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Join our community of cat lovers on the Mumsnet Cat forum for kitten advice and help with cat behaviour.

Original poster

Is there any alternative to Renal prescription diet

11 replies

Lolaismyfavouriteandmybest · 21/03/2014 23:46

My darling cat is getting old :( her thyroid started playing up first, now her kidneys have joined in. Meds and renal food are close to £100 per month and we are struggling to find it. Is there any non prescription food that she could have that wouldn't hurt her? I don't want her to suffer but if I can cut costs I need to.

OP posts:
Lonecatwithkitten · 22/03/2014 07:47

You can ask your vet about using a phosphate binder on regular food this is often cheaper.

talulahbelle · 22/03/2014 07:48

We use phosphate binder on Felix senior. Our renal kitty wouldn't touch the special food.

bakingtins · 22/03/2014 07:59

Renal diet has been shown to increase survival times in chronic kidney disease by 3 times. That effect is probably due mainly to phosphorus restriction but there are no studies to prove that. If she won't eat the diet or you can't afford it then a senior diet with phosphate binders (renalzin, alucaps, ipakitine) is the next best option. You need to give the binder with each meal and mix it thoroughly with the food, and avoid any high-phosphorus additional foods (meat and dairy products)
Is she on meds for her kidneys or just for thyroid? I'd prioritise the diet over other kidney meds if cost were an issue, though you need to discuss her individual case with your own vet.

Spickle · 22/03/2014 08:49

I bought the Ipakitine powder and just mix it with a bit of water and add to normal cat food. We tried most of the renal cat foods but my cat only likes the Hills KD chicken pouches, so we alternate between Ipakitine added to normal food and the pouches. Seems to work and I'd rather my cat ate something rather than starve to death, as he seemed prepared to do when faced with renal food he didn't like.

Original poster
Lolaismyfavouriteandmybest · 23/03/2014 14:44

Thanks everyone. She's currently on huger strike but this seems more to do with the meds for thyroid than renal food (although we only have one flavour, she seemed to like it last week but maybe she's had enough of it)

I will go back to vets and ask about the binder meds.

OP posts:
bakewelltartandcustard · 23/03/2014 19:06

Our old cat had both these conditions for several years but was well and happy. We decided not to have any treatment, he was going to die eventually whether treated or not and it didn't matter to him whether that happened sooner or later.
We spared him endless vet visits and tests, the inedible special diets and bills we could not afford. When he went rapidly downhill, aged 18, he was put gently to sleep.

HolidayCriminal · 23/03/2014 19:59

So what symptoms did he have, Bakewell, if he was well & happy in himself, how did you know he had kidney or thyroid problems?

Original poster
Lolaismyfavouriteandmybest · 24/03/2014 17:56

My poor baby was, shall we say, well fedGrin until she developed thyroid problems. She turned to skin and bone before we got the diagnosis and her meds sorted. The kidney issues are causing her to pee everywhere. She's not happy, I'm certainly not happy. I'm glad no treatment worked ok for your cat but I'm afraid mine does need meds.

OP posts:
bakewelltartandcustard · 25/03/2014 18:38

Our cat was diagnosed by the vet. He ate and drank a huge amount but was never actually ill until the very end. We did try the renal diet but he wouldn't touch it.

Fuzzymum1 · 26/03/2014 20:47

Our cat has kidney damage following a nasty infection a couple of years ago. She takes Benefortin daily (at more than £1 a tablet!) She has happily eaten the royal canin renal sachets with some eukanuba renal dry (both bought from vet uk) mixed with Renalzin (also from vetuk) for all that time but is getting bored of it and stealing food from the others who have standard food. I'm thinking of trying her on a senior food with the renalzin instead to see if she likes it better. We've had two more years than we expected given her prognosis when she was really poorly, and have decided that we'd rather she had one year happily eating senior food than 2 years hating the renal food.

jlanc225lbadt · 02/01/2017 12:22

Hi, I am new to mumsnet. Been reading the comments above, am currently having similar problems with my own cat. He is my second cat with renal failure. The vet told me his phosphates were ' through the roof'. My other cat has Royal canning, from zooplus, but he will not touch it. I have liquidised it, but when I put it in his mouth, he let's it dribble back out. If only he new I was basically trying to keep him alive. I too am giving him senior Felix, he will eat if he feels like it. The problem I have is, he knows there is Ipakitine in it, so after he has eaten, I put it in a syringe, with a bit of water. Does anyone know if it still work the same as actually putting it in the food? I give him it immadiatly after he has eaten. Thanks

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