Kidney disease, renal food and behaviour changes

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We've had our cat for just over 2 years. She's lost weight consistently over that time despite our best efforts to feed her up. We recently tried a new type of food that she loves and she was finally eating more.

3 weeks ago the vet did some blood tests which were indicative of stage 2 chronic kidney disease, so they advised us to put her on renal food. We've tried 3 different brands and she won't eat much of any of them. We've had some success with mixing a bit of the normal food she likes into it - we figure that's better than nothing - but she still isn't polishing it off like she was before. She's eating a bit more of her dry food though.

She's never been much of a hunter (too lazy!) and never brought anything into the house, alive or dead. Now suddenly she's brought in and eaten two mice in the last two weeks (both on the living room carpet )

Is this a protest against the renal food? Or is she feeling a bit better from the small amount of it she has eaten, giving her the energy to hunt?

Not sure if it's related, but she's also never been a big water drinker - we had to add more to her wet food to get her to drink any, even during previous hot weather. I could count on one hand the number of times I'd actually seen her drink from her water bowls or fountain. But recently she's been drinking from them much more.

Has anyone else experienced behaviour changes like this?

If age is relevant, we previously thought she was about 7-8 but the vet now says based on her health she's at least 10.

Drinking more is a symptom of kidney disease; they need to drink more and pee more when the kidneys are not working as effectively as healthy kidneys.

The hunting could just be because it's summer and there's mice around, or maybe she's hungry. It's not unusual for the kidney diet to not be liked much by cats, if that's the case it's better to feed a good quality wet food the cat will eat, to avoid weight loss since renal cats are prone to it anyway.

Could you try getting her to drink out of a human cup/ beaker. Mine drink much more from that than they do from a bowl.

Thanks both!

I'll keep mixing her preferred food in with the renal stuff, hopefully she won't feel the need to top up with mouse again (or at least won't do it on the beige carpet!)

That's interesting Toddler. She's never tried to drink from a cup before, and DH leaves them sitting around enough for her to have plenty chances!

Harry wouldn't eat the renal food so he has his normal food (James Wellbeloved senior turkey pouches and biscuits) with Ipakitine powder added to the wet food.

Oh I didn't know about Ipakitine, that seems like a good option. Thank you!

Second what Pinksparkly says - she put me onto Ipakitine. My senior CKD boy will eat kattovit dry food, but hates any renal wet food, so it's Iams and Sheba and his sprinkles mixed in. He is also on Fortakor, which seems to have sorted him out, so a crushed up pill last thing before I go to bed, cunningly disguised in lik e lix. His last bloods were all back within the required tolerances, even if they were at the top end.

Thank you scary!

Sounds like dry renal food and Ipakitine on her wet food is the way forward.

(Mouse count is now up to 3 as of last night so her energy levels obviously aren't suffering... either that or she's found a very conveniently placed nest!)

Our vet has given us potassium to add to our cats normal food

Thank pinksparkly I was at my wits end with my cat, when she posted what she does with Harry. Mine was on Semintra which reduced his blood pressure so much his third eyelid was up nearly all the time.