Renal Failure in Cats... anybody go through this?

[zakatak]

I took my cat, Nicholas, into the vet yesterday for his annual check-up. He was very sick in January with Pancreatitis but pulled through so this was just for shots and a grooming problem. I also told the Dr. that he looked "tired", I know not very descriptive, but still just not himself. His CBC came back fine but his chem panel didn't. His BUN level was 41 (normal is under 35 - his was 24 in January) and his Creatinine was 2.5 (normal is under 2.0 - his was 1.9 in January). So the vet has told us that he is in Renal Failure.

Now, from what I could gather so far, he could still hang in here from months to years with the proper treatment. However, he has lost weight and is vomiting which isn't good. I'm switching his food to the one from the vet's for Renal Kitties and taking him back in for another blood test in 4 weeks. From there we decide what we can do for him.

Has anyone dealt with this in an older cat (will be 16 in October)? How about the Sub Q fluids 3 times a week? How does that go over with cats?

Any other ideas?

Thanks.

Karen & Nicholas

 

[KatelynnsAuntie]

Oh Karen, I have no advice. Just 's and lots of good thoughts coming your and Nicholas' way. Such a beautiful baby! I hope he hangs in there and gets better soon...

 

[Figaro]

Hi, zakatak!

We have had three cats with renal failure. The food helps quite a bit early on. We also found that we needed to give the cat quarter pills of an over the counter acid reducer called pepcid, because his stomach was acidic due to the changes in his blood chemistry. When the vomiting was bad, a quarter of a tabled of zofran (very expensive anti-nausea medication) would settle things right down so that he could eat.

And they handle subcutaneous fluids really well. At first it will be a big kind of bubble on their side that lasts for half an hour or so, but eventually their bodies adjust to the fluids and it will reabsorb within minutes. It doesn't hurt them, although mine at least never liked to be held still for the couple of minutes it took and it was amazing how much better they felt after.

When I asked the vet if my little guy was suffering, she told me that he didn't know he was sick, and so from his perspective he felt a little tired and that was about it.

Hope Nicholas (and you!) do well with the treatment.

 

[Magix]

We dealt with this with our cat a few years back. The sub-Q fluids did not go over well at all. She howled and squirmed and didn't want anything to do with having a needle stuck under her skin. It was just too much for us to do. We had to come to terms with the idea that she was going to leave us soon and there wasn't anything we could do for her that didn't involve more pain than what she should have to go through.

It's very hard to lose a kitty this way. I'm sorry for what you're going through. I hope he'll get better. The vet's food may help, but it didn't do too much for our cat. Ours lived a good amount of time with the problems, before they got too bad. When the time comes, you'll know. There just comes a point when you can see they're having such a hard time... Anyway, my cat told me when it was time. She told me it was what she wanted - really, she did.

I hope it goes better for you. This is a tough thing to deal with.

By the way, Nicholas is beautiful. What a terrific picture.

 

[gina2000]

Our first cat died of renal failure. He was about 13. He was first diagnosed a few years earlier and we had to switch from Crave (his absolute favorite food, hands down) to a low ash dry food. He did fine for about 4 years. The second time his kidneys started to shut down, the vet offered us the option of hydrating him. It was a long shot....he was in really bad shape. He was at the hospital for a week. He did not eat or drink when he came home so we had to make the decision to put him to sleep.


Hugs, zakatak. I hope Nicholas does well with the treatments. Please let us know...

 

[liznboys]

I don't have any advice, I'm sorry. Just wanted to say Nicholas is so beautiful, and I'm sorry he's sick. Poor kitty.

 

[wishuponastarforever]

God bless - I've been through this twice with older cats.

The first was the happier story - he was a Siamese also (They rule). He was 13 when first diagnosed. We gave him fluids for 5 1/2 years. The last year we had to give them more and more often until he finally just gave up. He died peacefully and was happy to the end.

The second cat, we just lost last December - his symtoms came on suddenly and we were not able to stabilize him. He was
17 1/2 when his symtoms started. We tried fluids and medicine and just everything the Vet said to do. He went down hill quickly. We only had him a few months after he was diagnosed. It was painful but he made it very clear that he was ready and the humane thing was to let him go.

I am sorry you are faced with this. We know our hearts will be broken when we agree to own a pet - they are worth every minute. Hopefully he'll be the happier story.

 

[Chris2597]

Our sweet kitty was 9 when we had to put him down due to renal failure. We came back from vacation (had a house sitter watching him) and he was not himself, wouldnt eat and drank water constantly.....He had no energy....poor baby looked so sick...The vet said they would try pushing fluids through to stabilize him, but it didnt work and we decided to put him down. It was such a hard decision.

