Just adopted senior cat with elevated kidney levels

daryl the cat

TCS Member
Thread starter
Young Cat
Joined
Apr 4, 2015
Messages
68
Purraise
94
Location
Michigan
I just adopted this sweet kitty name Mittens.  She is 14 1/2.  Her owners have Alzheimers and were recently put into assisted living.  For the last year or so, a cat sitter was pretty much taking care of her since her owners were unable.  She was then turned over to a shelter.  She's been with this couple her whole life, so it's a sad situation.  She's a very sweet girl who loves to be petted and purrs a lot.

Her vet visit in April revealed "slightly elevated" kidney levels.  BUN/Urea was 63 and Creatinine was 3.7. The report also mentioned pu/pd (polyuria/polydipsia) which I noticed right away.  The vet at that time suspected CKD and they put her on Hills Science k/d.  I'm going to give her records to my vet and have her checked over and evaluated.  The shelter didn't give me the impression that it was advanced, but they did waive her adoption fee.  She's a tiny cat, about 7 1/2 pounds, and her coat looks a little dull, so that part concerns me. 

I've never dealt with CKD before so I'm just now doing research.  Some googling last night brought up conflicting opinions on nutrition.  A holistic vet said they should get lots of protein, which is the opposite of everything else I've read.  I also read conflicting things about Hills Science k/d. The shelter lady has a kidney cat and suggested I feed her Fancy Feast turkey pate.  Unfortunately, she wouldn't touch it.  I then offered her some Fancy Feast fish & shrimp (one of Daryl's favorites) with a little water added, and she ate it right down.  Is fish bad for kidney cats?  I just wanted her to eat something.  She's drinking well, especially from the water fountain.

 I'm interested in your opinions and suggestions for good foods for CKD, especially wet foods.

 

Ms. Freya

Advisor
Veteran
Joined
Sep 19, 2008
Messages
3,348
Purraise
123
Location
Ontario, Canada
What a sweetie! She looks like she has some extra toes!

Disclaimer: I'm not a vet or related to one in any way.

I do have a 7 year old cat with very early stage CKD and your post sounds like me about a year and a half ago.

We opted to go the high-protein low phosphorus food route, with our vet's blessing because he was worried about muscle wasting since the disease hadn't progressed too far and Wendel wasn't very old. We went through a few wet foods until settling on Boreal, which is very high protein and fairly low phosphorus (plus our other cats would eat it too). Our vet just emphasized finding food with a high-quality protein in it - so actual meat as the main sources. Wendel just went for his annual check a month ago and his numbers were back down into the normal range - technically not CKD numbers anymore (although we're still careful because we know it's there).

There are a few good charts of phosphorus in food out there, but I found if you contact the company of the food you're thinking of, they'll often tell you how much there is. So, personally if she's not that far into the CKD, I would go ahead and try a good quality protein, low phosphorus diet for her. It made a huge difference for my boy. As far as I can tell, there is no real 'right' answer for food for CKD cats, other than wet is better than dry. It's just important that they keep eating and getting nutrients, so the best food will be something she likes and will eat.

Good luck! and thank you for taking this sweet older girl in.
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #3

daryl the cat

TCS Member
Thread starter
Young Cat
Joined
Apr 4, 2015
Messages
68
Purraise
94
Location
Michigan
Thank you, Ms. Freya.  So glad to hear that Wendel is doing better.  That must feel so good!  I will definitely check out the Boreal and look into the phosphorous levels. 
 

stephenq

TCS Member
Veteran
Joined
Jun 19, 2003
Messages
5,672
Purraise
944
Location
East Coast, USA
 
 I'm interested in your opinions and suggestions for good foods for CKD, especially wet foods.
Every cat progresses at a different rate with kidney disease, some may never get to the point of it taking their lives, some may get there slowly, and others quickly despite everything we do.    There is no magic bullet.  With a newly adopted cat, the first thing i would want that cat to do is eat. Anything.  Starting with what it ate at the shelter and what he's used to, and then do a gentle transition if possible to something else.  I would discuss this with your vet.  The biggest and best thing to help a cat with kidney disease - when its bad enough - is sub Q fluids, and I would also discuss that with my vet.  It's not hard to do when the time comes.
 

mrsgreenjeens

Every Life Should Have Nine Cats
Staff Member
Advisor
Joined
Aug 13, 2009
Messages
16,390
Purraise
7,126
Location
Arizona
I'm so glad you're thinking High protein, low phophorus!  That's the new way of thinking, but a lot of Vets still aren't on board with that.

