Young cat with Kidney Failure

[Tui911]

Hello,

this is my first time posting here. We have a one year old Ragdoll cat Lucy. About a week ago I noticed that Lucy, who usually has ravenous appetite, started refusing food. She would still eat but not nearly as much. Over the following days I also started to notice her becoming more and more lethargic. She started drinking a lot more and sitting next to her water bowl. As this coincided with hot weather, initially I thought she was just hot, but then as it dragged on I started to worry.

I took her to the vet. They did a blood test which showed that she had stage II kidney disease - unusual for a one year old cat. They referred her to a vet hospital where she was on a drip for 2 days and had an ultrasound. The ultrasound didn't show any congenital issues, but it did show some inflammation around the kidneys. So the vet thought it was either an infection or toxicity. Her urine cultures have since returned negative, so I guess we've boiled it down to toxicity and her potentially coming across a Lilly flower (she roams outside).

Her kidney function numbers came back within the normal range after a day of being on a drip and they said she looked bright and was eating enough. I picked her up yesterday with prescription antibiotics (in case it was an infection) and anti nausea meds.

Initially she seemed to have really perked up. She ate a full plate of food and was asking to go outside (but we decided to keep her inside for a day). However, that evening we started to notice her energy levels reducing. This morning she's back to being lethargic, didn't want to go outside until now. Has eaten some but not a lot. Has watery diarrhea. But she's not drinking as much or sitting next to her water bowl. I've been giving her water via a syringe and she has eaten some wet food.

I am hoping that she's got a tummy upset from antibiotics (which the vet has advised to discontinue as of today given the urine cultures are negative).

I would love to hear other people's stories who had a similar experience and the outcome.

Thanks!

[Mollycat]

Sorry to hear you and Lucy are going through this. I guess what the vet was scanning for was Polycystic Kidney Disease (PKD) a genetic disorder that can affect any cat but is an issue among Persians and Ragdolls. A scan used to be the diagnostic tool but now there is genetic testing available, so cats with the gene can be excluded from breeding. Do you know if Lucy was screened as a kitten and if her parents were PKD-free? There are other congenital issues, mostly malformations and cysts of some kind, but anyway if Lucy doesn't have any issues there that's great.

Although there are lots of toxic plants outdoors, is it possible Lucy could be exposed to something indoors? Cleaners, human medication including antibiotics and painkillers, house plants, even something on the cloth pad or brush used to clean her bowls? Has her blood potassium been tested? Low potassium can cause both lethargy and digestive issues, it's a long shot but worth asking about. Do you know exactly what was tested to determine stage II renal failure - urea, creatinine, SDMA etc?

[Tui911]

Thanks so much for your response! We got Lucy from a registered breeder and both her and her parents were screened for PKD. The ultrasound didn't show any cysts, just some inflammation around kidneys which indicates either an infection or toxicity.

I honestly don't think it was anything inside the house. We don't leave medicines out and in terms of cleaners or house plants, nothing has changed and I have checked long ago that none of them were toxic to cats. We have another cat and he's fine. Lucy is a roamer and loves to get into other people's gardens so I think she may have come across a Lilly somewhere. These are considered to be weeds in NZ where we live, so it is common to see them in gardens or on the side of a road.

Her potassium level was tested and was normal. When initially tested her urea was 19.2 (normal is below 12.9), creatinine was 343 (normal below 212). After one day on the drip urea was 8.3 and creatinine was 182. She was eating and happy so a decision to discharge her was made. She did OK at home for a few hours, had a big feed... but that evening started to crash and the next day she had diarrhea the whole day and no appetite.

Anyway, today her diarrhea has settled. She had one bowel movement which was on the looser side but firmer. So that makes me think it was a reaction to antibiotics. She still has no appetite though, but I have resorted to feeding her with a syringe and that's going relatively OK. At least I know she's getting some calories into her. She has been a bit more active today, venturing outside, but still on the quiet side and has been sleeping a lot.

I'm conscious we're going into the weekend and I really hope there are no drastic changes for the worse!

[Mollycat]

A little cautious optimism then as you say with all fingers and toes crossed for the weekend. Warm plain chicken broth, food slightly warmed up, baby food, scrambled egg, you could also try a home made bone broth as this supports gut flora to recover from the antibiotics and is not balanced or complete but still has a lot of nutrients.

[Tui911]

Thanks. I've been feeding her the Hills prescription kidney wet food mushed up with some home made chicken broth. Still via a syringe but she seems to be taking to it now without resistance, which is good. Her eyes and demeanor seem a bit brighter today so fingers and toes crossed!