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3 year old Siamese in stage 3 kidney failure

5 replies

penguingorl · 05/05/2020 16:19

Hi fellow cat lovers. I'm not really sure why I'm posting but I think I need a hand hold and possibly some advice. We got our beautiful 3 year old Siamese brothers from a rescue 2 years ago. About a month later I had the last in a series of miscarriages and they were what got me through as they were just so loving. They are the best cats I've ever known, so funny and sweet and they have become like little child substitutes. Which I always knew wasn't healthy but you can't help how you feel and they really are my babies. From meeting them at the shelter, these shy but healthy cats, to getting them home took nearly 2 months. It took forever for them to do our homecheck and get them neutered (previous family had them as indoor only and didn't get them done) During this time they both got cat flu and we're getting more and more stressed. They lost a lot of weight and there was talk of them not surviving! I basically had to beg to get them to let me take them home, which they finally did. And they flourished! Put on weight, loved playing games and cuddling me and my dp. They've both had issues with their tummies on and off so we give them special food and make sure they aren't stressed, and basically treat them like royalty, which they fully deserve! They love each other and their humans more than anything. Eek, sorry, this getting really long. Anyway, about a month ago Loki went lethargic and lost some weight, so I changed him from dry only to additional wet food which made all the difference and he really perked up and started putting weight on. Then they had their yearly vaccinations and health check a couple of weeks ago and the vet felt a small lump in Loki's stomach, he thought it was a reactive gland. I was advised to keep an eye on him and make an appointment for a scan in a couple of months. (Vet only dealing mostly with emergencies atm due to covid, we were lucky to get the health check appt.) Then about a week later my other half felt the lump and said it was like a walnut, so I rang vet and he said to bring him in. He agreed it was bigger and said he would scan him and possibly do a needle biopsy. Which happened yesterday. The scan showed the lump is actually one of Loki's kidneys which has become small and mishapen. The other kidney is also small. He also did some other tests and full bloods, and is as certain as he can be that it's amyloidosis and that Loki is in stage 3 kidney failure. Another couple of results due on Monday then we will be prescribed some meds. We've already started changing his food from sensitive to renal and he's lapping it up. So other than the weight loss he was showing none of the other symptoms and I can't believe such a happy, seemingly well cat could be so ill. He does parkour around the living room every day for goodness sake! Anyway, I'm so sorry this is so long but I'm truly devastated and don't know how to process this news. I also have another dilemma, I'm going to have to get Otto tested too as it's familial in Siamese but I don't know how on earth I will cope if they've both potentially only got months to live?!

OP posts:
Hamsterian · 05/05/2020 18:05

You must be devastated, what shocking news for such a young and healthy looking cat. It’s great that he is happy to eat his renal food, lots of cats don’t like it.
Wait for the outcome of the tests and see how he gets on with the medication.

penguingorl · 05/05/2020 22:32

Thanks so much for your response! I've just reread my op and just wanted to clarify a lot of the waffle wasn't meant to make the rescue look bad or anything ( they obv have limited staff and resources) it was just to give the back story that he's already had so many hurdles in life and it breaks my heart that such a lovely cat has had to go through so much. That's brilliant about the food, I'm so pleased that Loki is unusual in that respect! I remember making a thread on here after we got them about my funny little aliencatdogs, and so many people posted about their own cats and their funny quirks 💓

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spongedog · 05/05/2020 22:56

I have been a Siamese cat slave all my life but only came across the Oriental/Siamese Amyloidosis issue a couple of years ago. There was a fundraiser on one of the UK Siamese cat rescue sites. At that time I had a beautiful Siamese boy who was 8 but I vowed that when he got to 10 I would have the sample done and sent off. (They are doing research in the US and the UK using blood from healthy 10 year old+ siamese cats). My beautiful cat became poorly just before his 10th birthday and I very sadly had to have him put to sleep just before Christmas. We were devastated. So we couldnt help in that way. But we will help in others. I was then offered a beautiful young Siamese rescue just weeks later. He's a sweetie - we are still getting used to him (and missing our old boy). To absolutely finish 2019 I lost my aunt also to Amyloidosis - very poor prognosis in humans as well.

I am so sorry for you because it does seem to affect Siamese at a relative very young age. It does seem to be familial but they dont know yet why the Siamese/Orientals are prone.

I hope Otto's tests come back positively. Do please keep us up to date.

Sending Flowers & Gin

penguingorl · 05/05/2020 23:36

Thanks so much spongedog, that's so kind, I'm so sorry to hear about your boy and your aunt Flowers My partner is a doctor so he knows all about the human version. Unfortunately as these are our first Siamese neither of us knew about it in cats. I did sooo much reading when we first got them, but it somehow never came up. I wonder if there's anything that we can do to help with the research if Otto's tests come back negative. It may be a small comfort further down the line if we're able to help in some way.
One of the difficulties is that we had to have the discussion with the vet in the car park next to a noisy road, so it was difficult to hear everything. Luckily we're having a phone consultation re meds next week, just waiting for some further test results. When I asked about prognosis he said that the last Siamese that he diagnosed with this lived for 3 more years, which is amazing. I have this awful feeling that my dainty little boy has months rather than years though.

OP posts:
penguingorl · 05/05/2020 23:40

I'm so worried for Otto, he and Loki are practically joined at the hip, I'm sitting in bed in the dark and they're curled up next to me, I don't know where one ends and other begins in this beautiful cloud of cat 💖

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