4:02pm July 15, 2015

Kitties and renal failure

ineedthatseat:

I thought I might as well make this post for lord-kitschener‘s anon, and just in general for anyone who is dealing with renal failure in cats. I’m not a vet, so this is based purely on personal experience with my cat. Always follow the directions a vet gives you for your pet, and if you’re unsure and can afford it, get a second opinion. With that said, here it goes:
Kiciuś is a 20-year-old female domestic shorthair that we found as a stray when she was only about 2-3 weeks old. So she has been with us for a long, long time, and she is my soul on four legs. Unfortunately her kidneys are failing right now and as long as she is not in pain and I can make her comfortable, I don’t want to put her down. The vet is supportive of this. These are things we’ve done to make her feel better, give her more time, and generally help her kidney function:
– Subcutaneous fluids: She gets about 150cc of Lactated Ringer’s solution (I get the same stuff every time my kidneys crap out too) injected under the skin every other day. She hates medicine, needles, etc., but it doesn’t have to be painful. The vet teaches you how to do this, it’s simple, and most of the time my cat doesn’t even realize I’ve put the needle in (just pinch the skin between the shoulder blades and insert it there, it’s mostly painless, or a small pinch at most). Then she sits for no more than 10min while the fluids run. I try to do it in her favorite place, which at the moment is my bed and she just lies down, unaware anything is even attached to her. I rub her chin and pet her. She’s a feisty cat and I never thought I’d be able to do this, but here she is!
– Diet: For a cat with weak kidneys a low-protein diet is needed. When I mix her food it’s usually 2/3 or less canned kitty food plus a mix of carbs and fat. You can use baby food, cooked rice and veggies, pancakes, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, or something you know they like. I also add either olive oil or butter for extra fat. (All per vet’s instructions.) She stopped eating for a while so we needed to do syringe feedings for a few days, but that helped to strengthen her and I think it helped boost her appetite because she eats like crazy now. She’s also drinking on her own, and we puree her food somewhat to make it easier to eat (she has almost no teeth left). Her food bowl is near where she likes to be the most, so when she wakes up she just goes straight for it. I tend to also warm it up just a little bit. No dry foods, only wet canned.
When buying cat food for renal impairment it’s good to remember that low-protein and low-phosphorous are the best choices. This is a list of foods that work pretty well, and this web site is also full of good advice.
– Medicine and supplements: My cat also suffers from hyperthyroidism, but it’s well-controlled with medication so it isn’t an issue. Other things we are giving her are daily oral electrolytes (potassium gluconate), Noni drops (a holistic supplement that seems to have really done a good job helping with energy, joint pain, and her coat looks great too), as well as Vitadrops for added nutrition. In addition, she gets Pancreatin sprinkled in her food, which helps her absorb the nutrients she’s taking in. She gets medicine three times a day, and she hates it, but I’ve learned how to do it quickly and we’re done in about 0.5 seconds each time.
Most of all I try to make everything easy and comfortable for her. Once she regained some strength after eating again, plus fluids and medication, she looks and acts pretty content. She does cry, but older cats can do that for various reasons, and she’s also deaf. If a kitty is crying and in pain, it also might be due to the fact that they’re constipated, so the vet may have to give them an enema. The fluids and proper food help to prevent this. I try to see how much she’s urinating and always check her poops to see if things haven’t gotten worse.
For my kitty I know it’s the end of the road because she is very old and the best I can do is make what time she has left comfortable and happy. However, a younger kitty (even 12 or 13 year-olds) have a much better chance at retaining kidney function longer. It also all depends on other health conditions a cat might have, but if a kidney transplant is not an option, then the above things can significantly improve kitty’s quality of life.

for my anon, good luck to you and your kitty!