What a pretty kitty! I know your heart is torn up now.

I believe, and if I am wrong, others will contradict me, that cats can actually live in kidney failure for quite a while, if they are sustained as you are trying to sustain her (food, fluids).

Is there any problem feeding all of them the kidney food? Or, just offering her the canned kidney diet, occasionally offering kidney dry but leaving regular dry out for all?

I also think that for sick cats, wet food is better than dry, because it has more water in it, and especially in renal failure, they need more fluids.

Mt friend's cat was in kidney failure for about 4 years before leaving us of old age (20 years).

The first time I had to deal with CRF was with my dear, late Cecil. He was 13 years old, and I didn't know what to look for. By the time I got him to the vet and diagnosed, his condition had degenerated and even with fluids and a changed diet, he lived only 2 months...but I think what he died of (from reading Laurie's posts on this board) was an overdose of fluids.

The good news is, when my next cat Max came along (I adoped him at the age of 10), I knew to take him for annual blood tests. So he was diagnosed early on (at the age of 13) and lived another 2+ years. Your beautiful puss is quite young, so I think that is in her favor. It sounds like you are doing fine so far. Just remember that CRF is progressive, so the treatment, as your vet indicated, will be constantly changing (additional meds, more frequent fluids, etc).

The first time I had to deal with the CRF regemin, I did not see how I could handle it...but I did, and more importantly, the cats were real troopers. So don't be afraid of the meds, sub-q fluids, etc. Do a search on this board. Plenty has been written because CRF is very common.

As per the diet and your other cats: I remember my vet saying that unless a cat is elderly and prone to kidney failure, K-D is not a great idea because it is lower in protein. But I agree with elly that wet food is much better than dry...try adding water to her wet food (about 1/2 oz...and mushing it up into a stew. Maybe Meghane or Laurie will weigh in on this, but I think that any hi quality canned food, perhaps mixed with additional water is as good...or better...than dry KD.

I'm sorry to hear that Lily is in renal failure. There is a lot you can do to keep her happy and feeling good, but it does take a lot of monitoring with bloodwork and UAs to know what is going on.

There are 5 main things to control and monitor in a patient with chronic renal disease.

1. Diet: Moderately restricted protein, restricted phosphorus and sodium, enhanced omega 3: omega 6 fatty acid ratio, high water-soluble vitamins, increased caloric density, and increased fiber to act as a nitrogen trap. Canned food is definitely preferred over dry foods, but a renal diet is best. High quality foods tend to be higher in protein and not restricted enough in sodium and phosphorus. I like Iams' Early Stage because it isn't too restricted and cats seem to like the taste, so they eat it. It is most important for them to eat *something* rather than refuse a kidney diet, though, so if your kitty is particularly finicky, I'd rather her eat anything canned. I would not feed the other kitties a renal diet, as mentioned before it is protein restricted and the others need their protein.

2. Control hyperphosphatemia: sometimes diet is not enough, and phosphorus binders are needed. This helps prevent additional formation of crystals that form in the kidneys (and everywhere else in the body), which cause further renal damage. It sounds like Lily is already having problems with crystallization and the renal diet would be of great benefit to her. Did her bloodwork show hyperphosphatemia too?

3. Control hypertension: Hypertension causes increased renal damage, and adds to morbidity and mortality in patients with renal disease. Monitor at least 3-4 times yearly, and treat if systemic blood pressure is greater than 170mm Hg. A renal diet helps because it is sodium restricted, but some patients also need an ACE inhibitor such as enalapril or even a calcium channel blocker like amlopidine.

4. Manage proteinuria: this is usually done with a renal diet. The microalbuminuria test is most sensitive, but regular urinalysis will show protein in the urine as well. Monitor 3-4 times a year.

5. Correct other signs as they appear: Cats with renal disease can become nauseous easily and may need medications to control it. As the kidneys continue to fail, they can't produce erythropoietin and the patient becomes progressively anemic, but erythropoietin can be given to help. Dehydration is always a concern because the kidneys are unable to concentrate urine and body water is wasted. In a crisis, IV fluids may be necessary to prevent further kidney damage, but subQ fluids can be given at home Of course, avoid nephrotoxic drugs such as NSAIDs and certain antibiotics. Also you have to avoid conditions that would cause further renal damage such as dehydration, anesthesia, stress.

It's a lot to worry about, but there's also a lot you can do, at least for a while. We never know how fast a cat's disease is going to progress despite everything, but cats can live 1-2 years in renal failure (dogs don't generally last that long). And by being pro-active, with lots of monitoring and adjusting her meds and other therapies as needed, she won't feel bad at all, which is the most important aspect IMHO.

She's a gorgeous kitty and looks quite happy. I'm sure you'll do your best to keep her healthy for as long as possible. Good luck with everything.

When my kitty was first diagnosed with CRF, my thoughts were along the lines of your train comment. I told DH "her kidneys are dying and taking her with them."

That was 2.5 years ago and she is still with us, happy and pretty much normal. She's gained 4 lbs since then and you would never guess she is sick. Her kidney values have been in the normal range at every recent appointment- thanks to not much more than giving her fluids on a regular basis. There is hope in this horrible disease. There is a website that is loaded with info on this disease, I will put the URL below.

