Elderly cat with kidney disease - how can I tempt her to eat?

[Ihaventgottimeforthis]

My girl is 15 and with CKD, but last week or so has really gone off her food.
She's always been fussy, but now I'm struggling to find anything she will eat. I've got a vet appt next week and will ask for prescrip food but need something she will eat as I guess she will reject that.
I need new ideas! She wants food but not what I give her.
Dry food is ignored.
I've tried all sorts of wet food - she will eat some gravy pouches at a push or the little gourmet tins occasionally.
She's now rejecting sardines, tuna, cooked beef, she has cooked chicken now and barely looked at it.
Fish shop fish she'll eat a little.
Dreamies she'll eat a few.
She'll eat those meat treat sticks but are they too rich for CKD?
Suggestions welcome!

Sorry to say this but it sounds like she may be coming to the end. I know how heartbreaking it is xx

Are you able to get Purina k/d there? It’s prescription in US. All three of mine took to it from the start. (But only the one that needed it is picky).

When my cat got to this stage, I'm afraid we had to consider the worst. She'd eaten kidney friendly food under protest for months, but then just stopped eating anything - same list as you if things she'd normally trough, but was ignoring. She then developed a UTI which failed to respond to treatment and unfortunately we realised it was time....

A couple of years ago we had 2 cats that were 16/17 years, reached the end and had to be pts. One of them sounds a lot like yours - he just stopped eating and nothing would tempt him - we tried all sorts e,g. cooked cod, Dreamies and those those tubes (I think that I ended up wearing more than he ate). In the end the vet said that often cats decide themselves that it's time to go and just give up.

The other cat fought to the end - she had an inoperable liver tumour and swelled up like a balloon. She dragged herself to the door daily as she wanted to go out in hergarden and lived on a diet of mostly dreamies and tubes. She had 0.8 litres of fluid drained from her abdomen but in the end it didn't help and the swelling was back a week later and her back legs couldn't support her. On her last day she dragged herself to the door and wanted to go out so dd carried her around the garden so she could sniff all of her places one last time before we went to the vet that evening ....

Encore do a mackeral filet (also tuna) which my old boy seems to like. He will entertain a few biscuits/treats but has really gone off his food.

Until the last week I was feeding him Katkin which is freshly steamed meat but he’s not interested anymore so I’ve cancelled it.

He’s not ill just old and I think it’s part of the ageing in his case.

😢

I think prepare for the worst.

Bless her. If she isn't hungry then she probably is nearing the end of her life.

How about raw options? My cat prefers raw. So cut up very fine raw chicken breast, or prawns. A little bit of minced beef. Doesn't need to be much, just a tasty morsel.

(((HUG)))

I've had two with CKD. It's heart breaking. We tried everything, absolutely everything.

sadly each time we faced the horrible situation of electing to PTS. With my girl I feel dreadful that we probably let it go on too long, my Dad died suddenly and he doted on her & I just couldn't elect to lose her too. It's much more clear in hindsight, but at the time she just seemed to keep rallying in herself and with drinking/eating. I spoilt her rotten, but I just couldn't see it would have been kinder to PTS sooner. I feel very guilty. Very. But I did take her & PTS While in my arms. Shoukd have done it a week sooner.

with my boy we made the decision much sooner & though it broke my heart all over again, I think we did the right thing at the right time.

im so so sorry you're going through this xx

Thank you everyone, I think I know what you all know 😞
She's just eaten that cooked chicken from my hand - no interest in it from her bowl but would eat on my lap. Kind of restricts the options! My dog is raw fed so I keep offering her morsels of his too.
She's happy sitting in the sunshine and wandering around. Another sad thing is she's started weeing around the house and on beds too which she has NEVER done in her whole life, she's been a determined outdoor cat.
I'll talk to the vets next week.
Another factor is we have a fairly busy road out the front of the house. If she is losing her faculties I hate the thought of her getting run over, but she gets very stressed if kept in.
My sweet little cat - I don't want her to end her life in pain & distress, that's how she started her life as a poorly rescue kitten so I will do my best x

I'm afraid it does sound like the end. Boycat had CKD, very quick onset to end, and he went off most food at the end. I spoke to my lovely vet and she agreed that once they get to that stage, just feed them whatever they will eat as special diets won't help any longer. Boycat and I used to sit together on the sofa sharing a pack of cooked beef or chicken for our suppers, while I was relieved to stop feeding the renal food as Girlcat was getting enormous on it!

