My CKD cat and weight loss.

[Allofaflumble]

My old boy has lived for over 2 years with CKD. He was always a bit of a heavyweight, but is rapidly losing weight. Down from 4.5 to 3.4 kg yesterday.

He still has an appetite, but also leaves loads, seems to like something then not. I guess it's par for the course. On one Fortekor daily which is getting harder to give him, especially as he leaves food it's in. Gets hugely distressed if you attempt to pill him.

I don't want to take him to the bitter end. Just wondered what stage do you think he's at weight Wise? What sort of weight did your cat get to?

We're going for a check up next week but I'm trying to get myself prepared as much as possible, though I don't think the time is yet ...

Edit. He was 4.5 at last check up 3 months ago. He was a lot bigger in his hey day.

Sorry can't add advice but sympathy for you.

Our Dcat started kidney failure 4 years ago (lost loads of weight and collapsed with it). She's now on 1/2 fortekor which she inhales with a dreamie.

Is your cat on special cud food? Ours hates the meat version though likes the biscuits so has those and whatever meat sachets are acceptable this week as our vet told us it was more important she ate something. We try and get the smelliest food possible to try and get her to eat.

Thanks so much for your reply. It's tough seeing them waste away. I wish I could get the Fortekor successfully into him, but trying to pill a cat on your own is v difficult. He's eating v well sometimes and others not much. I throw masses away.

It really is a day by day thing now. My cat is probably 16 or 17. Not entirely sure as I'm about his third owner. I'm dreading the day I have to let him go.

So sorry to hear this.

My beloved old boy was PTS this year after struggling with the same issues.

He did survive a surprisingly long time even when very thin.

I know how stressful trying to give a pill to a reluctant cat is, and desperately trying to get them to eat something.

We tried lots of kidney wet diets. Some were definitely received better than others, so it is worth trying as many as you can in lots of flavours. Our vet, like yours said that any good is better than no food. We also tried several wet foods designed for older cats which I believe are a good alternative.

We found feeding from a plate was better than a bowl (think he disliked his whiskers touching the bowl sides). We also had success hand feeding him a little. We never have him a pill near where he was fed, so he did not associate that area with tablets.

We also put vessels of water throughout the house to keep him hydrated.

Apologies if you already know all of this.

Good luck with your precious furry x

My heart goes out to you as I went through a similar thing a month or two back. My cat was originally 6.85kg and went down to 4.25kg before the CKD showed up on the blood tests. They did inhouse testing and I do wonder how accurate their tests were as something hadn't been right for a long time. I changed vets who half suspected hyperthyroidism (as I did myself) but we didn't get that far as they rushed tests through to check on his CKD

In the end, Toby had fast progressing CKD. He weighed 4.25kg when diagnosed with stage 2 in March, by the end of April his weight was 3.9kg, his phosphorus had shot up to something like 555, urea was off the vet's scale of 46. I found myself trying lots of different foods, he'd eat something new for a couple of days then refuse.

When you go for the check up, it might be worth having bloods checked again, so you've got a feel for how quickly things are progressing now.

I didn't intend to take my boy to the bitter end either. On the Tues when results came back really high, vet was willing to PTS but I felt he still had a bit of life in him and I wanted him to have a bit of time at home. Wed - he enjoyed our company in the garden, was eating okay, sat next to me in the evening, but by Thurs night I just felt he was going through the motions of eating and drinking (less than he had been) and going outside but I didn't feel he got anything out of the day. We made the decision to pts the next day, in the night he woke me up and was just like his old demanding self - apparently they can rally in their last few hours. In the morning he came in, was sick and wouldn't eat and looked very sorry for himself. Just before we took him to the vet he started constantly licking his lips, so at that point I'd have booked him in anyway. The vet agreed he was dehydrated (pulled his skin up and it went back very slowly) and there was no point in re-hydration as he was so ill we'd be very quickly back at point.

Sorry I've gone on, I hope I haven't upset you.

Sorry to detail but Ifonly4 my old boy rallied too- the day before his last it was like he'd gone back in time by 4 years. He was cheerful, active and vocal- it was such a shock when he then went downhill.

OP, best of luck with your cat. Try to take it one day at a time, and believe in yourself to make the best decisions.

Thank you so much for sharing your stories with me fresh start and ifonly. I truly appreciate it.

Allofaflumble I'm so sorry to hear this. Last week we lost our beloved Tom to CKD, but he had four good, quality years and his decline was very quick. Tom was a big cat, he went down from 5.5kg to 3.6 kg in the end. For the last two years he was on Semintra instead of Fortekor - it's a liquid you syringe into the mouth and we found it much easier and very effective in treating his symptoms. Would that be easier for you?

Food-wise we bought lots of smaller Sheba / Gourmet pouches and fed him more often - he seemed to like the food fresh from the packet! And we'd add a dessert spoon of water to each meal to make it 'wetter' iyswim. We made the decision to give him what he fancied rather than a special kidney diet that he didn't really like and would only pick at. It was quality, not quantity we wanted.

Tom's decline started in August last year when he became very dehydrated and the vet put him on a drip for six hours. The difference was amazing! He was happy and doing lots of normal cat things - although not going far when he went out, because he was deaf and I think he felt vulnerable (we ended up taking him for lots of accompanied walks instead, much to the amusement of the neighbours).

Two weeks ago he went downhill. Rehydration tried again after the vet said it was worth a try. He rallied again and we were delighted, but a few days later he stopped eating and drinking. He was almost 20. I'm so grateful that he didn't linger or suffer long; he had quality of life almost to the end.

All I can say to you is that I was willing to try everything to keep Tom alive, but only if the treatment was right for him, not us. You will know when the time is right. Hugs xx

Thank you Catsbutler your story very much mirrors my lads.

I took him to the vet yesterday and he said he believes he has between 1-3 months due to the weight loss and felt his kidneys. He said he probably has 5-10 per cent function now and could go into renal failure any time.

So lots of love and attention and ironically he is really enjoying a cheapo food from Morrison's their pate at 25p a tray! He never was one for quality!

So now it's day by day. My biggest issue is fear that he is alone all day on a Tuesday due to a work commitment. Every other day I can pop home in the lunch hour. That torments me the thought of him being alone. :(

Your stories have really helped me face what is ahead and I thank you all again.

Allo, all the best for the coming weeks with your dear cat. It's really tough knowing that their time may be near.

Do you have a friend or relative who could pop in on Tuesday? Or, failing that you may be able to find a pet sitter- we have several locally who charge about £8 for a half hour visit.

Cat will most likely just spend whole day sleeping anyway though.

Thanks fresh start I think my ds may be able to pop in on a Tuesday which will bring some peace of mind. I think you are right though about the sleeping. You know how it is though. You go through all sorts of things that could happen the minute you have to go out. Spending lots of time fussing him. Probably getting on his nerves!