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Cat with failing kidneys

Zac495

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My sweet, 14 year old, ragdoll Athena was diagnosed with kidney failure. Her creatine numbers are very high. (That's as much doctor talk as I understand). The vet wanted to hospitalize her for 3 days to give her fluids. We spoke to another vet (2nd opinion - and the other vet is actually our dog's vet - we only found the other vet after we adopted Athena). Anyway, the other vet said that we might be able to extend her existence for awhile, but an old cat in a steel cage for 3 days will be very unhappy and it's not a cure.

Were it a cure - or even something that would extend her life (not just her existence - but her happiness) - there would be no question here. There's also the option of giving her fluids from an IV bag at home - injecting her daily.

Neither vet could say that either treatment would extend her life (or even her existence) by any number of months (no one seems to be thinking years).

She only likes to eat Fancy Feast and only licks the gravy - she leaves the chunks (that the dog will gobble down if we're not watching).

Has anyone experienced kidney failure with a kitty? Did you do any extreme or between measures? Any insight would be appreciated. I'm so torn as to what to do.

Cheers,
EllenAthena.jpg
 

Tia

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We had a dog who the vet said kidney failure, we started using a special dry dog food they sold that was suppose to be easier on kidneys.
 

CalGalTraveler

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So sorry to hear this Ellen. We just went through this last month with one of our cats that my daughter rescued at college. What we thought was a 7 YO kitty was actually 10 - 12 years old!

Our daughter was devastated because this cat got her through some rough Covid times while at school. So we paid the money (several thousand) and gave her the treatment for about 3 days. They said it is not worth doing the IV bag at home unless you do the treatment first at the vet hospital.

Her creatine was off the charts. Started at 5 went to 10.5 next day after treatment, then 11 next day. At that point the vet was ready to send her home and let her die or put her down because he had never seen a cat recover from this before. But after discussion (she was still eating and not vomiting) we decided to give her one more day of treatment. So glad we did! Her numbers came down dramatically the next day.

At home we had to give her an injection of 60 cc of fluid in her neck fold daily plus constant wet food to gain weight. I was daunted by this at first but it is only 5 min and now not too bad if you have someone to hold the cat.

After a week her creatine was down to 3.3 and she had gained a .6 pounds! This rescue truly has 9 lives! The vet was amazed and said although the level is higher than normal he has seen cats live a very long time at this level. We now only do the IV 3x per week and the cat is doing great!

Every cat is different. I wanted to share our success story. Good luck with your difficult decision.
 

Rolltydr

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We went through this in December with our 17 year old. It was right after we moved to Florida but we had found a vet that we trusted.
Our cat had been getting injections regularly at our old vet but she was terrified every time we took her and we had backed off to monthly and finally stopped altogether just a few months before we moved. It just wasn’t making enough of a difference to put her through the trauma. I think the long distance move took a lot out of her and she never really got over it. We actually started giving her the daily injections at home for a few days but she just became extremely lethargic and stopped eating. The vet said we could try putting her in the emergency hospital for a few days but it probably wouldn’t make much difference. We just couldn’t put her through that trauma again so we had her euthanized. It was very difficult to let her go but she had a good life and enriched ours so much. I know we made the right decision.
 

DrQ

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We had a kitty that had kidney failure. It was not a fast process. The kidneys failed to retain nutrients, so he effectively slowly starved to death. He did not really suffer until the end when he got weak. We kept asking the vet if he was suffering and she said no. We tried a fluid infusion which helped for about a week, so we finally had to put him to sleep. He was 6 years old, it was about 18 months from diagnosis.
 