I once had a cat with kidney disease. The only good news is that it is a ‘good’ and peaceful death. I let her die naturally, and after a week of fading fast lying in the sunshine and 3 days of refusing food, including refusing liquids near the end, she went quietly in her sleep at the end of a beautiful day, which was idyllic compared to the other cat who I had put down (he was heading for a painful disease death) who died angry and scared.

So, if the vet recommends euthanasia, I would say for kidney disease don’t be pushed into it unless it’s what you want. Do some reading on the kidney failure end stage for humans, all the vet advice for cats online is just “pts” but there is more helpful guidance on humans with end stage kidney failure.

I found Karnes’ book The Final Act of Living very helpful. In particular that book explained that if you allow the dying person to refuse food and liquid, they will die peacefully, but if you forcibly rehydrate them with an IV drip they’ll drown as the fluid will eventually fill their lungs. This gave me the confidence to refuse an IV from the same vet who insisted that cats never die peacefully - clearly my vet knows less than she thinks.

That book also mentioned that shortly before death dying people often feel a pressing need to leave. Humans may pack their bag and demand to be let out of the hospice, in my cat’s case she spent 2 days staring at the front door then made a sudden dash out of the house and ran off up the road which was very out of character for her. (She usually just used her catflap to the back garden).

The other thing to be aware of is as she reaches the end stage of kidney failure she may have eyesight problems / go blind, and will probably experience hallucinations so may act oddly. Once she starts refusing food I recommend you confine her to the house unless you’re with her in the garden, as she may not be able to see where the road is.

If she is end stage I wouldn’t bother trying all the kidney diet foods, better she eat what she likes for her final time. But ask the vet how near the end she is before you decide about that.

So:

• ask vet if the special foods will significantly extend her life or if they can no longer help much
• Consider just letting her eat her favourite foods
• confine her to the house if she is refusing food
• when she also begins refusing drink, let her, and know that you probably only have 24-48 hrs left. Make sure though that she knows there is water there as she may not be able to see or smell the water bowl, you may need to put her in a sink/bath and run the tap gently so she feels water against her feet.
• when flies start following her around, she is a few hours from the end.

Whatever you decide, you have done amazingly getting her to this age.

I’m sorry. 💐

Depending on your vet’s assessment of her general condition, if the main issue is poor appetite then there is a med called mirtazapine which is an appetite stimulant. I usually try administering a 2mg tablet (off licence) to see if it gets the cat eating, if it does there is a licensed transdermal gel called Mirataz which is suitable to be used at home - you apply to the skin of the ear.
It’s absolutely inhumane to allow an animal to die of starvation/dehydration/flystrike as suggested above so if you and your vet conclude nothing can be done I hope you’ll do the kind thing and let her go peacefully.

In contrast, Boycat was PTS and had a very peaceful end. The last few days he seemed to know something wasn't quite right, and was constantly asking for cuddles and reassurance, He was also drinking a massive amount for a cat, over a litre a day, and he had lost loads of weight.

He was much calmer than usual going in his carrier, and though a cat who normally let nobody but me near him he welcomed strokes from the vet and nurse. He was calm and relaxed at the vets, and when they injected him he just went to sleep peacefully with me stroking him.

I had booked him in around 10 days before, as the weight loss was noticeable almost day to day towards the end. His fur had started to look sort of spiky and not as sleek and the day before I took him I saw dandruff type flakes which he's never had before, though he was still as soft and silky as always.

