 times a day.  He got subq fluids every now and then too, but he lived to be 23 years old after his diagnoses.  Here are a couple of excellent websites about Kidney Failure in cats: http://www.felinecrf.org/index.htm  or http://www.felinecrf.com/  Did they do bloodwork at the visit 6 months ago or just an examination?
 

mrsgreenjeens

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Yes, I've had cats with Chronic kidney failure, and one also lived for 3 years after diagnosis, and usually diagnosis is done AFTER the kidney's are almost done for.  I currently have a cat who was diagnosed in April, and so far, so good.  Although there is no cure, it is not always an immediate death sentence.

What exactly did your Vet tell you?  What are her BUN and Creatinine numbers?  What did your Vet advise as far as next steps?  Normally diet is the number one thing to control try to get those number down, unless they are in crisis mode, then hospitalization is usually needed, with IV fluids rather than sub-q fluids, which can be given at home, as needed.  

Is it possible she ate a Tylenol or any other pill that might have gotten dropped on the floor?  That's one thing that comes to mind that could cause acute kidney failure. 

 
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trishaz

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Jaime the cat............

The vet said she has "big kidney/little kidney" so one is bigger than the other.  The smaller kidney is nodular.  They surmise she was born with a kidney defect to be this sick at not even 2 yrs old........Her BUN was 138 and creatinine was 8.9 on 12-15-13 so they hydrated her in ICU at the local animal hospital.   I noticed right around the beginning of December she was a little lethargic and not eating much so I told my parents (who are in their 80's) that they needed to take her to the vet.  She is ??? part Maine Coon cat and I know they may be predisposed to kidney ailments.   We don't know for sure since she was adopted with her littermate/sister from the Humane Society. 

So in the last few weeks I've learned how to give SQ hydration 100 mls at a time to keep her hydrated and try to stall any more ill effects of this disease.  It's heart-breaking,

 

cprcheetah

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Oh my goodness.  I am so very sorry you are dealing with this.  Her numbers are very very high.  Do you know what her phosphorus levels are?  Is she on anything else for this?
 

slick

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Trish, I'm so sorry about this.  To happen to a 2 yr old cat for me points to genetics.

However since I only adopt older cats I have dealt with this countless times.  My vet put Speckles on a reduced protein diet when she was 10 and she lasted until 18 all the while with higher numbers.  You might want to ask you vet about that.  CFR really does not mean an immediate death sentence.

You will find that the sub-qs really help and I also bought a water fountain and she loved it.

Good luck and keep the faith.
 

whisperer

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I am so very sorry. I have lost a cat to renal failure before, too, but it is not a death sentence. Yes, it is difficult to work with, but I once met a shelter cat that had renal failure and had lived there for years and had to get a shot every day but was otherwise okay.

Wishing the best for your cat. :vibes:
 

that guy

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My guy has a left kidney that is less than 75% size of the right and until he was about 17 this never caused him an issue. There are a lot of foods that can help with this and the first is to make sure the cat is eating a wet diet which will help her kidneys. Giving the cat sub-q's takes a load off of the kidneys and keeps her hydrated which is good. All mammals are similar but what helps one may do harm to another so each case is its own. My guy has been having sub-q's for over a year and he is now at 1 per day but all of his numbers have settled out and his blood tests are pretty much perfect. He was also low on B12 so shots for this helped a lot and finding a food that worked with his system and stopped him from losing weight. He is too old to fully recover so he will always need sub-q's but with diet modifications your cat may be able to live without sub-q's for years.
 
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