Cat with kidney failure - vet says she may recover, is this realistic?

[gingernut]

My parents' cat has been off-colour for some time but in the last few days has really gone downhill and the vet says she has kidney failure. She is a youngish cat (6) and he says he can treat her and she may recover, but if she does she will have to have a special diet, be on medication, and come in to the surgery for regular check-ups and (I think) injections.

I was just wondering if anyone has experience of a cat with kidney failure being treated like this, and if so, how successful was it?

My parents are very upset of course and desperately want to keep their moggie, but they wouldn't want to prolong her life if she won't have a good quality of life afterwards.

TIA for any comments!

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I don't think she's any specific breed. Shortish haired ginger, essentially just a moggie.

The cat spent last night at the vet's on a drip as she was very dehydrated, I'm not sure what samples they've taken, will talk to my Mum.

Thanks.

she could recover if it is steroid treatable hope it is

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I guess if she was very dehydrated they might not have managed to get a urine sample. Anyway, will talk to Mum later, have to go now will log back in this evening.

My sister-in-law's cat had kidney failure at the age of 10, and went on to live an excellent quality life for another 10 years. She had to have special food from the vets, but she didn't have to have any medication beyond the initial couple of months. She didn't need to have regular check-ups or injections either.

Our 9 year old Siamese "crashed" with kidney failure last year. He was put given saline injections for a few days and spent a day in the surgery on an IV saline drip, to see if his kideny function would recover.

Apparently sometimes they can go into a sort of "kidney shoock" if they are upset - which the vet thought might have been the result of him having just spent a week at the cattery. We didn't think so as the cat was an easy going sort who had been to the cattery loads of times. (if it had been his sister, that would have been different....!) If his function had recovered, he would have been OK but on a special diet.

By the end of the week, his blood tests still hadn't revocered and we had to make the decision to put him down We gave it an extra day when there was a slight imporvement after the day on a drip - but the vet said he was still in chronic kideny failure Over the week we must have seen every vet in the practice, who all gave the same advice - so we knew we did the rgiht thing in putting him down.

We could have keept him alive by learning to give him intramuscular saline injections - which I found out though my one (and only one) evening looking into the subject after his death (more 'cos I was worried about his sister) - but who owuld we have been doing it for and what would his quality of life been like?

Thanks for the replies. Sorry about your cat Prettybird.

I shall come back to this later - off out now and might get a chance to speak to Mum when I get back.

quick update...there is no change in her condition as yet. The vet is going to ring again tomorrow morning.

Mum says they took blood samples yesterday morning and diagnosed kidney failure by the afternoon (presumably based on the results of the blood tests). She thinks it's unlikely that they got a urine sample as she was so dehydrated. She doesn't know what ongoing treatment they would recommend if she does pull through, but the vet definitely said she would have to have injections.

a sad update. The cat had to be put down this morning. She had stayed at the vets on the drip all that time and they had thought she was picking up, but she suddenly went downhill this morning. Mum and Dad went to see her but she was very very ill. Mum said she felt cold and was almost lifeless. Very upset, she was such a lively young cat .

So sorry gingernut

Sorry to hear the sad news That's young for kidney failure in a non-pedigree cat. Bad luck

We were told 9 was young-ish for a Siamese, but no unheard-of.

Are your parents getting a new cat?

Oh, so sorry to hear that, gingernut.

Sorry to hear this - one of my cats had kidney failiure and we had to put him on a special diet. He was fine for a while but then had a stroke and had to be put down. It is most likely the stroke ws related to the kidney problems - he was only 4 and a moggie.

Oh sorry - didn't read entire thread. So sorry

Thanks for the messages. So yours was an even younger cat then bonym.

Prettybird, I am sure they will get another cat but probably not straight away. They don't usually wait long though (they've had 3 now, we had the first when I was 4 - he also died of kidney failure but he was a good age).