High urea and crea levels

Hi Guys. I'm new to this forum. I'm sitting here devastated, trawling the Internet for any hope. My 4 year old cat hasn't eaten for 2 days and is very lethargic. She vomited a few times 2 days ago. My husband took her to the vet and they said her kidney is enlarged and ran some tests. Her bloods show very high urea (16.1 mmo/L) and high creatinine (2904 umol/L) levels. I live in South Africa so I'm not sure if these measurements are universal.
They have kept her in and started her on a drip.
Has anyone experienced this and should I have hope? Nothing I've read so far has given me much hope and I'm heartbroken.

Is the urea shown as BUN (blood urea nitrogen)? 

I'm in the States and have always used mg/dL so I converted your units to more familiar ones (like converting metric to imperial, I guess). Those values are astronomical. 

You say that your cat is 4 years old and this came on suddenly or quickly. Because those values are outrageously high... your cat is young... and this happened quickly, I am thinking that your cat might have gotten into something somewhere that's toxic to his kidneys. For instance, your cat might have gotten into something like a chemical such as glycol-type antifreeze, a medicine that got dropped or spilled or "investigated" too closely, an alcoholic drink that got spilled or taste-tested even though MOST cats don't go around taste-testing adult beverages... or some sort of a plant (lilies are an example of a plant that's very toxic to cats; there are MANY others and I'm not familiar with the local flora in South Africa), or some other toxic substance.

The hopeful part of this is that often, even very severe acute kidney disease can sometimes be reversed. It can take time and very tight support during the early phases but I have seen very acute kidney cases that resolved fully or "mostly". But in honesty, I've also seen many valiant tries that didn't meet with success.

Those numbers are indeed alarming, but if he is responding to treatment and if this is an "early" toxicity case and not something late-stage or chronic, it's not always a death sentence.

I would say give him 24 hours if he's stable with treatment to see how he handles it during this 'critical' point. If there is a trend to improvement and he's not losing ground, it may be worth keeping the 'day at a time' approach as long as there's continued improvement.

*I know that someone will have the question, "Can cats have a kidney transplant?" I'm not being a jerk here; it is a very valid question that I've been asked in my time as a vet tech. The answer is Yes, it is possible, though EXTREMELY involved and complicated, to transplant feline kidneys. However, you do need a suitable donor, and if you choose to adopt a donor cat, you must adopt that cat for his/her life. It also costs A LOT of money. But yes, it is possible to do this. Is it practical? That's something to seriously consider in light of your family's circumstances. Plus, one would need to locate a veterinary surgeon who would feel able to do the procedure. Transplant is delicate surgery, and not all vets would feel confident performing a kidney transplant. So that's something else.

Thank you @mackiemac. Yes it's BUN and the vet said its astronomically high (like off the charts). It's been 12 hours and vet will open in about an hour so I will get an update then. I spent the night in tears thank you very much for your reply

This definitely sounds like ACUTE kidney injury, and here's a link with some information about it:  http://www.felinecrf.org/acute_kidney_injury.htm

I've had three cats with CHRONIC kidney disease, but none with what your little one has.  However, I keep the above website bookmarked, because it has such valuable information for both types of kidney issues. 

At this point, I think all you can do is leave it in your Vet's hands, as your cat needs constant Vet attention until the crisis has passed.  As MackieMac stated, IF he can get past the crisis, then he may have a chance.  It's about 50/50 I would say.  I've known cats who've survived and know cats who didn't.  I just don't want to give you false hope.  This is one of those things that is extremely critical .

Wishing you and your little one the best outcome

Thank you @mrsgreenjeens
Unfortunately the prognosis is not good and I've spent the past two days in despair. They are keeping her on a drip today and will rerun the tests. If there isn't a marked improvement I'm afraid we're going to have to let her go. It's breaking my heart. They did an ultrasound and said her one kidney is very enlarged and the other is almost non-existent. She was probably born this way. The enlarged kidney seems to have been doing all the work and is no longer working well. They don't do kidney transplants in South Africa. I've also been advised to bring her brother in for screening as it's likely hereditary.
Thank you for your concern. I really appreciate it

Unfortunately had to let my Fiona go today. Although her levels have improved, clinically she wasn't presenting well. Very nauseous despite anti nausea meds and hadnt eaten in days. She clearly wasn't well and the vet believed it would be kinder to let her go. I spent some time with her and they let her me hold her while she was put to sleep peacefully. I'm devastated. She really was the best cat and I hope I have done the right thing for her. Very very painful. Now need to see if her brother also has the same issues.
Thanks to all for their concern. Really appreciate it

I am so sorry for your loss.  Your did everything you could for Fiona.  Even though it hurts like hell sometimes the final act of love we give to or fur babies is to release them from suffering.  Your baby will always live on in a special place in your heart through the memories of the times you shared together.  Hugs to you and your hubby during this difficult time.

I hope her brother will be ok.

Thank you so much. I appreciate the you took to sympathise catlover73

I'm so sorry .  It is true that the greatest gift we can give is to break our own hearts and release them from their pain and suffering.  That is what unconditional love is all about.

Run free at the bridge, Fiona

mrsgreenjeens said:

I'm so sorry .  It is true that the greatest gift we can give is to break our own hearts and release them from their pain and suffering.  That is what unconditional love is all about.

Run free at the bridge, Fiona

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Thank you so very much. Her eyes really spoke to me today. So much emotion there. Very very tough.

I'm so sorry again Acute renal failure is so horrible, so sudden, don't even have time to acclimate. Sending lots of healing vibes to you, I know how this is all too well.

Thank you so much. I never would have believed my vibrant, full of life cat would go at this age and so suddenly. donutte