Zac495

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We went through this in December with our 17 year old. It was right after we moved to Florida but we had found a vet that we trusted.
Our cat had been getting injections regularly at our old vet but she was terrified every time we took her and we had backed off to monthly and finally stopped altogether just a few months before we moved. It just wasn’t making enough of a difference to put her through the trauma. I think the long distance move took a lot out of her and she never really got over it. We actually started giving her the daily injections at home for a few days but she just became extremely lethargic and stopped eating. The vet said we could try putting her in the emergency hospital for a few days but it probably wouldn’t make much difference. We just couldn’t put her through that trauma again so we had her euthanized. It was very difficult to let her go but she had a good life and enriched ours so much. I know we made the right decision.
I'm so sorry. How did you know it was time? Right now, she still seems happy. She cries for food all of the time, but loves to sit with us and be petted. She seems happy enough (she always cried for food and has always loved being petted and pampered). so the difference I see is A: Skinny B: She licks the gravy rather than eating all of the food (probably why she's skinny).

I agree about the at-home injections, but I also feel........ what if it could help....... AK it's really hard. THANKS for your response.
So sorry to hear this Ellen. We just went through this last month with one of our cats that my daughter rescued at college. What we thought was a 7 YO kitty was actually 10 - 12 years old!

Our daughter was devastated because this cat got her through some rough Covid times while at school. So we paid the money (several thousand) and gave her the treatment for about 3 days. They said it is not worth doing the IV bag at home unless you do the treatment first at the vet hospital.

Her creatine was off the charts. Started at 5 went to 10.5 next day after treatment, then 11 next day. At that point the vet was ready to send her home and let her die or put her down because he had never seen a cat recover from this before. But after discussion (she was still eating and not vomiting) we decided to give her one more day of treatment. So glad we did! Her numbers came down dramatically the next day.

At home we had to give her an injection of 60 cc of fluid in her neck fold daily plus constant wet food to gain weight. I was daunted by this at first but it is only 5 min and now not too bad if you have someone to hold the cat.

After a week her creatine was down to 3.3 and she had gained a .6 pounds! This rescue truly has 9 lives! The vet was amazed and said although the level is higher than normal he has seen cats live a very long time at this level. We now only do the IV 3x per week and the cat is doing great!

Every cat is different. I wanted to share our success story. Good luck with your difficult decision.
This is exactly what I worry about. WHAT IF???????? But I'm pretty confident I don't want to leave her at the hospital. Your kitty is still younger than mine. She is still eating and not vomiting - I can't put her down right now. Oh my goodness this sucks. Thanks for sharing your success story. Glad your kitty is doing well!

Ellen
 

Zac495

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We had a kitty that had kidney failure. It was not a fast process. The kidneys failed to retain nutrients, so he effectively slowly starved to death. He did not really suffer until the end when he got weak. We kept asking the vet if he was suffering and she said no. We tried a fluid infusion which helped for about a week, so we finally had to put him to sleep. He was 6 years old, it was about 18 months from diagnosis.
That's a good question for the vet tomorrow! Is she suffering? I'm sorry about your kitty - so young!
 

elaine

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DH is a vet. His rule of thumb (absent obvious pain) is when they don't seem to care anymore. For ex, when our dog in congestive heart failure looked away from a steak--that was time.
DH said hospitalized with IV is best. But subcutaneous fluids given home is a reasonable alternative. You can be taught to do this. He said it depends on the creatine level as to whether that will make much of a difference. You can also bring cat to animal hospital for them to do it. It's about 5-10 minutes. Our cat didn't like it, but was fine with me holding him in a towel while DH did in in the scruff (back of neck).
 
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Rolltydr

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I'm so sorry. How did you know it was time? Right now, she still seems happy. She cries for food all of the time, but loves to sit with us and be petted. She seems happy enough (she always cried for food and has always loved being petted and pampered). so the difference I see is A: Skinny B: She licks the gravy rather than eating all of the food (probably why she's skinny).

I agree about the at-home injections, but I also feel........ what if it could help....... AK it's really hard. THANKS for your response.

This is exactly what I worry about. WHAT IF???????? But I'm pretty confident I don't want to leave her at the hospital. Your kitty is still younger than mine. She is still eating and not vomiting - I can't put her down right now. Oh my goodness this sucks. Thanks for sharing your success story. Glad your kitty is doing well!

