Help finding best non prescription food for CKD cat

[Babypaws]

I hope I’m posting this in the correct forum. I’ve been posting the last week or so about my 19-year-old cat who has kidney issues I’m at a loss, I am going crazy trying to find a good non-prescription wet cat food for her that is low in. Phosphorus. I had taken her to the vet and they prescribed her to take the Hills urgent care a AD food to get her to gain some weight but a lot of what I see for a CKD cat is hills, urgent care RD (not sure if that’s the correct name.
when I look up the ingredients on some of the foods, I’m confused, because if I come across one that has the low phosphorus it’s high in protein. Is there somebody that has a CKD cat in a higher stage such as stage 3 that has found a decent cat food? There are other foods that I look up also and if they are low in.Phosphorus then they have meat by products in one of the top ingredients or they have a lot of fillers. Please help.

 

[neely]

I thought this page on Tanya's Comprehensive Guide to Feline CKD might be helpful - it gives an overview of cat food data tables:
Tanya's Comprehensive Guide to Feline Chronic Kidney Disease - Cat Food Data Tables Overview
Look closely at some of the links on her page that discuss phosphorus content.

 

[FeebysOwner]

I think the chart that neely provided is a good place to look for foods with lower phosphorus. For those on the chart that I can easily find locally, most of them my cat does not want to eat. So, I feed her what she will eat and give her a phosphorus binder. I use Phos-Bind, which seems to be tasteless, and I can mix it with her food.

I don't worry so much about the protein content as it really is OK to give CKD cats high protein food to help reduce muscle mass loss, which is typical even for healthy older cats. The lower protein is suggested mostly once a cat reaches Stage 4, as an added aid to the kidneys at that time. My cat is currently deemed Stage 3.

 

[Babypaws]

Thanks, I’ve looked at that site, doesn’t help me. I even bought Tanya’s Cat Food Data book….didn’t help. I guess with everything else going on in my life I am too stressed to even concentrate on what is what. I’m sorry I thought there might be somebody out there that has a CKD cat and found a decent food That’s helping their cat

I think the chart that neely provided is a good place to look for foods with lower phosphorus. For those on the chart that I can easily find locally, most of them my cat does not want to eat. So, I feed her what she will eat and give her a phosphorus binder. I use Phos-Bind, which seems to be tasteless, and I can mix it with her food.

I don't worry so much about the protein content as it really is OK to give CKD cats high protein food to help reduce muscle mass loss, which is typical even for healthy older cats. The lower protein is suggested mostly once a cat reaches Stage 4, as an added aid to the kidneys at that time. My cat is currently deemed Stage 3.

do you mind if I ask you if you have a cat that’s in stage three what you’re giving it for food?

 

[FeebysOwner]

do you mind if I ask you if you have a cat that’s in stage three what you’re giving it for food?

Not to be 'quip', but literally anything she will eat. She is a 'pate-only' girl and does not like fish, so I go with what I can that are in those confines. She used to love Fancy Feast, and will still eat them, but not regularly. So, I will also feed her Purina Pro Plan or Purina One, Merick Purrfect Bistro, Bixbi Rawbble, and things like the single servings of Iams, Sheba, & Nutro. All pates. I tend to stay away from Wellness but will occasionally get her one of the Core versions, and very infrequently she will eat Tiki Cat. For some reason she likes I&Love&You beef and chicken. The Purina ones are probably the worst of all of those I have listed in terms of fillers, but you know what, she's got to eat. I add 1/8 tsp (on the low side) Phos-Bind to each can of food, and she generally only eats one 3 oz can a day.

I also supplement her food with Gerber baby food meat with EZ Complete to make it nutritionally complete. This works for all but the chicken one because of the calcium conflict between it and EZ Complete.

 

[Babypaws]

Not to be 'quip', but literally anything she will eat. She is a 'pate-only' girl and does not like fish, so I go with what I can that are in those confines. She used to love Fancy Feast, and will still eat them, but not regularly. So, I will also feed her Purina Pro Plan or Purina One, Merick Purrfect Bistro, Bixbi Rawbble, and things like the single servings of Iams, Sheba, & Nutro. All pates. I tend to stay away from Wellness but will occasionally get her one of the Core versions, and very infrequently she will eat Tiki Cat. For some reason she likes I&Love&You beef and chicken. The Purina ones are probably the worst of all of those I have listed in terms of fillers, but you know what, she's got to eat. I add 1/8 tsp (on the low side) Phos-Bind to each can of food, and she generally only eats one 3 oz can a day.