My kitty didn't like the RX diet and did poorly on it. We feed her Royal Canis Mature (you can find more about that and other commercial catfood on the Tanya site below). Our other cat is also 14 and that food is fine for him to eat as well; separate feeding wasn't working for us either. She also eats human grade meat. There are 2 schools of thought on CRF- one that says to reduce protein and the other that says to feed a high quality protein. We did low protein for a while, but when she stopped eating and we just wanted her to eat something, we fed her good, lean meat. She has done consistently better since we started doing that (last October).

This is not necessarily a quick-to-the-end disease, just take it one day at a time and love your beautiful kitty that same way.

(HUGS), I hope you can have a more positive experience, as we have.

Here is a link that might be useful: Tanya's Feline CRF Information

I just wanted to tell you how sorry I am about your cat's diagnoses, as I know your heart is hurting right now. You have gotten some wonderful advice here, so I just wanted to say take it one day at a time, that's all you can do. When my cat was diagnosed with CRF the vet gave him "6 months, if that". He ended up living a happy and healthy 18 months after diagnoses. Just follow your vet's advice, educate yourself on the disease and give that sweetie as much love as you can. :o)

Beautiful cat by the way. Lily is breathtaking.

She's only 9 and she is in rental failure!, and she is a ragdoll purebred!. Okay that should be our first clue in gen purebreds are not as vigorous as the regular moggies ( english for street cat) Also what foods have you been feeding? Wet or Dry? Iams is NOT a good food, animal testing has been reported from that company by Peta and probably other animal rights orgs ( Peta is not a good group in the least mind you but the fact is they do have movies about it on their site and I've read in more reputable sources like Ann martins, food pets die for, about it) Dry food isn't good for cats it wrecks the teeth and dehydrates them also in gen cats that get dry are overweight from grains and things they cannot handle properly because cats need less then 5 percent carbs.

I would try to wean her on a raw diet if possible though by this time at this age she probably will have to be switched to a wet canned like Innova EVO or Ziwi peak first . Hopefully she gets better I'm very sorry this has happened to you

go to

Feline future.com and www haretoday.com and www.Naturapet.com

We went through this with our dear kitty. We administered fluids and lots of medication on a daily basis. She barely would eat so we gave her an apetitie stimulant and absolutely any food she would eat. She lived several years, but it was stressful for us, especially me.

Your Lily is a stunning kitty. She's lucky to have a caring owner like you. I wish you well and hope all the help you are giving her will extend her life so you can enjoy each other a little longer.

Susan

Did you get her from a breeder? I went the purebred path too. If so I would have a serious talk with him/her, Don't get a replacement but DO warn people to stay away from that bloodline and that breeder!..

Purebreds in gen are more prone to this sort of trouble( a health problem), in gen stay away from blue eyes, white fur or other weird mutant forms, like shrunken heads, small jaws and legs.

Runsnwalken I'm sure you mean well, but your advice is no help and rather rude to the OP.

I do not recommend a raw diet for a cat in renal failure.

Good luck, Michelle. You've already gotten some good advice, hope it helps.

I lost a 21yo Siamese to renal failure, in combination with congestive heart failure, so I don't know what your point is, runswalken. This isn't a terribly uncommon thing with cats, regardless of breed. Yes, a dry diet isn't ideal, but I haven't yet lost a cat less than 20yo, and I grew up feeding cats dry food. My current cats eat grain-free canned and/or raw, but I will be surprised if they live to be 20yo, too. My other cats might just have been blessed with good genes. There is no reason to freak out on the OP when her cat is in renal failure in her mid-teens. Plenty of cats die of much sillier things with less-consciencious owners.

Thank you SO much for your advice, kind words, and listening to me. I really appreciate it.

We found out that she LOVES the Hills Prescription GD canned food; she has eaten over half a can in the last 24 hours, plus whatever she has eaten of the dry Hills (free-fed to all our cats) and thinks a small bowl with bottled water served on the couch is a treat. I can actually feel a layer of meat on her spine and hip bones that has been developing from a few days ago, so yay! I will continue on this path since she is happy with her food situation. That was my biggest concern, she has always been picky but she seems to love this new diet.

The reason I even mentioned "full bred" was because I didn't know if this breed was more prone to kidney problems. Her brother (same father, different mother) is healthy as a horse, and our third Ragdoll from a different breeder is healthy and large too. Lily has always been small, always between 8 lbs 4 ozs and 8.7; her brother is about 15 lbs.

Runsnwalken, my husband is terribly allergic to cats, and we went in search of a cat he wasn't affected by, this is why we went the purebred path. I would have every cat from a shelter if I could, it isn't possible, so this way I have a great husband and great kitties. I did a whole lot of homework on purebreds before Lily and Frank came along, so your comment was unnecessary. I was asking about renal failure, not the cons of purebred cats.

Thank you all again who gave me helpful advice. That is why I love this board, you are here with answers when my vet isn't.

-Michelle

Lily is a beauty! Innocent yet so regal :) I can just imagine her enjoying her meals on the couch. Glad to know she is happy with the food.
Hugs,Pranjal

A majority of the people here are really very kind, patient and considerate souls ... just try to ignore the weird mutant forms ;)

Thanks Pranjal! I just read your post about your kitties, I have thought of you often in the last months, I remember your ordeal with your "cat snatching" (the best thing for that little mama in my opinion!) and am SO happy to hear how well they are all doing.

Yeah, the "weird mutant forms" are the troll posters found on some of these forums! Hugs to you and your furbaby family. Don't be a stranger, we miss you here!

Hugs,
Michelle