Ellen
She stopped eating, got extremely weak and was getting worse by the day. She was always a very loving cat that preferred to lay on someone’s shoulder to being anywhere else. She would lay on you for hours. She completely stopped and seemed that she couldn’t get comfortable anywhere. She was not herself and was getting worse every day. When the vet told us she probably wouldn’t get any better, we knew we didn’t want her to suffer any longer.
 

DrQ

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I'm so sorry. How did you know it was time? Right now, she still seems happy. She cries for food all of the time, but loves to sit with us and be petted. She seems happy enough (she always cried for food and has always loved being petted and pampered). so the difference I see is A: Skinny B: She licks the gravy rather than eating all of the food (probably why she's skinny).

I agree about the at-home injections, but I also feel........ what if it could help....... AK it's really hard. THANKS for your response.

This is exactly what I worry about. WHAT IF???????? But I'm pretty confident I don't want to leave her at the hospital. Your kitty is still younger than mine. She is still eating and not vomiting - I can't put her down right now. Oh my goodness this sucks. Thanks for sharing your success story. Glad your kitty is doing well!

Ellen
There are probably many types of kidney failure, but if she is starving, check with the vet but see if you can let her eat when she wants and supplement it with treats like greenies. That's what we did to give our guy the best last time he had left. If she is leaching nutrients, she won't get fat.
 

DrQ

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DH is a vet. His rule of thumb (absent obvious pain) is when they don't seem to care anymore. For ex, when our dog in congestive heart failure looked away from a steak--that was time.
DH has given home fluids to our animals a few times. Usually catheter behind the back of neck for 15 minutes or so. Not necessarily IV. They don't like it, but it's not bad at all. I was the cat holder.
That was our clue. Our guy loved greenies, when he turned them down, we knew it was time.
 

CalGalTraveler

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Our cat didn't seem much different (ate, jumped up on usual places, slept, no vomiting). We noticed that she was skinnier than usual so I took her in to the vet.
 

Cornell

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I’m going through this right now with my beloved dog . Brought him in to the vet today for fluids. I’ve been crying on and off all day. It’s so hard.
Sending love to you as you make these decisions.
 

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Kidney disease is very common among cats as well as dogs. We had a dog and two cats who had kidney disease and we fed them a prescription food that extended their lives a few years. I worked at Hill's so we fed Hill's Prescription Diet food. Royal Canin and Purina make similar foods and they should be available in wet and dry versions. Since you cat prefers wet food, I suggest you try a can of each brand to see what she will eat. These are only available at your vet, but contain the ingredients that will not harm their kidneys. I hope you caught the disease early enough that you can extend her life a few years. Feeding any additional treats or other foods can cause further damage to her kidneys, so try to stick only with the prescription foods. I agree with the others that you will know when she is ready. Losing a pet family members is one of the hardest things to deal with in life.
 

CalGalTraveler

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Ours is on a special diet too. We use the Hills Prescription k/d. She likes it. She also likes the Royal Canin T but I cannot find it right now.

We have 2 other cats so it gets challenging to ensure she doesn't eat the other cats foods and vice versa.
 

DrQ

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Ours is on a special diet too. We use the Hills Prescription k/d. She likes it. She also likes the Royal Canin T but I cannot find it right now.

We have 2 other cats so it gets challenging to ensure she doesn't eat the other cats foods and vice versa.
Been there, done that with a pre-diabetic cat. :rolleyes:
 

Superchief

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Ours is on a special diet too. We use the Hills Prescription k/d. She likes it. She also likes the Royal Canin T but I cannot find it right now.

We have 2 other cats so it gets challenging to ensure she doesn't eat the other cats foods and vice versa.
The prescription foods won't hurt the other cats, but it is much more expensive. Animals always prefer what the others are eating.
 

clifffaith

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Our Flamepoint Lucy lasted about ten months once diagnosed with kidney failure in 2013. We gave her subcutaneous liquids every other day or so, and had a vet tech come when we had a house sitter for a week. We knew it was time just before Christmas when she couldn’t step over the edge of the litter pan. She was a true original, and was the only talking cat we’ve ever had. There was no getting the last word with her!
 