I also supplement her food with Gerber baby food meat with EZ Complete to make it nutritionally complete. This works for all but the chicken one because of the calcium conflict between it and EZ Complete.

Thank you. The vet gave my cat, the appetizer stimulant to give her every other day. I was supposed to give it to her yesterday and I forgot gave it to her this morning, but doesn’t seem like it’s working. She really hasn’t eaten that much on her own, so I just force fed her some of the hills AD canned food that I got from the vet. Does your cat eat on her own or do you have to feed her?

 

[FeebysOwner]

Thank you. The vet gave my cat, the appetizer stimulant to give her every other day. I was supposed to give it to her yesterday and I forgot gave it to her this morning, but doesn’t seem like it’s working. She really hasn’t eaten that much on her own, so I just force fed her some of the hills AD canned food that I got from the vet. Does your cat eat on her own or do you have to feed her?

Feeby not only gets Mirataz (transdermal appetite stimulant) every other day at half dose, she also gets an anti-nausea med as a precaution as I cannot really tell if she is nauseous or not. She gets ondansetron, preferably 4 mg 2-3 times a day, but I have the best luck getting her to take it, with 4 mg in the morning, followed by two more doses over the following 12 hours of 2 mg each.

I don't have to (yet) feed her by syringe or force, but I do take food to her throughout the day to encourage her to eat more. Sometimes, if I don't do that, she will go hours and hours without eating anything.

I have yet to start giving her sub-Q fluids, but they may be in her future very soon. I also give her B-12 injections because her cobalamin tested low, despite the fact that I am able to maintain her weight.

 

[Twylasmom]

I thought this page on Tanya's Comprehensive Guide to Feline CKD might be helpful - it gives an overview of cat food data tables:
Tanya's Comprehensive Guide to Feline Chronic Kidney Disease - Cat Food Data Tables Overview
Look closely at some of the links on her page that discuss phosphorus content.

One thing I suggest in regards to this list is to check the date each food was last updated. Some formulas have changed. The best answer to your question is “a food your cat will eat.”. My cat Twyla will never eat enough wet food to meet her caloric needs so I supplement with a dry food. She ate prescription dry for awhile but started not liking it so she now gets Hill’s 11+ dry (not the indoor version). I rotate about 8 different wet foods and some days she loves them and other not so much. I try to keep the phos level at .75% or lower. If it’s higher she gets a phos binder. I also look for foods that are calorie dense so she has to meat less to get enough calories. Brands of wet I use are Hill’s, Royal Canin, Soulistic and Weruva. She also gets fluids twice weekly and fluctuates between being stage 2 and stage 3.

Is it possible your cat is nauseous and do you have an anti-nausea medication? Appetite stimulants are less effective if nausea is present.

 

[Furballsmom]

Maybe these will help.

Resources for CKD Cats - Protein & Phosphorous Information on Non-Prescription Commercial Cat Food

Low Phosphorous Wet Cat Food List

So my cat was diagnosed with CKD last summer and I embarked on a journey of searching for lower phosphorous canned/wet foods for her to eat. (We were aiming for phosphorous content below 0.9% on a dry matter basis.) She had a suspected fish allergy/intolerance, so we also had to be careful about...

thecatsite.com

 

[kakers]

Always most important is for them to eat at all. So for now, don't even worry about what food is best for her kidneys just focus on getting her to eat anything. Get her eating first then start trying out more kidney friendly foods to see which she may like. If she never takes to any kidney friendly foods, phosphorus binders may be something to discuss with her vet, as mentioned by twylasmom. I also agree with twylasmom that an antinausea may be necessary in addition to the appetite stimulant.

