Chronic Kidney Disease Stage 2

[MAGICKCAT]

Hi all, thanks for letting me join. My boy was recently diagnosed with CKD stage 2. He seems to be doing fine,
other than just drinking a lot of water. So the vet put him on RX Kidney cat food with hydracare supplement.



I am hoping to extend his life with these things, however, I have 2 other cats in the home that I cannot
stop from eating his food. I have tried feeding him in another room and separating them, but he may/may
not eat when I feed him. Often he eats a little here and a little there, but there are leftovers.

It's really stressing the cats and me.

Is there anything else I can do? Is it alright to just feed all of them the kidney cat food w/ the Hydracare?

Any tips are appreciated.

 

[Furballsmom]

Hi
The hydracare, if I remember right, can have an unintended consequence in healthy cats.
Can you obtain a microchip activated feeder that's coded to his chip?

 

[MAGICKCAT]

Hi Furballsmom,

Thank you for replying and Happy Christmas to you. Thank you for the heads up on unintended consequences in healthy cats in regard to Hydracare.

As for the microchip activated cat feeder, I had no idea what it was or that this even exists, so thank you!! I'm googling it right now and researching for more information. I have never had any collars on our babies (they are indoor) before and not sure how they would tolerate having to wear them suddenly, but I'm willing to do and try anything for my baby boy.

 

[Furballsmom]

I was thinking that there are feeders that can be controlled by the ID microchip he has, which could be easier but I'm not sure about that.

Happy Christmas to you as well !

 

[Twylasmom]

If your cat is microchipped the feeder can be programmed to the existing chip, so they don’t have to wear a collar. Microchip is a good idea anyway, both my indoor cats have them, just in case.

Your non-CKD cat should not eat the prescription food. A bite here and there is OK, but it is not appropriate (and expensive!) for a healthy cat.

I would try and get your CKD cat to drink more water instead of using Hydracare. Is the RX food wet or dry? If wet, you can add a little warm water into the food. Wet is better, because of the moisture content, but the cat does have to eat more to meet the daily calorie intake. Provide several different water sources.

 

[mrsgreenjeens]

AND, if you are not aware of this, check it out. It was my "go to" when I had kidney cats: Tanya's Comprehensive Guide to Feline Chronic Kidney Disease - Everything You Need to Know to Help Your Cat It's not interactive, but has so much information every kidney cat parent should have access to it.

 

[MAGICKCAT]

I was thinking that there are feeders that can be controlled by the ID microchip he has, which could be easier but I'm not sure about that.

Happy Christmas to you as well !

Oh ok, I will research into this, because this may be a much better option if they are microchipped. Thank you!

 

[MAGICKCAT]

If your cat is microchipped the feeder can be programmed to the existing chip, so they don’t have to wear a collar. Microchip is a good idea anyway, both my indoor cats have them, just in case.

Your non-CKD cat should not eat the prescription food. A bite here and there is OK, but it is not appropriate (and expensive!) for a healthy cat.

I would try and get your CKD cat to drink more water instead of using Hydracare. Is the RX food wet or dry? If wet, you can add a little warm water into the food. Wet is better, because of the moisture content, but the cat does have to eat more to meet the daily calorie intake. Provide several different water sources.

Hi there Twylasmom, thanks for your feedback. Yes, the RX food is wet.He has been put on wet food years ago, due to crystals. So he cannot eat dry food. I will put a little warm water with the wet food. I have a dish with water available, but I may also just get a cat fountain he can drink from too. Thank you for the microchip information as well. I am going to see if this is a good option. Are these microchip feeders reliable and dependable? Any recommendations for certain brands?

 

[MAGICKCAT]

AND, if you are not aware of this, check it out. It was my "go to" when I had kidney cats: Tanya's Comprehensive Guide to Feline Chronic Kidney Disease - Everything You Need to Know to Help Your Cat It's not interactive, but has so much information every kidney cat parent should have access to it.

Hi MrsGreenJeens, thank you for this resource! I really appreciate it!

 

[Twylasmom]

Hi there Twylasmom, thanks for your feedback. Yes, the RX food is wet.He has been put on wet food years ago, due to crystals. So he cannot eat dry food. I will put a little warm water with the wet food. I have a dish with water available, but I may also just get a cat fountain he can drink from too. Thank you for the microchip information as well. I am going to see if this is a good option. Are these microchip feeders reliable and dependable? Any recommendations for certain brands?

Surepet is the one most people use. The basic model is fine. There is one that connects to your phone so you can monitor it, but that isn’t really necessary and just costs more.

 

[Furballsmom]

If they have been micro chipped, you'll want to make sure your information is up to date. You might be able to borrow a chip reader from the vet, and ask them about which company has the information so you can make sure it has your latest address and phone