Hyperthyroidism now kidney disease 😢

[purpleme12]

My cat has been diagnosed with hyperthyroidism for about 2 years and a half. We've been pootling along with this.

But now I've been told he's got the beginning of kidney disease 😢

I wasn't expecting this 😢

Latest blood test shows we need to actually reduce the thyronorm (which I also wasn't expecting) and he's got the start of kidney disease.

The food I feed him is urinary food so already low protein although kidney food has even less protein.
But it's a bit worrying that he's already on lower protein food and his kidneys are starting to go downhill isn't it 😢

How old is your cat?

Kidney disease is extremely common in cats. I don't know how much the thyroid issues changes this, but there are also lots of interventions you can do to help prevent the progression of the disease. Has your vet given any advice on this?

15

Kidney food. And some food supplement/drop things if I wanted to do that

Practically every older cat gets kidney disease, it's so common.

My cat made it clear she would choose death by starvation rather than eat the renal food (and yes I bought everything on the market).

So we let her enjoy her life living on Sheba cat soup.

Oh thank you for replying

I didn't know it was that common. Kind of makes me feel better.

Sheba cat soup sounds good 😊

Sheba cat soup I suspect is not good at all. However the cat would eat it even when she had basically lost all appetite. And I took the view that fed was better than not fed.

Yes, ideally she would have eaten a low protein food but she would be even sicker from not eating at all.

Yes definitely

I will just buy a bit of the kidney food to make sure he'll eat it then

Did he have further blood tests after the kidney disease was discovered? To see if there were any other ill effects?

@purpleme12 , this is a very comprehensive website that everyone recommends:

https://www.felinecrf.org/

My cat is also on a renal diet. Be warned - kidney cats become VERY picky, and as @AnnaMagnani said, may prefer to starve than to eat the food you offer. Variety can help, as the food you give at one meal may be rejected at the next. If your cat simply will not eat a renal diet, you may need to offer non-renal food. If you can find food with a low phosphorus content that will help (as this is a big issue for kidney cats).

In turns of medicines - my one is on (amongst other things) phosphorus binder, anti-nausea and anti-acid. Phosphorus build up is particularly problematic for kidney cats – the renal diet is low in phosphorus, and binders can also help (and are essential if you need to feed your cat regular food). I use a brand called Pronefra, which you can get on Amazon - but speak to your vet first!

Because toxins build up in the body (as the kidneys do not work well), cats can feel a bit seedy - hence the anti-acid and anti-nausea drugs.

Plenty of fluids is also important. These can be administered sub-cutaneously, but I doubt you're at that stage yet.

Your vet will be able to advise on what is required and when. Almost all 15 year old cats will have kidney deterioration. You will not see this in their kidney scores until they've lost a fair bit of function. Even then, with a change in diet and other supports, they can still live for years.

I hope all this helps !

Oh wow that's a lot of medicine your cat's on
My vet hasn't said about any other medicine but perhaps that's cos it's only just started

Hope I don't need more medicine ☹️

I'm already feeding urinary food which is apparently already low in protein. Is urinary food low phosphorus too?

Interesting about them being picky. Will have to bear this in mind

My cat is acute-on-chronic (ie, she had an acute kidney injury on top of chronic problems) and is on a lot of medicine and support. But she is happy and still hanging in there. We take each day as it comes.

I do not know about the phosphorus levels of urinary food. If your cat is eating that, you could always add the phosphorus binder. Did the blood test to diagnose the kidney issues include phosphorus levels? That will help you decide what is required. I imagine the vet would have measured creatinine.

Balanchine is looking so startled in the attached picture because, having had “early kidney disease” for almost 7 years (diagnosed at 5y7m, now 12y5m) we’d just been told his latest bloods showed improvement.

He’s still managed just by diet (Smilla veterinary renal dry food from ZooPlus; then a range of high-quality grain-free senior wet foods + ProNefra) & is otherwise on excellent form. Hopefully your feline friend will find the same.

❤️❤️ he's so cute!

I’m a bit biased but yes, yes he is 😻