You said non prescription food but you also didn't seem to mention the common foods that are prescribed for CKD which would be Hills KD, royal canin E, T, D, or I believe the kibble is S. Purina also has a prescription food for ckd and possibly one more brand though I'm less familiar with those. It sounds like you're hesitant because of the meat byproducts and fillers but when it's to the point of CKD you have to prioritize and these supposedly low quality ingredients are no longer a battle worth picking. It's far more important to feed your cat a diet appropriate for their kidneys (if they'll eat it) than to feed them something ideal for a healthy cat. It's also more important to make sure they'll eat at all. In terms of priority it should be 1- cat is eating. 2- cat is eating kidney friendly foods. And a VERY DISTANT 3- cat is eating kidney friendly food with ideal ingredients.

My CKD kitty while we still had him preferred the royal canin T and D. He wouldn't eat the KD kibble but did sometimes enjoy the canned KD pates. He'd eat the E on occasion but didn't like the texture so I'd blend it up with a hydracare pouch and some water in a smoothie.

Finding a low phosphorus food that's not prescription is challenging because by AAFCO standards cat food needs to have minimum .5% phosphorus on a dry matter basis but CKD diets are under .5%. What I found that was closest was the Wellness Morsels Healthy Indulgence. These specifically are the morsels in the packets NOT the cans. The chicken and chicken liver flavor is something like .54% phosphorus on a dry matter basis with a protein level also quite similar to the prescription foods. We kept those and the hills 11+ kibble on hand for in just in case.

Hydracare pouches are definitely something to try as well, improving hydration can improve appetite. And we also had luck with Stella and Chewys Magical Dinner Dust, if his mirtaz was due (he had it every 4-5 days generally before needing more) and he wasn't eating enough, a sprinkle of that on his wet food almost always did the trick. Unfortunately I believe it only comes in large pouches so it's hard to see if your cat will like it before investing in a whole pouch and it really doesn't take much, just a pinch or two, to entice them to eat if it's going to work. It was well worth it for ours though.

I hope you find what works for your kitty!

 

[Rosies Mom]

I have been searching for information since my sweet kitty, whom I just adopted 5 months ago, has been diagnosed with CKD, fortunately Stage 1-2. The vet prescribed Hill's k/d and I have been feeding her that along with Tiki Cat After Dark, and she has been eating well until just the past couple of days. I'm thinking I need to change things abit, and have been searching for information about non-prescription foods for cats with CKD. I'm so happy to find this site!! Thank you all so much for the information and especially the charts. I'm so thankful for all the research that people have done. I'm not convinced that the prescription food is the best way to go, but I wanted good alternatives. I think variety will help. Again, thank you, thank you!

 

[Rosies Mom]

PS, She's not a kitten, she's 8 years old!! I don't know how I got Kitten under my name, and can't figure out how to change it. Any suggestions?

 

[FeebysOwner]

PS, She's not a kitten, she's 8 years old!! I don't know how I got Kitten under my name, and can't figure out how to change it. Any suggestions?

The kitten label under your name refers to you as a new member of TCS. It will change as you generate more posts. Promotions and Benefits | TheCatSite

 

[Rosies Mom]

The kitten label under your name refers to you as a new member of TCS. It will change as you generate more posts. Promotions and Benefits | TheCatSite

Thank you for clarifying!

 

[Furballsmom]

R Rosies Mom -- if you don't mind, I would add a couple things to all the above, for clarification.

As mentioned, Wellness (although I haven't checked into this brand myself) and also most of the Weruva brands, such as Soulistic, and their varieties, especially their WX variety, are low phos.

Additionally, the Honest Kitchen minced turkey and duck (high-ish in iodine), Identity Bison although it's quite high in iodine, and Forza10 although this one is also high in iodine, are low in phosphorus.

Wx Phos Focused

Also, a note about the Purina Hydracare. It was specifically formulated to be used for cats with FLUTD. There are other ways to tempt a cat to drink, including tall drinking glasses

Tips To Increase Your Cat’s Water Intake - TheCatSite

 

[misterginja]

Hi, I don’t know if this helps, but this week am trying my Stage 2 CKD cat on Stella & Chewy’s Canned Carnivore Cravings Purrfect Pate, some of their flavors are low in phosphorus. I’ve attached the nutrient profiles for the lowest phosphorus flavors I received from the company last week, they are nice and responsive. Unfortunately this info isn't posted on their website.

