Prescription renal food vs non prescription food

[LenaIsaacson]

Quick question for everyone who might know anything. My cat (16 year old ocicat) is on a renal prescription diet that has been helping her with her kidney failure, however, she no longer wants to eat it and instead tries to eat her brothers regular food which is high in protein and not too great for her. Would it be ok if we bought some other renal food that was low in phosphorus, sodium, and protein that she might enjoy more or does it have to be prescription renal food only? Is there a difference? Any information would be very helpful. We know that eating anything at this point is better than nothing but we don’t want to feed her food that isn’t good for her kidneys since they have been doing better on her diet and medications.

 

[FeebysOwner]

It is pretty common for a cat to end up rejecting renal food - some refuse to eat it at all, ever. The low protein in many renal diets for cats with kidney disease is no longer thought to be such a good idea. Most older cats are already losing muscle mass by virtue of their age. Low protein is pretty much reserved for cats in the final stages of kidney disease.

Have you looked at this site? Tanya's Comprehensive Guide to Feline Chronic Kidney Disease - Everything You Need to Know to Help Your Cat (felinecrf.org). Very comprehensive, and some find it overwhelming at first, but understand its benefits as they get into it. Here is a link about various non-prescription cat foods with lower phosphorus, which might be a good way to get started. Tanya's Comprehensive Guide to Feline Chronic Kidney Disease- Canned Food Data USA (felinecrf.org).

 

[LenaIsaacson]

Thank you so much! I’ll check it out now, that’s very helpful.