I have a kidney cat, and it's an emotional roller coaster.  Getting them to eat is the hardest part.  Here is a food chart that may help you find the best food, but really, the best food is anything she will eat


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

That website above is my "bible" for anything kidney related.  It has so many answers in it.  Be sure to look around it for things other than just food. 
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #6

daryl the cat

TCS Member
Thread starter
Young Cat
Joined
Apr 4, 2015
Messages
68
Purraise
94
Location
Michigan
Thanks so much for the advice.  She wouldn't touch any of the Fancy Feast foods today.   She did eat a small amount of Merrick chicken kibble.  None of her k/d food.  I'm worried about her now.   I thought she was just tired from the adoption and being in new surroundings and all, but I have a nagging feeling it is more than that.  I won't be able to get her to a vet until Tuesday at the earliest. I'll keep trying to get her to eat. 

That CKD website is awesome.  I joined the forum there. 
 

stephenq

TCS Member
Veteran
Joined
Jun 19, 2003
Messages
5,672
Purraise
944
Location
East Coast, USA
 
Thanks so much for the advice.  She wouldn't touch any of the Fancy Feast foods today.   She did eat a small amount of Merrick chicken kibble.  None of her k/d food.  I'm worried about her now.   I thought she was just tired from the adoption and being in new surroundings and all, but I have a nagging feeling it is more than that.  I won't be able to get her to a vet until Tuesday at the earliest. I'll keep trying to get her to eat. 

That CKD website is awesome.  I joined the forum there. 
You've done a great thing by adopting a senior cat, truly wonderful.  She may need what I call the cocktail, and is discussed in similar threads, sub Q fluids with Cerenia for nausea to jump start her.  A vet visit will be important.
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #8

daryl the cat

TCS Member
Thread starter
Young Cat
Joined
Apr 4, 2015
Messages
68
Purraise
94
Location
Michigan
I'll call the vet first thing Tuesday and see if I can get her in right away (holiday Monday).  She is playing a little and I've been getting her to eat small amounts of kibble at a time.  I appreciate the info!
 

Norachan

Moderator
Staff Member
Moderator
Joined
May 27, 2013
Messages
32,668
Purraise
32,854
Location
Mount Fuji, Japan
I don't know anything about kidney disease so I don't have any advice for you. I just wanted to say thank you for adopting a senior cat and giving her a second chance at a happy life. She's beautiful, I know she appreciates all you're doing for her.



Big hug, I think you're awesome.
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #10

daryl the cat

TCS Member
Thread starter
Young Cat
Joined
Apr 4, 2015
Messages
68
Purraise
94
Location
Michigan
Aw, thank you, Norachan.  I will admit I was in slight denial when I got her.  I was okay with her being a senior cat, but I didn't truly absorb the meaning of her kidney condition.  I thought that was pretty typical for older cats, and the k/d food would fix everything.  They said she was "depressed" at the shelter.  I reasoned she just needed some love and TLC.  I realize now it's because she doesn't feel good.  If I'd known, I would've taken her to the vet the day I got her.  Now we have to wait out this long weekend.  It's a little more than I bargained for, but she deserves care and I'm going to do whatever it takes.  Since my boss also has a kidney cat, I know she'll be understanding with all the vet appointments.
 
Last edited:

castle cat

TCS Member
Adult Cat
Joined
Feb 9, 2015
Messages
211
Purraise
46
Hello

Daryl the cat,

She is a cute cat. You have done a noble thing by adopting an elderly, CKD cat. I applaud you for this act.

"he deserves care and I'm going to do whatever it takes." - well said! 

You asked for opinions and suggestions.

First about medication. My cat Jethro was diagnosed with kidney failure in 2012. He was sixteen. The vet prescribed FORTEKOR, 5 mg tablets. One tablet per day. This is a very good medicine. It helps in stabilizing the disease. It’s very exasperating to administer tablets to cats. But it’s easy with FORTEKOR. I broke the tablet in two pieces and placed one piece in my palm and brought it near his mouth. He sniffed it and ate it. The second piece followed. I found out that FORTEKOR tastes like meat! That was the reason he took it with no hesitation. I administered this tablet every day from September 2012 to April 12, 2015. (You can read about my Jethro – ‘Jethro’s Final Journey’ in ‘Crossing the Bridge’.

If your vet has not prescribed it ask him/her about it. Here’s the link:

http://www.fortekor.com/

I was told that there is another brand known as SEMINTRA TELMISARTAN. I have no experience with this medicine. Another vet suggested it but I did not like changing from FORTEKOR to SEMINTRA TELMISARTAN.