I don’t like that the formulas contain celery powder and/or dandelion (diuretics) and tapioca starch, also prefer to not feed fish every day, there are two formulas without fish at least. After SO MUCH research including Tanya’s CKD food list, I haven’t found one perfect canned food out there. By the way, the Shreds varieties of this canned food are not interchangeable, they contain nearly twice as much phosphorus as the Purrfect Pate formulas.

Also if anyone seeing this notices any red flags in the nutrient profiles, please share, as it’s been difficult to catch everything!

For instance, thank you @Furballsmom for mentioning the high iodine in Identity Bison…I’ve been transitioning my cat off of it because of a different ingredient in it he’s sensitive to, but now am reading that dietary iodine that’s too high can possibly cause thyroid issues. Still not clear on all the details of it, if it means it leads to hyperthyroidism or if only makes a cat who already has hyperthyroidism worse, but a lot more is left to read.

 

[Furballsmom]

I haven’t found one perfect canned food out there.

iodine can be particularly challenging to nail down in brands - they don't often list that one I'm like you, I'm not clear as to how it acts or reacts with the thyroid, but I'm beginning to lean towards keeping it as low as I can even though Captain has no issues at this time.

 

[FeebysOwner]

I highly doubt - just IMO - that restricting iodine in cat's diet over the course of their life will prevent growth of a tumor on the thyroid that leads to an over production of hormones. If that theory is out there, I have yet to find it. I did read some articles and found these:

This from Cornell Feline Health Center (Hyperthyroidism in Cats | Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine) - Although the cause of feline hyperthyroidism is not known, possible contributing factors include deficiencies or excesses of certain compounds in the diet and chronic exposure to thyroid-disrupting chemicals in food or the environment.

This from BetterVet (Hyperthyroidism in Cats: Symptoms & Treatment | BetterVet) - There are no known causes of cat hyperthyroidism, but there are contributing factors such as:

• Age, as the condition primarily affects cats over six years old.
• An excess or deficiency of some elements in the cat's diet, particularly in some canned diets. Excess iodine could be a contributor.
• Exposed to chemicals that can disrupt hormone production. These chemicals, such as flame retardants or organic pollutants, can be found in food or the environment.

This from PetMd (Hyperthyroidism in Cats: Symptoms and Treatment | PetMD) - There are several theories about what causes cats to become hyperthyroid:

• Rarely, thyroid cancer
• Some reports have linked hyperthyroidism in cats to some fish-flavored canned food diets
• Research has pointed to flame-retardant chemicals (PBDEs) that are used in some furniture and carpeting and circulated in house dust
• Advancing age increases risk

I guess what I take away from this, is that limiting iodine may not really help. It is interesting also that two of these institutions point to deficiencies in certain elements (what ones they do not say) of cat food could be a contributing factor. Seems to me that environmental issues may be the biggest, most obvious factor of all.

The same thing applies to lower phosphorus - with no verifiable evidence that restricting it in healthy cats does anything to prevent CKD.

We can spend our lives - and our cats' lives - restricting them and further restricting them in the hopes of avoiding an illness or disease, and perhaps get nowhere, or maybe even cause another issue to arise as a result.

Caution is good, obsession is not. Now, off my soapbox...

 

[stephanietx]

I have had 2 CKD kitties and I didn't change their food at all with their diagnosis. I was feeding Instinct chicken and venison (wet) and Taste of the Wild dry. My second CKD kitty, I supplemented with potassium to keep that high and I gave her a renal supplement for kitties from Standard Process. She actually passed from intestinal lymphoma which we didn't know she had, but when she was at the ER clinic, the doctor was so impressed with her kidney values, especially since we gave her health history.

 

[Furballsmom]

Not to hijack the thread, but since age is mentioned as a contributing factor to hyperthyroidism and I can't do much about that, what I can do is avoid putting in new carpet (since we got a good brand back when and I clean it myself and professionally, with a company that leaves no residue, it looks decent still) ... and keeping an eagle eye (whether obsessive or not, that's for Captain to say ) on what food brands Captain eats

Regarding phosphorus and kidney kitties, we're all doing the best we can with the information we have available. Here again as with iodine, I strongly disagree with the AAFCO about not having maximum limit requirements.