Irina, My cat 15y/o has kidney disease and I am treating her with "Kidney Support Gold" and "Old Friend" for over a year, which can be found at: http://www.petwellbeing.com/c/cat-products/condition/kidney--renal Try also the pro-biotics, they are quite helpful. The second type of supplements I am also using is "Feline Renal Support" from Standard Process. Ask any holistic veterinarian to help you purchase it as it's only sold through veterinarians. It can also be found from Dr. Gardner, just ask the company in the link below. For food, the best I could find is a low-protein raw using a special premix which is easy to prepare, you can find it at: http://felineinstincts.com/feline-instincts-crf-my-natural-kidney-support-diet/ Contact them to help you with the recipe, because it's easy to make but is not always very clear from the instructions. This is very good food and recommend it. They also sell a pouch of Chicken liver powder to sprinkle on the raw food to help the kitty eat, and another supplement called "Rena G.O", which I am trying now. And last but not least, if your kitty is feeling unwell, give her sub-Qs fluid asap. It will help to stabilize her. All the best to you and your kitty.

It makes me CRAZY when vets don't tell clients to warm fluids before admin. Cats have a higher body temp than humans, so when room temp fluids are administered to a cat, it is comparable to throwing a human into an ice cold shower - a literally bone-chilling experience! The only time room temp fluids should be administered is when they are being used to reduce a high fever, in which case the chilling effects of room temp fluids serve a necessary purpose. So, you will very likely see a HUGE improvement in your cat's acceptance of fluids when you warm them to match his body temp. There are several techniques for warming fluids that different people employ. The only technique you should NOT use is a microwave oven. A microwave can easily overheat fluids and/or heat them unevenly, so do NOT use one for this purpose. Here's how I heat fluids before subQ admin. I place the bag and most of the IV line in a sink or large bowl, being VERY CAREFUL to keep the connections of line to bag and line to needle OUT of the sink or bowl so that the connections will not get wet. Then I anchor the bag in position by putting something weighty on the line on the counter outside of the sink or bowl so that the connection of line to bag won't slip under the water when I add water to the sink or bowl. Then I add enough very hot water to the sink or bowl so that the bag is mostly submerged. I leave the bag in the hot water until the water cools enough so that it feels comfortably warm when I dip my wrist into it. Once the water cools to wrist-warm, I remove the bag and line and rock the bag end-to-end a couple of times to make sure to evenly distribute the heated fluid in the bag. Then it's ready to admin. If you are uncertain whether your fluids are the right temp, it's always best to err on the side of a little too cool rather than any too warm. That said, you can experiment a little to find the temp that your boy seems to prefer. Some do like fluids slightly cooler or slightly warmer than the average cat. A few more notes: When starting the admin, open the wheel gradually so that there isn't a sudden rush of fluid through the line. Give your cat a few seconds to adjust to the sensation of the warm fluid before opening the wheel all the way. Some fluids sting, and even if the fluid itself doesn't sting, some vets add medications or supplements to the fluids that DO sting. What type of fluids are you using, and have you or your vet added anything to the fluids? It's important to vary the admin site slightly from time to time. If you always use the same site, the tissues can eventually become scarred and/or more sensitive. Try pointing the needle tip in a different direction under the skin. Don't administer more than 100 ml in one spot during one admin. As the fluid lump gets larger, it can also get more uncomfortable. If you need to admin more than 100 ml at one time, remove and replace the needle after 100 ml, and inject the rest in a different site. As a general rule (and as you've already noticed), most cats are more compliant with less restraint. I use several chairs lined up in one corner of my diningroom for admins. That way, there are two walls preventing movement of the cat in those directions, and my body blocks a third side as I sit on one chair and stretch my legs across the other two. I use one hand to hold the needle in place, while the other hand either gently holds and massages the scruff or cradles and rubs the cat's chest to prevent movement in the one remaining escape route. Many years ago, I used to give my first CRF cat, Pea, her fluids in the bathtub (dry, of course) with her between my legs. She was too feeble to be able to jump out of the tub, so the tub itself provided all the control I needed. I also recommend giving fluids first thing in the morning. I found with my last CRF cat, Billy, who never particularly appreciated fluids but didn't fight them, that he would try to avoid me all day if I waited until later in the day to admin his fluids. If I gave fluids first thing in the morning, though, he would get over it quickly and spend the rest of the day resting comfortably out in the open, happy to accept my lovin's throughout the day. Billy wasn't skittish, but like your boy, he would object and fight fluids if I disturbed him in any way during admin. He didn't want food, petting, talking, NOTHING! He just wanted to sit there with both of us in motionless silence until it was over, so that's what we did. Some cats do better with distractions, some do worse. It's really just a matter of figuring out what works best for your own cat and being able to make adjustments if he changes his mind and wants something different along the way. Now get those fluids warmed up for your boy, and give your vet a STERN SCOLDING from me next time you see him! Laurie

That's so sad. It seems that MoMo's case was complicated by the heart failure, which--if it does similar things to both cats and humans (think swollen ankles)--may have caused more fluids than normal in her body, anyway. At least, so I assume, because the subQ fluids were always rapidly absorbed in the case of my last two cats, who surprised the vet by living 'way beyond what he had expected, thanks to Ubiquinol (a more easily absorbed form of CoQ10) and my giving them gradually more frequent treatments with subQ Ringer's solution. They always absorbed the subQ fluids rather quickly after the fluids had a brief stay in the cat's belly, having run down under the skin and accumulated making something like a little flabby pouch in the loose skin there. Considering the fact that MoMo had heart failure on top of CKD, she probably had little time left with you no matter what treatment she received, and you did everything you could in your power to save her. Please don't blame yourself, but dwell instead on the happy life she had with you. It is natural to have regrets after a loved one dies, and I, too, have wished in the cases of a few other pets that I had tried some other things, but I have decided that we need to give ourselves peace as we remember them. Surely they would not wish any added pain on their beloved owners. It's good that you still have some pets to love.

How old is your cat? What brand of food did you feed? Most foods are filled with cheap grains and fillers, grains probably stressed the kidneys over the years and overtime lead to this. Cats are 100% carnivores, the only time they eat plants is to soothe their digestive tracts. Grass,catnip ect. Vets in gen know a lot about how to treat these kinds of issues but sadly because of mass capitalism, ( if you think purely in a $ view point- this makes perfect sense to the makers of the food) The foods they preach to be good are crap ( S/D science diet, and (Iams - a brand that does animal testing BTW). actually cause many of the issues they do services for. Use the prescription food only when you MUST and then switch to raw or grain free canned. Pre made raw Natures variety Bravo Primal canned/dry Innova EVO Instincts wellness grain free,and wellness core ziwi peak Orijen- a dry