Diet rotation for kidney issues

Hi all,

My cat's labs showed higher BUN and Cr. She currently eats fancy feast which I found out is high in phosphorus. I am looking to switch to Tiki cat puka puka luau chicken. It's lower in phosphorus and higher in protein than fancy feast.

Please, what other high quality cat foods would you recommend for a diet rotation to keep her kidneys healthy?

Thank you!

UPDATE: She has also been peeing in the bathtub, in addition to the litter box, and drinking more water. I am also seeing urine leakage on my bed sheets where she sleeps. I am calling my vet again. She may want to do a urine culture. All of the bloodwork and urine sample were fine last week. I am worried...not sure what to do. Seems there would be a connection between drinking more, peeing more, and kidney labs that are trending upwards (Although still in the normal range).

Peeing outside of the litter box needs to be checked out by the vet as it can be a Urinary Tract Infection, Kidney Infection or other serious problem. Yes, please take her to the vet and have them do a cystocentesis and a culture and sensitivity; this will determine if there is bacteria present and which antibiotic will best handle it. 

Here is a link to Dr. Lisa's Food Chart-  you need to look for foods lower in phosphorus. http://www.catinfo.org/docs/FoodChartPublic9-22-12.pdf Fancy Feast tends to be very high in phosphorus.  I would encourage you to read this website: http://www.felinecrf.org/.  There is also a support group which I found to be most helpful with my beloved kitty Tiger, lots of experience and wonderful people, CKD can be overwhelming when you first get the diagnosis.  Tanya's website also has a food chart that you might find helpful. You probably know this but wet food is best, CKD kitties tend to be dehydrated. My Tiger loved canned  Wellness chicken, turkey, Wellness Core chicken,turkey and liver,  and Weruva the best, but as she was also diabetic, I had to watch her carbs as well.

So are you saying her BUN and Creatinine are higher than they were before, but still within normal range?  It kind of sounds like it.

But, yes, it also sounds like she has a UTI or something going on, and definitely needs to see a Vet for that issue. 

I wholeheartedly agree with using the food charts referenced above to find  different foods.  I am on my THIRD kidney cat, and as the disease progresses, their appetites get worse too, so you will need to have a variety of choices to go with.  One day my old girl will like something, the the next day act like it's poison, so just be aware.  BUT, our Vet says to feed her anything she will eat, because eating is the number one priority.  One can use phosphorus binders if necessary.    We actually feed SOME foods higher in phos than FF CLASSICS, and some much, much lower, and our Vet figures it all balances out.  I try not to feed the high ones any more often than I must, but that all depends on Callie.  If she won't eat anything else, then that's what she gets

Drinking more is usually the first sign owners have that something is amiss.  If you are catching this early, that's GREAT!  There are also Kidney Supplements that you can give.  All this information is on the felinecrf website referenced above.  My bible

Thanks so much...

Yes BUN and Cr are higher than usual but still at "normal" levels according to the lab limits. My vet said since blood work and urine sample was normal, she likely doesn't have a UTI. She said a urine culture wasn't needed since the urine sample was normal.

Vet told me to get a 2nd litter box, uncovered. I got one tonight and kitty used it immediately. I also ordered the Tiki cat chicken canned food which is lower in phosphorus than the Fancy Feast choices. I like the Tiki cat chicken canned food also since it's lower in sodium and has no carbs.

Vet said to monitor for 2 weeks and follow up then with a call. If things are bad or worse, vet said we could do a xray to look for stones. But she doesn't suspect stones since urine is clear, no blood at all seen by me or the vet.

Vet also recommended Feliway, which I already have, just haven't plugged it in yet, so I'll do that too.

In the meantime I've taken my bedding to the dry cleaners...it really looked like the pee spots were not terribly large, so I really think kitty was leaking some urine in her sleep, since she sleeps next to me, then she probably woke up and went to use litter box or bath tub. If she intended to pee on the bed I think there would have been a lot more. She is definitely peeing more and drinking more water, so maybe she just couldn't make it in time.

I have to accept that her health is likely declining...I adopted her when she was 10 and now she is 12, and I knew that. But she is the sweetest kitty in the world and I love her so much. I will do what I can to keep her comfortable, happy, and healthy, and follow my vet's recommendations. If things get worse, I will have to come to terms with it. I am hoping she has several more happy years to share with me. But I also know that I am responsible for caring for her and her health, and I am kind of just mentally preparing for that day when I might need to make the hard decision. I will keep her best interest in mind.

In the future, if you see urine leakage on your sheets, you can wash them with an enzymatic cleaner, like Nok Out, rather than take them to the dry cleaners.  (unless you are talking about a comforter or something that HAS to be dry cleaned.  I always keep a large bottle of that stuff in my laundry room for emergency washings, just because .

Also, being diagnosed with kidney disease isn't an instant death sentence.  I know she hasn't been, thankfully, but just wanted you to know.  I think it's been at least a couple of years since Callie has been diagnosed, and she's still alive and kicking, and her brother lived with it for almost 3 years.  Callie will be 16 in January, and Sven was 15 when he passed.  As I mentioned above, there are kidney supplements out there that you could give, even now.  They are over the counter.  Just google them.  Callie won't take them, but our younger cats will (figures)  

Hopefully your new litterbox will do the trick for you

OH, and BTW, one more thing that I do now to try to keep my two younger cats safe from this thing that seems to be claiming all my cats is to add lots of extra water to their wet food.  FILTERED water only.   I want to make sure their kidneys are well functioning.  I also do this for my kidney cat, just to keep her well hydrated, along with giving her sub-q fluids twice a week.