 

[MrsJackSparrow]

Just lost my dear 18-year-old this past April. He was in end-stage renal failure, had sub-cu fluids one time, did okay for a day, but that was pretty much it. He was not able to regulate his body temperature and couldn't do anything so I took him back to the vet where he had the shot and went peacefully in my arms. It is very hard to lose a beloved pet.

 

[two4ruff]

My balinese (who looked much like your photo) was diagnosed at only age 10. I did the diet, meds, and s.c. fluids also. (which was a nightmare - I was trained to do them myself, my cat ended up hating me and I would end up in tears after each treatment )

After a year of treatment, he hadn't improved and couldn't keep his food down. I made the hardest decision I ever had to make for him by having him put down. It broke my heart to see such a beautiful & proud cat turn into a weak, depressed creature, that I had no choice.

I know the treatments continue to improve - hopefully your kitty will respond better - - sending him a prayer...

 

[KatelynnsAuntie]

Any updates on Nicholas?

 

[TNCarole]

I'm so sorry to hear the news about your beautiful Nicholas! He looks like such a regal boy.

Our Simba was diagnosed with renal failure in the fall of '00. We gave him fluids sub-q for 8 months and he did fairly well, but then he crashed in May of '01 and we had to have him put to sleep. It was one of the hardest things I've ever done.

He tolerated the sub-q process pretty well as long as I held him. He was my baby, and I still miss him.

He was only three years old when he was diagnosed. The vet had no idea what could have caused it. I've read that Abyssinians are prone to renal failure (Simba was an Aby).

Anyway... Best wishes to you and Nicholas.

 

[Sirius]

I've gone through it. I had to give my cat Sub-Q fluids daily. It helped for a little while, but it really hurt him. When we first started doing it, he'd fight. After about a week of it he just gave up. He'd lie there, moan a little when we put the needle in and then he'd just wait. It broke my heart to see his spirit broken like that. In the end, it didn't matter. I would not do it again.

 

[zakatak]

Wow... this is what I am afraid of with Nicholas, that he will hate us giving him the sub Q. Well, I took him to the vet today and learned how to do it. I have all the equipment and an IV bag hanging in my closet .

One problem we have is vacation. We are going to Black Lake on July 2nd for the week. My choices are to teach my elderly FIL to do it, find a complete stranger (nurse or vet tech) and pay them to come in and do it, or skip it (not recommended by the vet). And then to worry about our Disney trip in November, too.

He is also down 3 more ounces from Tuesday to 13 pounds even. We'll do the sub q's for 4 weeks then take him back in for an re-evaluation and chem panel. I hope he doesn't continue to lose weight as that can't be a good sign.

Thanks for the stories and hugs. Nicholas is a very special, one of a kind cat!

Karen & Nicholas

 

[Lachesis00]

He sure is a hansome guy.... reminds me of my cat Max.

 

[Figaro]

Hugs to you and Nicholas. Our guys all were upset at first from being held down and the fluid being cold (room temperature is cold for cats), but we didn't get upset, took our time and eventually they all calmed down and just would lay there waiting for it to be over. Our little guy would give the absolute huffiest sigh you ever heard(smile), which would make us laugh and then he would glare at us and stomp off. But they all felt so much better after, that it was worth taking the time to do it for them.

 

[MomofKatie]

I'm so sorry to hear of your kitty's illness!

My mom's cat just got the diagnosis of renal failure, too. She is very upset- Lucky is a very shy and homebody-ish cat. He is 18 years old and she is wrestling with the hard choices to be made concerning his care. She wonders if subQ treatments, etc. will be too stressful for him. She doesn't want to think about losing him, but at the same time, she doesn't want to make the time he has left miserable. Lucky was a rescued cat- he was living in a dumpster behind a restaurant when Mom found him and took him in- she is trying to remind herself of the long and happy life he's had with her and be thankful for that.

Hope you have lots more time with your beautiful kitty!

 

[Celluloidgal]

Sorry for what you are going through. Unfortunately we went through the same thing a couple of years ago with our cat "Ashley". My husband was out of the country at the time, so I did the subQ treatments so he could say good-bye to her. (He was in a remote part of Africa, and unavailable by phone) Ashley was so tired, that she didn't mind the treatment, kinda a low growl at first, but she just didn't have the energy to fight it. When he came home we had her euthanized. It was hard. The whole family gathered in that small little room and gently let her go. The vet gave her a sedative at first, so it was like a slow going to sleep. It is so hard to say good-bye to our furry friends.
Peace to you.