Kidney disease diet

[Pouncecat1]

My old cat has some kidney disease started. What diet do you recommend and why that particular food?

RIght now he's on Purina sensitive stomach. I had him on the high protein, grain free by purina but was concerned it was too rich for him. His weight looks good. He does have some muscle loss due to hypothyroidism, but is on medication for that.

 

[shebaa]

If he has kidney problems he should be on kidney care food
Kidney Care Cat Dry Food - Free shipping | Chewy

all prescriptions. also more wet food intake will be better if hes not already on it. i dont think it matters which wet food since the purpose will be more water intake which any wet food will do that.

 

[Azazel]

There are different options. There is prescription kidney cat food that is low in phosphorus and protein. You can discuss it with your vet. There are also phosphorus binders that might help. The key is to reduce the amount of phosphorus in the diet as it seems to aggravate the disease. The low protein in these foods, however, is not so ideal (kidney cats don't need low protein, to the contrary of what some people think). Many people turn to homemade low phosphorus and high protein diets for this reason. You can search the homemade raw subforums for threads on that.

Also, as S shebaa said, water is key. No matter what you decide make sure it's an all wet/high moisture diet. Absolutely no kibble.

 

[LTS3]

Here's a good web site about feline kidney issues that has a lengthy section on diet:

Tanya's Comprehensive Guide to Feline Chronic Kidney Disease - Everything You Need to Know to Help Your Cat

 

[sivyaleah]

We went the high protein, grain free, lowest phosphorus possible diet. Stayed away from anything with carbs - did not even want peas/potatoes/carrots in it.

We also used Renadyl, which is a kidney support supplement that we added to our old boys food. It's a probiotic which reduces urea nitrogen levels - works as a natural dialysis in cats. It's very similar to another probiotic - Azodyl except that Renadyl can be opened and used in food and the other, can not.

As others mention, adequate water intake is very important. No kibble at all.

Keeping the cat eating and staying hydrated is very important. LTS3 gave you the link for Tanya's site - for sure, read it. It's the bible of feline kidney disease care.

 

[Pouncecat1]

What foods do you recommend that are high protein, low phosphorus? Any specific brands I should look for?

He seems to be doing well but I have read that cats with hyperthyroidism should be fed higher protein rather than a low protein diet. If he can handle a higher protein diet then I would like to put him on that. I don't mind feeding canned. He's already 16 years old so he has had a very long (and mostly healthy life).

Right now he gets multiple meals of kibble (with water added on top) and some occasional canned food. My main problem is he will drink all the water, nibble on the food, walk away, come back and nibble some more.

Home cooked or raw isn't really an option. I have multiple animals with health issues so I'm trying to avoid over complicating things. Between everyone's medications they are already complicated enough for me!

 

[Azazel]

Weruva has good options and their nutrient values are all listed on their website. Check out the cans, especially the cats in the kitchen line.

 

[lisahe]

Weruva has good options and their nutrient values are all listed on their website. Check out the cans, especially the cats in the kitchen line.

Weruva does have great options for kidney cats. We fed lots of Weruva to our previous cat in her last months, when she had many health issues, including "some kidney disease started," like your cat does, P Pouncecat1 . I used the charts on Tanya's site to find foods low in phosphorus and did the best I could with those, also trying to keep carbs and fish down, if possible. Weruva's Steak Frites is particularly low in phosphorus and there are now other lines -- like BFF's pates -- that may also have low dry matter phosphorus. (I tried to keep Brooksie's phosphorus from averaging much above 1% dry matter.) She was very, very sick (she also had IBD and, most likely, lymphoma) but her kidney numbers did improve a little in her last months! The vet had wanted to put her on prescription food, which we refused, so was very surprised when a commercial diet low in phosphorus actually helped. All the high-quality protein also eased her digestive symptoms some, after a pretty bad diet for most of her life, something I still feel terrible about.

 

[craftymelli]

High protien foods. Low salt. Lots of water. Meat protien sources are the best protien sources for kidney disease diets. I too have stage 3b chronic kidney disease. These are the dietary guidelines I live by. Definitely a kidney diet specific cat food though. Keep the weight in check though because you dont want diabetes on top of kidney disease it causes further damage to the kidneys. So low carb foods too.

 

[Pouncecat1]

Okay soon as i get a chance i will research affordable and kidney safe diets. My other cat has been very sick so my focus has been on him.

 

[lisahe]

Okay soon as i get a chance i will research affordable and kidney safe diets. My other cat has been very sick so my focus has been on him.

I'm so sorry to hear your other cat has been so sick, too!

In case Weruva's interesting... To get you started, here's Weruva's landing page for nutrition information. The BFF pates (the ones that are chicken-based) are all pretty low in phosphorus, under 1% dry matter. So are many of the chicken-based Cats in the Kitchen cans (the pouches tend to be carby). And here's Truluxe, where you can find Steak Frites and some other low-phosphorus foods. (Unfortunately, Truluxe is also much more expensive.) I tended to try to keep Brooksie's carbs low since what craftymelli says about the importance of high protein is so true. Also: if you have a Petco nearby, Soulistic's pates look identical to the BFF Play pates and they're a little cheaper. Here's Soulistic nutrition information.

Bonus info! My local Petco is having a Weruva, BFF, and Soulistic sale until Christmas, I believe: 20% off on 10 items, I believe, though no mixing and matching of brands!

The big thing, of course, though, is that kidney cats often don't have much of an appetite so you'll want to try to find some foods that will keep your cat eating but have relatively low phosphorus. We were very lucky that Brooksie liked Weruva! She wasn't much of a shred eater but some of their foods pureed pretty well.

Anyway, good luck!

 

[She's a witch]

FYI, some of the Weruwa Truluxe is on sale at Chewy right now (around 40% off)
Wet Today's Deals Food - Free shipping | Chewy

 

[Jojo&Tutu]

Chicken, turkey and rabbit are lower in phosphorus than red meats. Needs low salt, low phosphorus and if possible no preservatives and not red meat. My cat turned around her bun and creatinine from very high bordering on final stage kidney failure to normal from change of diet and a little sub q fluids daily not excessive amount. Her weight is low but stable and she is hanging in.

 

[Azazel]

Chicken, turkey and rabbit are lower in phosphorus than red meats. Needs low salt, low phosphorus and if possible no preservatives and not red meat. My cat turned around her bun and creatinine from very high bordering on final stage kidney failure to normal from change of diet and a little sub q fluids daily not excessive amount. Her weight is low but stable and she is hanging in.

It really depends on the individual food though. Rabbit-based commercial cat foods are usually very high in phosphorus because it’s difficult to separate bone from rabbit meat and many companies just include the bone in the food. It’s always a good idea to ask the company for dmb phosphorus values to be safe.