Kidney failure 😔 a few questions/struggles

[ItsAVomOne]

My cat has just been diagnosed with early stage kidney failure. He's 14/15 and has been steadily losing weight over the last few months. I noticed around a month ago he seemed really thirsty, and blood tests at the vets confirmed kidney failure.

I gather I need to change his food to renal food (ordered) and basically keep an eye on him. Up to now he's been eating and drinking fine, but the last few days I haven't needed to top his food bowl up. He's really fussy with food so I'm worried he won't eat it the new stuff. What about treats?

He's also weeing a lot, and this is where I'm struggling. He has a tray (took some chopping and changing of trays/litter etc to get one he liked) but he's so hit and miss with using it. My carpet in that corner is pretty grim- I can't seem to get it clean/dry before he goes on it again! Am I missing any tricks? It's generally just wee but I have a sensitive nose and I work right next to it..

How long might we have? The vet wanted to do bloods again next week to see if the diet is helping but I can't even pick the food up til Thursday, then I need to swap it over, so I'll leave it a bit longer. But the vets eagerness to retest made me wonder if it's generally a quick decline?

Thanks for reading. I've probably missed loads out, can't think straight!

That's good (I think) that his drinking and weeing is more under control. I feel for you about the wet food smell - I try not to keep it sitting out for long. My cats get half an hour to eat something and then the bowl is removed and emptied. It means you are basically feeding them small portions more regularly but it reduces the smell and cats are natural grazers anyway.

That’s good you’ve got the litter tray thing sorted. Apparently if they’re not using their trays it’s a sign of not feeling ok. Not 100% how accurate that this?

My old girl lived to a good old age on the renal cat food. It absolutely stank and she loved it - especially the fish one in gravy 🤢 didn’t smell as bad as the beef one so I’m glad she preferred that.

She was on the food for about 5 years and it was only in the her last couple of weeks when she really slowed down and was unwell. She just started sleeping more and looked ‘old’.

Before then she was still trying to jump on us from the top of doors, having the zoomies and chasing her tail on a daily basis.

She had a very good innings and just kept going despite dodgy kidneys, a heart murmur and a distinct lack of brain cells. I miss her more than anything.

Hi everyone, thanks again for your advice and experiences. We've had a couple of steady weeks and he seemed to take to the new food well, gained a tiny bit of weight and was happy. The last couple of days I realised I hadn't topped up his dry food and he wasn't asking for the wet as often 😓 back down a couple of hundred grams in weight.

Back to very loose stools this morning and it was much darker than usual.. hoping no one is eating their brunch! Not black but a dark brown when it's usually more of a tan colour, I'm not sure what this means. Definitely got the hang of the litter tray though thank god.

Not really sure why I'm posting, just feeling gutted he seems to be taking a turn for the worse and unsure what to do/try next.

Oh bless him. Poor boy. How is he in himself?
I would try some poached fish and see if that helps at all? The vets recommended scrambled egg but my cat wouldn’t eat that when I tried it.

I would definitely give the vets a ring and see what they suggest. It might be that the medication isn’t quite right for him yet. It’s such a worry when they’re not ok.

Hydracare (basically pureed liver and water) has kept my Lola going for years and it's less disgusting than some of the kidney foods. She was diagnosed with kidney disease over 4 years ago and is now 21.5 years old - we thought we were about to lose her just before Xmas but it was a UTI and the vet reckons her quality of life is still good enough. Hydracare has been completely amazing for her, so I'd suggest trying it. Good luck with your boy!

Hello! I'm not a stools expert (thank god!) but loose stools aren't in my experience a sign of ckd worsening. Elton's stools got very dry and small ( dehydration) which was a blessing from my pov but obviously not great. Also recommend Hydracare as another way of getting fluids in alongside the Smilla cat drink that is kept Elty going for his last year.

Thank you all for taking the time ❤️

@ILoveNigelTufnel he's okish I think- he's basically been asleep for 80% of the day but doesn't seem to be hunched over so i don't think he's in pain. I've never been able to tempt him with fresh meat or fish, cooked or raw, but he's surprised me with the wet food so I'll definitely give it a go.

Thank you @VeryQuaintIrene I hadn't come across hydracare but it sounds like exactly what I'm looking for- basically the gravy from a wet food pouch? Hope your Lola is feeling better from the UTI.

I wondered about Smilla @Puppylucky but does it have lumps in it? He seems to be struggling with anything lumpy basically. I need to try him again on the pate. I know he has a bad back tooth but the vet wanted to get everything else under control before looking at tackling that.. excellent point that loose stools don't indicate he's dehydrated though, hadn't looked at it that way. He's still drinking like a fish, but only managed the gravy from a third of a pouch today and a couple of biscuits.

