kidney problems in cats

kingtut · ‎12-31-2010

My 14 year old cat was recently diagnosed with kidney problems. he was vomiting quite often but otherwise seemed fine. the vet said his kidney blood levels were too high and gave him water under the skin for several days. he is now home and to be honest seems about the same. i have had the problem in other cats but worry about this one. he pees so much i can't get it out of the litter box -- just clumps into a sticky mess. i love him dearly.

the problem is partly financial -- i have spent over $2000 on him in the last two weeks and i am retired and have health problems myself -- very expensive dental work looms in my future.

i would never euthenize him unless he was in pain -- i am willing to put up with the mess but is it reasonable to keep treating him or is it a lost cause that is just making the vet rich. changing to another vet is essentially not possible since i have no transportation and this one makes house calls

terrier3 · ‎03-10-2010

I inherited my cat when my aunt passd away suddenly. Murray was 15 years old at the time.

He has always been skinny, but he was also throwing up bile and was diagnosed with kidney problems.

That was 3 years ago and he's still going strong. I learned how to hydrate him at home. It costs me about $1 vs. the $25 each time at the vet. We still just have to do it 3 times a week or so.

It stopped the throwing up entirely. There is also low protein food, but Murray didn't like it. The vet said itbwas more important to keep his weight up, so he eats whatever he likes and hasn't lost on ounce.

As long as you can keep your cat hydrated, eating and happy - he can have many years of a good life ahead.

sally in philly · ‎12-09-2010

I can understand how you want to help your fur baby. I had an old cat with the same problem. I don't know if you know that you can give your cat the hydration treatments yourself. Just have the vet show you. It would save you a lot of money and you could help your cat feel better.

orange · ‎03-09-2010

I am sorry to hear your kitty is having health problems. One of ours had crystals in his system so he is now in a prescription diet - would that be possible? Also giving fluids at home is not as difficult as you might think. I've done it for a dog and guinea pig - I wish you the best.

sophiamaria2 · ‎04-13-2010

google Trispy for cats...I believe it's called something else now but I'm sure tripsy will still pull up info. on it... they are drops that you put in mouth or food and are for kidneys.. I used these for a couple years w/one of my fur kids and they helped alot. I believe they kept her alive and feeling pretty good for atleast 2 extra years. good luck I know it's hard

p.s. tons of great reviews on this stuff!

RainyDayGal · ‎03-09-2010

We had a cat with kidney problems (and also heart). We gave him the SubQ fluids at home every night. I don't know if I would be able to do it myself, my husband held the cat to calm him while I did it. So for us, it took both of us doing it.

I understand the cost. We spent several thousand in the remaining few months of his life. $2500 just at the critical care vet because he spent several days there when first diagnosed. Check into CareCredit and also check to see if your vet accepts it, not all of them do.

As for the vomiting, as your vet about Metamucil and Benefiber. My dog was having issues (partly due to her kidney levels) and that is what the internist suggested. Cats can also have it. There is also cerenia (injection and pills).

Tissyanne · ‎12-07-2012

I have a 16 year old female cat that I love with all my heart. She has kidney disease/failure, and I can tell you the sub fluids just under the skin are a must. You can get your vet or the staff to teach you to do this at home. 3 times a week should be plenty, as you do not want to overload the heart, but ask your vet. My cat was vomiting, and has mainly stopped when she started taking Acodyl from the vet. Ask your vet about anti nausea medications. I give mine 1/4 teasppon Miralax every day as these cats tend to be constipated. My best to you on this journey. I hope your vet can give you a treatment plan that you can manage at home.

kingtut · ‎12-31-2010

i know that it is possible for some people to hydrate at home. i am in

my eighties and not very flexible -- just catching the cat is hard and i can no longer retrieve him from under the bed or such. he is a wiggler -- hard to give him any type of drops in ears or eyes or medicine. i have no one to help me -- i live in a retirement village by myself and don't know anyone who would help at all.

he is on a kidney perscription diet and as i say seems ok except for the vomiting. he has always vomited to be honest but i assumed it was eating too fast.

weight is not a problem -- he has always been overweight.

does anyone know how to get extra sticky number 1 out of the litter box. i can't scoop it out -- it is too sticky and the only thing i can do is put the whole box in the closet for a few days until it dries and it comes out and use another box.

jaxs mom · ‎04-18-2012

Do yo have him on an all wet food diet? That would be a help in keeping him properly hydrated.

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kittymomNC · ‎08-09-2012

I can only briefly relate my personal experience. My Baby Cat was diagnosed with kidney disease at age 13. The vet immediately started her on subq fluids twice a week and put her on the kidney diet. Over the course of three years, she did fine. (I went through more kitty litter than you can imagine, and also have another cat). She stopped wanting the kidney diet food, so the vet said that I had to keep her weight up and to give her whatever she wanted. Last year she had a really rough time for about two months, two trips to the emergency hospital, and they said her disease was progressing, so put her on fluids 3X per week. Then we discovered she had high blood pressure, and she was put on meds for that. PLEASE BE SURE AND GET HIS BLOOD PRESSURE CHECKED, it is common with kidney disease but can be controlled with meds. HIgh blood pressure in cats can cause a number of problems including blindness. She did fine for the most part for another year until 7 weeks ago. At that point, we think she had a stroke, at age 17. This is only the 2nd time I've mentioned it here, because I am still having an extremely difficult time and have been unable to talk about it. It's a miracle I got this typed out but I have been there and wanted to help if I could....

Your baby may be able to still have good years, but you must do everything possible for him if you can. Subq fuids can be given at home to save money, if you have someone to help you. I wasn't able to do that, so we made almost 500 trips to the vet in four years. I hope your baby will do as well as mine did!

(I TOTALLY understand the financial difficulties and that you have health problems.. do you think someone might be able to recommend a teenager or someone who could use a few extra dollars to come and help you? It would be cheaper than all those visits to the vet.)

ETA: Do you use clumping cat litter? I use a combination of Tidy Cats and Arm & Hammer Clump & Seal - everything dries in a matter of a couple of hours or less and can be easily scooped out.