Renal Failure in my Cat - anyone dealt with this ?

almae

Hi all,
I am devasted my beutiful boy Garfield Persian , looks like he is going down the road of renal failure. I am just lost of words, he went down hill so suddenly.
He was brought to the vets(not my regular) last wed and he just said it was a virus . Brought him to my regular vet on Sat morning as my poor cat looked so miserable and he took him in straight away and started iv fluids and antibiotics.
they took bloods and his creatine (sp) levels were about 4 above normal and there was another test that was 30 above normal. vet took them again today and they only came down 1 each, so he basically said its heading for Renal Failre he is 90 % certain. He booked him into the Vet College in UCD for thursday morning at 11 to have a scan and possible bioposy.
I am devasted , hubby and dd of 3 is too. she misses him so much with him being in the vets. he is a gentle giant

bhaneasa

Oh poor you, what a beautiful cat.

Blueprint

Sorry to hear about your cat. I know how hard it is to lose a cat and especially to have to watch them suffer...

My cat had to be PTS for renal failure over two years ago, her kidneys just shut down following an operation on her teeth and despite spending 3 days on a drip at the vets, she got just as bad again within days of her coming home and she wouldn't eat at all, so it was fairest on her to let her go, as all she was doing was drinking water, weeing and throwing up at the end and there was no quality of life left.

If there is still some kidney function there can be a lot of hope however, they had a 20 year old cats in the vets at the same time as mine who had been in kidney failure for around 8 years and was being maintained by diet etc.

Good luck to your lovely guy!

sorella

Blessings and prayers; brings back memories here too

williamtell

hi I have a 16yr old persian cross Reuben who has been close to renal failure for the last 4yrs and on each occasion when I think I'm at the end of the road he bounces back. Don't give up, If you are confident in your vet take his advise but there is never any harm in looking for a secound opinion I did. I just take every day as a bonos with Reuben so far I have had an extra 4years that I did'nt think I would. Best of Luck

The Sweeper

Renal failure is a widespread condition in older cats.

Research is starting to suggest that cats on an exclusive dry kibble diet are open to renal failure because they spend years not drinking enough water. Cats have a very low thirst drive, because they are, in evolutionary terms, a desert animal, used to getting most of their moisture from their prey.

A dietary adjustment can make a world of difference to a cat.

Tinned wet food, in spite of the effect that exclusively feeding that wil have on the teeth of cat, provides enough moisture on its own to keep a cat hydrated.

(A lot of vets are looking a bit sheepish because they spent so long pushing people towards feeding kibble and kibble only because of the problems tinned food can cause with teeth. Suddenly there's a glut of renal failure, and they're realising that "Make sure fresh water is available at all times" is insufficient to guarantee the cat's health - because just like horses, you can't make them drink...)

A raw food diet will also provide sufficient moisture through the food, with the additional bonus that fed in the right proportions, it will also keep the cat's teeth clean.

A plug-in pet water fountain can be very useful in encouraging cats to drink more water - it keeps the water moving and aerated and many cats like to drink straight from the outflow point, similar to drinking from a tap.

Work with your vet, ask about feeding wet and/or raw and above all don't give up hope - cats can live with reduced kidney function for years if they're maintained properly.

Best of luck, he's a beautiful cat.

(On which note, would you mind terribly if I asked you what age he is and what his main diet has been?)

anniehoo

Blueprint wrote: »

If there is still some kidney function there can be a lot of hope however,

Excellent advice from MJD there and +1 for above. Renal failure doesnt have to mean the end. Wait until all the tests are complete before you start worrying. It is treatable in certain circumstances so let us know how you get on in UCD on Thurs

almae

Garfield is only 5 yrs old ,diet was/is dry kibble prescribed by vet from when he was a kitten, and I him home yesterday and its looking like HCM (hypertrophic cardiomyopathy) , urine and creatine levels are still a little high but there is no sign of PKD (thank god ).
They reckon the kidneys was a secondary issue and that it was the heart that could be causing kidney issues.
They want to rescan his heart again in 1 month when cardiologist comes over again and I have to get his bloods and urine done again in 2 weeks.

they said to keep him on his same diet but i would want to look into changing it if i could so that i can give him the best chance possible.

I am ringing my vet later and will chat with him.

The Sweeper

Good to hear he's better, not so good to hear he still has issues.

The vet may or may not be a supporter of raw. One of the biggest lessons I learned is that animal nutrition isn't a major part of vet school - some of them take a personal interest in it, others are firm supporters of commercial pet food, but a vet is an animal doctor, not necessarily a nutritionist. Still, see what he/she says, hopefully they'll be open minded and offer you some support in trialling it.