My furry little soulmate Suki had kidney disease.
She was diagnosed with early stage kidney disease when she was 16 and having bloods done for a dental.
I let her eat what she fancied really, and she was stable for around three years.
She was very partial to cream and a soft boiled egg yolk.
But then she went rapidly downhill.
I think when it progresses to stage 3 the decline can be quite rapid, and quality of life becomes severely affected.
For Suki, it was persistent nausea, and I had to made the heartbreaking decision to let her go.
Every cat is different, but you will know when the time has come.

@ItsAVomOne no the Smilla cat drink is basically a clear broth - you could probably make it yourself if you were inclined. There are flakes of tuna or chicken depending on the flavour but they are easy to sieve out which I did as Elton didn't like the flakes either. Honestly they were a godsend as they gave him some nutrition and fluids at the same time.

Thank you for sharing @Hibernatingsloth and so sorry to hear about Suki 😓 I'd happily give him anything he fancies, he just doesn't have any interest in anything! Maybe once a day he'll miaw for a pouch but he's only interested in the gravy. It's hard to say when the right time is isn't it.. he seems generally ok, will sometimes come and sit on my lap and purr but generally prefers to sleep on his own. He used to be off on little adventures all day, sometimes a few days at a time, but isn't venturing much further than the garden anymore, but he is knocking on a bit now? It's hard.

That's really good to know @Puppylucky as it seemed ideal minus the chunks- I'll get some of each for him to try. Nutrition and fluids sounds good, I darent even weigh him again after he'd lost so much. He's booked in at the groomers in the new year but I'm a bit torn- he really needs his knots shaving out and I can't do it but I'm worried it'll stress him out. Agh.

Just a quick update that the soups are going down quite well, and the pate when I mush it up with warm water to make it runny. He's still not asking for it often but laps it up when he does.

Still not entirely sure what to do about the groomer, leaning towards taking him- there must be some discomfort from the knots and he's in so much I don't hink he'll get cold. Will just have to cope with an hour of stress! Unless there's anything I haven't thought of 🤔

Me again..
New development is that he's eating his (clean) litter 😳 I gather pica is sometimes seen with cats with ckd- anyone got any experience of this? Not sure if it means he's getting worse. I need to change it out for a non clumping variety I think, hoping not to go back to the weeing everywhere because he doesn't like it but a blockage sounds awful.

Hiya @ItsAVomOne me again too! I feel awful saying this and it may not be the case with your boy, but Elton started eating his litter / gravel when he got sicker. It might be worth a trip to the vet. Fingers crossed for you.

Really appreciate you replying and helping me through this @Puppylucky just sorry you had such a sad experience with Elton 😓 I feared it might mean he was getting worse. I'm a bit concerned that I haven't cleared a poo out of the litter tray last night/today but he has been going out quite a bit despite the bad weather here.

I'll see how he goes overnight and reassess in the morning. I gather it's vitamin/iron deficiency that causes it- both would make sense as he's barely eating and the only thing I can seem to tempt him with is fill the finely shredded chicken soup type sachets.

I also noticed today that when he peed it was kinda frothy 👀 which I gather is excess protein in the urine, kidneys not retaining it like they should. My poor boy ❤️

I'm so sorry @ItsAVomOne - I know how awful it is and how helpless it feels. He won't be eating any litter near a poo so please don't worry. Elton only ever did it after a litter change. The soup sachets are giving him some nutrition but I really would reassess in the morning . Sending your boy much love.

Thinking of you @ItsAVomOne . Hope things are better today.

Thank you for checking in @Puppylucky I'm still not really sure what to do, he's acting a bit weirdly- sleeping in strange places and disappearing outside for a couple of hours at a time. He stayed out last night despite it being freezing, I couldn't get him back in. This also means that I have no idea if he is pooing or not- something that I am a bit concerned about after the litter eating. He hasn't eaten anything today- food or otherwise!- to my knowledge.

Thinking ahead a little but not sure if it's worth repeating bloods to see if/how much worse it's got? He doesn't seem to be in pain, still sitting with me occasionally and purring. But definitely acting strangely. Also wondering if and when and how I should start preparing DC (8) for the end, and how to handle all that. Urgh. Thanks for thinking of us ❤️

If I were you @ItsAVomOne I think I would get another blood test, just so you know how things are. It can also help identify things like anaemia (which is actually what caused the Pica with Elton) which may need to be looked at. The weird behaviour sounds familiar as well - Elton started hiding and became obsessed with trying to go outside ( he was an indoor cat so that was quite stressful). He also started peeing in strange places. He did though remain affectionate and cuddly almost till the end.
I am so sorry as I feel I am just spouting doom and gloom at you, but I was totally blindsided by Elton's decline and I wouldn't wish that on anyone. Wishing you all the best.