Here’s the link:

http://www.semintra.co.uk/

Now about diet. Here is the problem. It’s a struggle to make CKD cats to eat. You are already experiencing about cat’s refusal to eat RENAL food. You got to have lot of patience to feed her.

I tried the following brands:

Hills K/D    - failure

Hills Renal with Beef Chunks in Gravy,  - failure

Renal with Chicken Chunks in Gravy   - failure

Renal with Tuna Chunks in Gravy - failure

Renal Specific – partially success – stopped buying it.

Royal Canin Senior Consult Stage 1 (he ate the gravy, not the pieces) – success

Royal Canin Senior Consult Stage 2 (he ate the gravy, not the pieces) -  success

Integra – Turkey (success)

Integra –Chicken (success)

Kattovit – Chicken, and tuna (failure)

Kattovit -  Lamb and veal (failure)

Biaphar  – Chicken and duck (partially success) stopped it.

Biaphar - Pollock and – lamb (failure)

Happy Cat kidney diet – dry food (Success)

Kattovit Renal  – dry food (Success)

You see from the above list how many types/brands I tried. For the past one year he ate only Integra and Senior Consult stage 2 (only gravy).

Have you consulted “TANYA'S COMPREHENSIVE GUIDE TO FELINE CHRONIC KIDNEY DISEASE”?

Here’s the link:

http://www.felinecrf.org/

It’s a very good guide. Take a look at it.

Castle Cat (Late Jethro’s servant)
 

chalupa

TCS Member
Alpha Cat
Joined
Nov 3, 2013
Messages
322
Purraise
30
Location
Chicago
Mittens cat is soooo cute. Nothing useful to add. I adopted a couple of cats with kidney problems too,  they are not at the stage your cat is at yet. Not looking forward to having to give them fluids down the road. Love old cats though, they have so much more character than the sometimes annoying younger ones. Sorry you have to go through this so soon with her.
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #13

daryl the cat

TCS Member
Thread starter
Young Cat
Joined
Apr 4, 2015
Messages
68
Purraise
94
Location
Michigan
Chalupa, I agree.  I adopted Daryl as an adult too.  He's the nicest cat ever. 

Castle Cat - I've been putting together a notebook, so I added your med suggestions and the food trial to it.  That is a LOT of food you've tried - lol.   What a good idea to document it like that.  Thanks for sharing your findings.  I think I'll give the Integra a try.  And yeah, I did join Tanya's forum.  There are some really knowledgeable people there - as well as here.  It's such a comfort to find forums like this when you're feeling overwhelmed.   I'm sorry for your loss of Jethro.
 

coneja

TCS Member
Young Cat
Joined
Mar 20, 2014
Messages
82
Purraise
33
Location
Washington
She sounds like a sweetie. :)

Just wanted to say good luck, and I'll be rooting for you guys. I'm in a similar situation: found out the same day I adopted him that my senior has Stage I CKD (last Monday). It is completely overwhelming and scary for me, and so my heart goes out to you with Mittens eating poorly and the long weekend. :( Have you tried crumbling up some treats and sprinkling it on the food? For my cats, bonito flakes or freeze dried meat "toppers" seem to work well, and I've heard a lot of cats enjoy the Temptations treats if you have access to those... Warming up canned food can help make it more palatable because it enhances the smell. I've also heard of using meaty baby foods (with no onions!) to get cats to start eating again.

You may have already seen this on Tanya's website, but just in case not: http://www.felinecrf.org/persuading_cat_to_eat.htm. I haven't read the whole thing myself, but perhaps some of the tips will help.

Best of luck! Let us know what the vet says Tuesday!
 

castle cat

TCS Member
Adult Cat
Joined
Feb 9, 2015
Messages
211
Purraise
46
Thank you for your replies.

Some more details.

Eukanuba Renal – In the beginning he ate 50 grams. A month later it was 30 grams. A week later

                                 10 grams. Finally he refused to eat.

Make sure she does not eat other types of food. Keep two or three bowls full of fresh water at appropriate places. Also you can keep dry food at two or three places. It is good if you keep litterbox inside the house. I had two litterboxes.

When I served him wet diet, I sat on my knees in front of him while he ate. Sometimes I fed him by hand.

Integra is good food. You can dice them (it is in solid form) in small pieces and feed her by hand. Jethro enjoyed eating from my hand. (My surface of palm became rough but I did not mind it.)  