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From having to send several cats and dogs on their way I can say this: "It is better to be a week or so early than a day or two late. With one of our cats that was having kidney problems we took her in once or twice a week to be hydrated via injection. We also bought a small water fountain to encourage her to drink. Each cat would simply look at us and by their expression tell us they were done.
 

DrQ

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From having to send several cats and dogs on their way I can say this: "It is better to be a week or so early than a day or two late. With one of our cats that was having kidney problems we took her in once or twice a week to be hydrated via injection. We also bought a small water fountain to encourage her to drink. Each cat would simply look at us and by their expression tell us they were done.
Agreed. We found that out with our first old girl. We took her to the vet for emergency work when we should have had her put to rest. We WANTED her to get better.
 
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Zac495

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DH is a vet. His rule of thumb (absent obvious pain) is when they don't seem to care anymore. For ex, when our dog in congestive heart failure looked away from a steak--that was time.
DH said hospitalized with IV is best. But subcutaneous fluids given home is a reasonable alternative. You can be taught to do this. He said it depends on the creatine level as to whether that will make much of a difference. You can also bring cat to animal hospital for them to do it. It's about 5-10 minutes. Our cat didn't like it, but was fine with me holding him in a towel while DH did in in the scruff (back of neck).
Her levels are 5.5
 

Zac495

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I’m going through this right now with my beloved dog . Brought him in to the vet today for fluids. I’ve been crying on and off all day. It’s so hard.
Sending love to you as you make these decisions.
So sorry - love back to you.
Kidney disease is very common among cats as well as dogs. We had a dog and two cats who had kidney disease and we fed them a prescription food that extended their lives a few years. I worked at Hill's so we fed Hill's Prescription Diet food. Royal Canin and Purina make similar foods and they should be available in wet and dry versions. Since you cat prefers wet food, I suggest you try a can of each brand to see what she will eat. These are only available at your vet, but contain the ingredients that will not harm their kidneys. I hope you caught the disease early enough that you can extend her life a few years. Feeding any additional treats or other foods can cause further damage to her kidneys, so try to stick only with the prescription foods. I agree with the others that you will know when she is ready. Losing a pet family members is one of the hardest things to deal with in life.
Thank you I will ask today for the food!
 

elaine

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I sent you a pm. Good luck! Elaine
 

mdurette

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I'm so sorry you are going through this. It is always hard.

I have been there. I noticed our 11 YO cat started to drink so much her bowl ran dry and she wasn't eating as much. I brought her to the vet, the ran tests told me kidney issues and dehydrated and was told she needed to go to the emergency vet hospital for overnight fluids. I hopped in the car, drove the hour and admitted her. I'm glad they didn't give me choices, it simply was this is what she needs. I recall going to visiting hours the next day, she was drugged up in her cage, mostly sleeping.

She returned home, almost back to normal and I started my daily fluid injections. It was hard at first, they gave me very skinny needles and it took forever to get the amount in her. I ended up getting thicker needles and that did the trick. Her fluid time took less than 10 minutes and surprisingly she tolerated it all the time, I think she knew it made her feel better. We lived with this routine for about 18 months and she did fine, but there were times that her eating was an issue. She WANTED to eat, ran to her bowl, but sniffed the cat food and changed her mind. During those times I ended up giving her whatever she would eat and that was people food. She would tuna and chicken.

When she took the turn, it was quick. Within a couple days of me noticing her change, she was very lethargic and we brought her in to be put down. But, I was at peace, I knew it was the time and I had done my best.

If you do decide to give fluids. I found the best way was to warm the fluid bag in the kitchen sink first. I then hung it up off a hanger from the top of the kitchen cabinet and put her on the counter for it. It was the easiest way for us.

Best to all of you going through this right now.
 
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