I've only just found your thread and honestly I know nothing about ckd, however I do remember the difficulty and heartbreak around the question of knowing when is it time.

he's acting a bit weirdly- sleeping in strange places and disappearing outside for a couple of hours at a time. He stayed out last night despite it being freezing.

He's telling you it's time. I'm so sorry

I hear you @Puppylucky I wondered about anaemia too when the pica started- he seems to have decided that litter isn't that tasty after all (or he's eating it in secret!) as I haven't noticed him doing it the last 24hrs or so. I'm also a tiny bit reluctant to put him through more tests/medication at this stage? His flea treatment is due and I was even worried about that but it seems like spot-ons are ok for CKD.

I'm going to see if I can have a chat with the vet and see if they think it's worth running some more bloods to see how the disease is progressing. He hates the car and it's 40mins journey, he had to go to the groomer yesterday so I'm trying to let him recover from that first. He did enjoy thale actual groom though 😊

It's actually really helpful to know what I'm coming up against- I'm so sorry if it's bringing back awful memories about Elton though 😓 he did pee in the bathroom this morning, I can cope with that as it's easy to clean up but I hope it doesn't progress to going all over the house again. Can I ask, was that kind of thing "close to the end"? I have no idea what kind of timeline I'm working to here. I know it will vary but just an idea would be helpful.

Thanks @Pixiedust1234 I appreciate you taking the time out. It's such a difficult thing, to call time and do right by him. My gut is telling me he's comfortable for now, still coming up for a cuddle and eating/toileting, doesn't seem to be in pain. But I don't think the end is too far away sadly ❤️

I'm sorry to hear about your poor lad. I can sympathise with the wee smell! This stuff is magic for getting rid of it though. https://www.amazon.co.uk/Simple-Solution-Technology-Destroyer-Pro-bacteria/dp/B0B94NG9B9?source=ps-sl-shoppingads-lpcontext&ref_=fplfs&psc=1&smid=A3P5ROKL5A1OLE

Hi @ItsAVomOne - don't worry about me, I actually find it helpful to try and support someone else through this if you don't mind me butting in all the time. Unfortunately the random peeing started about 6 weeks before Elton finally deteriorated, along with the other weird behaviours. Cats are amazing though and apart from the odd behaviours, he acted completely normally. We harness trained him and he had his last walk the day before he died. The final crash happened overnight and was unmistakable in terms of how ill he was. In terms of blood tests, if it's going to be stressful for him then I totally agree you shouldn't put him through it - the tests were always for me rather than Elty as there was never anything new the vets really could do / say to help.

Definitely don't mind @Puppylucky you're helping me no end! Weeks rather than months is what I was expecting 😔 it seems to be a real rollercoaster- one day I think the end is really close and start thinking about calling the vets, then he seems to rally and be ok-ish and acting relatively normal again. I suppose they are good at masking aren't they.

Yeah you've summed it up perfectly that the tests would be for me- I don't think there's any advice that I haven't already been given and I don't want to put him through more tests or treatment.

I'm definitely at the stage we talked about up thread in terms of food- I noticed he wasn't eating the renal any more so I put his old favourite biscuits out and he's tucking in to them happily with the odd side of cat soup 😊 it's nice to see him eating even though I know it's probably not doing him any good.

Ah thank you for reminding me of that stuff @moggerhanger! I went through bottles of it during cleanup from a sick bug (where my username originally came from 😅) but had forgotten about it! It was really good for odour which is what I need!

It is indeed a rollercoaster! If it's any comfort I don't think he will be feeling any great discomfort at the moment - especially if he is still eating. What was most noticeable about Elton was how tired he was - he spent a lot of time sleeping on the spare bed. The only other real symptom was refusing food and vomiting - he would throw up clear frothy liquid due to nausea. If your boy does start to feel nauseous then the vet can provide a drug to help reduce it. Liquivite cat food is also brilliant for encouraging sicky cats to eat again, but it sounds like your boy is doing ok at the moment on that front - long may it last!

I haven't read the full thread so apologies if this has already been mentioned you can get a binder that you sprinkle on normal cat food that makes it better for CKD cats. It's phosphorus mainly that you need to be lowered, renal cat food has this reduced already but normal cat food can be fairly high in it but the binder can fix that. You can also get foods that are much higher in calories/100g.

If you want more specific food advice have a look on felinediabetes forum. There's a wealth of knowledge on there about CKD (sadly diabetes often leads to kidney damage)