Integra has no retail outlet in Norway. When I rang Integra in the UK they refused to send it. The same reply I received from Sweden, Denmark and the Netherlands. My friend’s friend in Harlem in the Netherlands ordered the food to himself. When he received it, he removed the address label, addressed it to me and sent it. I paid for the food, VAT in the Netherlands and Norway, shipping charges in both countries. The bill came to $2500.  I have to throw away most of Biaphar.

Please make sure that her teeth are OK.  There is a connection between kidney failure and teeth. I spent more than $ 2000 on Jethro’s teeth only. I have to take him to a specialist. (Vet fees in Norway are astronomical!) Not all vets are good in finding how good cat’s teeth are. This I am saying from my own experience.

Your cat’s health depends on one important thing. That’s your affection, devotion and love. Cats appreciate and reciprocate your love. I wish you and your cat health and happiness.

Castle Cat (Late Jethro's carer)
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #17

daryl the cat

TCS Member
Thread starter
Young Cat
Joined
Apr 4, 2015
Messages
68
Purraise
94
Location
Michigan
Thanks for asking, nansiludie.  She's had a rough week.  I went to two vets this week because I didn't care for the first one's attitude and he wasn't very thorough.   The second vet has cats of her own and actually cares about prolonging her life (unlike the first one).  She's in stage 3 and I have to give her subcutaneous fluids daily.  Her creatinine and BUN did go down after starting fluids, but she still wasn't eating much and getting worse by the day.  Thanks to the knowledgeable and caring people on Tanya's CKD site, I now have her on anti-nausea and acid reducer both.  She's eating better tonight.  I thought administering the fluids would be hard, but she is surprisingly cooperative.  Taking pills is a whole different story. 

ETA: I just reread this thread because the last week was such a stressful blur I forgot what was mentioned.  I see that Stephen Q recommended Cerenia from the beginning.  At the time I didn't know what Cerenia was and I guess I blanked it.  So thanks StephenQ, and sorry I didn't thank you earlier.  I've been so overwhelmed with all this.  I'm hoping the combo of the Cerenia and Pepcid AC and the sub Q will help her feel better.  Also, I learned you can order gel caps to put the pill fragments in so they're easier to swallow.  I just ordered them today.  In the meantime I discovered I could hallow out a Temptations cat treat and press the pill fragment into that and cork it with some chicken.  Whatever works  :)
 
Last edited:

mrsgreenjeens

Every Life Should Have Nine Cats
Staff Member
Advisor
Joined
Aug 13, 2009
Messages
16,390
Purraise
7,126
Location
Arizona
You can also try Whiska Lickin's Soft Treats and smoosh them, then put the pills in between two pieces of smooshed treats.  I did this with one of my cats, and as long as I gave him some plain treats,then tossed in a "loaded" treat, then a few more plain ones, he was none the wiser.

You can also get the Pepcid A/C in liquid form and inject it right into his sub-qs, I believe.  (we inject it right into our kidney cat, sub-q, since we don't do fluids every day).  OR, you can get it compounded into a tuna flavored liquid and either mix it into a little food, or syringe it into her mouth.  Not sure if Cerenia comes in any other form, but your Vet would know. 
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #19

daryl the cat

TCS Member
Thread starter
Young Cat
Joined
Apr 4, 2015
Messages
68
Purraise
94
Location
Michigan
Mrsgreenjeans, I will get some tomorrow!  The Temptations are pretty brittle to whittle on.  Is there ever a day when your cat is actually hungry and eats with no prompting?  Mittens won't just walk up to her bowl and eat.  I have to always prompt her by handing it to her.  I've had success with baked chicken breast mixed into her renal wet food.  I pour a little hot water over it to warm it up.  She licks up the broth mostly but I can hand her pieces and she'll eat it.  She's not wild about the k/d kibble either. 

I wish these kidney foods offered trial sizes.  At the vet's I had to buy an entire case of the Royal Canin wet food.  They said that's the only way it's sold, but if she wouldn't eat it I could return it for my money back.  I asked them what they did with the other 23 unused cans since now the case was broken and couldn't be resold.  They send it back to the company and they throw it away!  How silly and wasteful.  I don't get the logic in that at all.  If they can't be resold, why not let the vets give away the unused cans as a trial size?
 

nansiludie

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Mar 14, 2014
Messages
2,171
Purraise
1,213
@Daryl the Cat  What kind of renal food are you feeding? A lot of renal food is low in protein and now the newer thinking is to feed high protein with low phosperous or phosperous binders since without the protein, the cat's muscles waste away. Its not known if lower protein even actually does anything for the kidneys.  I'm glad to hear she is on fluids and feeling better and eating better.
 
Top