Stage 2 kidney disease help

[Judystilldreamsofhorses]

We’ve had my MiL’s cat living with us since July while she renovates a new property she will move into. I noticed straight away that he seemed to wee an awful lot (rarely used a tray at MiL’s as he had 24/7 outside access) and he is also frequently sick. Long story short, he ended up at the out of hours vet the other week and was diagnosed with stage 2 kidney disease, and in an acute flare up - hence bringing him in.

He’s actually been fine since the vet, but we are struggling to get him to eat renal food. He happily eats the dry renal food (Hills, and looks identical to the Hills food he’s always had). His usual wet food is Blink. We got a “selection box” of renal food to try him with, so have been giving him some alongside his regular wet food. It just gets chucked. Not sure what to do for the best, does anyone have any ideas?

Cat is 10, generally pretty greedy, and it’s a struggle to keep him away from our cat’s food. Our boy is a grazer, MiL’s cat tends to eat everything in one go (except the renal food!) They are fed in separate rooms. I’ve looked at chip feeders but they are so £ given that he’s not going to be with us long term - MiL hopes to be in her new home before Christmas.

Thanks for reading if you did, any advice appreciated. Tax attached.

Honestly @Judystilldreamsofhorses try not to get ahead of the illness.Things like subcutaneous fluids are much much further down the line and may never be needed. I know what you mean about trying to get the wet food right, as we went through the same process but honestly a fed cat is best.
The binder and / or Porus One will help things but I don't think even they are essential at what is essentially a very early stage (as far as I remember, Stage 2 is the first stage at which CKD can even be detected.) Senior foods are also an option as they are lower phosphate, even if not as low as the renal foods, but Elton found them even more disgusting than the renal wet food.
One final thought is that nausea, which is very common in CKD cats, may also be causing him to reject the renal wet food. The vet can help with anti nausea tablets and injections which may help him in trying something new.
One final thought - there was a lady I used to follow who described CKD as a series of rooms and cats can hang around in a particular room for a long time - sometimes even putting a paw over the threshold to the next room but essentially staying stable. I found that image really comforting so maybe you will too!

This is all so sensible and helpful, thank you @Puppylucky 🤍.

I think I’ve been really “triggered” (as the TikTok girlies say) and kind of catapulted back to when S was diagnosed with lymphoma, and there was really nothing that could be done for her beyond chemo to buy a little more time. If there had been a concrete solution to the problem, something that could have “saved her”, I’d have crawled over hot coals to find it. I’m both finding it hard not to do that here, while simultaneously feeling slightly frustrated that the cat’s actual owner isn’t! I know I just need to do my best, and also remember that he will not be living with us for very much longer and I can pass the responsibility over to MiL soon.

(as balance, I gave them some catnip tonight - Saturday night is party night round here - and both cats have been absolutely mad since. There’s definitely life in the old black-dog yet!)

Ah that's completely understandable! Illness in a beloved cat is very stressful and dealing with it again must be bringing all sorts of feelings back up. Glad the catnip party went well!