His confusion knowing something was wrong but not understanding what, plus showing signs like senility (wandering about, yowling for no apparent reason then calming when I called out to him, looking at favorite toys only sort of half recognising them), told me he wasn't really happy especially as he was a cat with very little brain and we think he had been slightly brain damaged when he was a feral kitten so was very easily confused.

I know I did the right thing having him PTS, as he would very soon have become miserable. Better a week too soon than a day too late.

My old boy had this and he would eat tuna if I gave him the spring water with it that came in the tin. I know you’re not meant to give them too much protein but by that stage I decided occasional enjoyment ruled over that.

He had special Royal Canin food which didn’t look particularly appetising, but he was more likely to eat it if I warmed it up a bit in the microwave.

Just remembered I also used to give him cartons of cat milk and he would lap that up very happily, so I knew he was getting some nutrients. He also had a water fountain - spoiled boy!

He started having fits in the end. You will know when it’s time 😔

Thank you everyone this is honestly so helpful to read your stories too and recognise many of the symptoms. All of your posts have helped and many like @Eann have walked this path many times.
She is behaving oddly in the last few days - lost all aversion to our dog & has become very 'brave' venturing into his part of the house, for 4 years it's been set up so their paths rarely cross.
I'm so glad the weather is sunny & warm so I get to see her happy & sunbathing.
Cat milk is a great idea, will grab some tomorrow.

She is a year older than my first child 🙁

Better a month too early than a day to late.

Unfortunately cats go downhill very quickly if they don't eat. It wasn't pleasant for ours and I didn't get to say goodbye as DH took to the vet expecting her to go on a drip whilst we carried on syringe feeding her but he deteriorated so badly whilst there we did the right thing for her her symptoms were stroke like but apparently that happens when they don't get enough food.

I am horrified by some of the stories on here about some animals. I won't go into specifics ! My older cat last year was like this and I knew it was her time. I had also had previous experience with kidney failure and I knew looking back I let it go on for too long. I didn't want her to get to the stage of peeing in her bed etc and she was very distressed with dementia. The kindest thing you can do for your pet is to see them looked after properly.

Mine didn't have kidney failure and has a decent chance of recovery and a few more months to years left but refusing to eat was the short term issue that causes the death.

As for mirtazapine - it turns them into an eating machine and masks the real situation.

I am so sorry, it’s always so hard and painful to lose a furry companion. 💐

We lost one of ours due to RF last week, she wouldn’t eat her dinner that Friday and was acting off, went to vet Saturday, kidney numbers were not great but also not dire and she was well hydrated so took her home after she received an anti nausea shot, b12 shot, and a tube of mirataz. She still wouldn’t eat and I started syringe feeding by evening and hoping for the best.

She perked up a bit Monday, but still wouldn’t eat. Then worse Tuesday. Went back to the vet and her kidney values had doubled and she was dehydrated, so left her there over night for fluids. Come Wednesday morning she was no better and we went in to have her pts. Absolutely gutted, she was only between 8 - 10 (rescue, so no definite age).

Never, ever, ever would I ever let any pet of mine get to the stage where they have "Flies following them around". That is horrendous.

Giving an animal a peaceful and timely death is one of the greatest gifts a pet owner can give them. It can also be one of the hardest decisions, but I absolutely agree that better too early than two.

Gee whiz I missed that bit 😬

My cat is 17 and refuses all diet specific foods and medication. She has kidney disease and hyperthyroidism. She's been in palliative care for over a year.

I agreed with the vet keeping her weight up is the most important thing. I'm feeding her Fancy Feast dry food, Life tuna and shrimps wet food along with some Whiskas tuna sachets. She's still enjoying life, though sleeping more and being very vocal at night, but that's normal with her health issues.

Well I was up at 2am hand feeding her leftover roast lamb! She is very vocal at night, how does no one else in my house wake up...
So after her roast dinner, she drank from my sink for about ten minutes, had a massive wee and emptied the litter tray over the floor, then had an extremely noisy play session with a bit of paper. She's not played like that for years, I love to see it but it's bitter sweet.