Cat Chat Feline Forum

Thought I’d do a separate post in case people hadn’t noticed the update on Lucy’s thread – she had a blood test on the 22nd June after being not herself and being sick more frequently that showed high calcium levels (3.5), she was hospitalised on a drip for 5 days, and has since had bloods done for ionized calcium, hyper parathyroidism, kidney values (they have improved since being put on a renal diet in March, when she was diagnosed with early stage renal failure), x-rays, and a CT scan – they did initially think osteomyelitis due to her recent hip operation (April), although her white blood count was normal, but a 2 week course of anti-robe did nothing, her calcium levels were just as high. We were initially treating with Frusemide, while waiting for the last of the tests/results, which was last week’s CT scan, they have now decided the diagnosis is idiopathic, which isn’t great as you are only managing symptoms, but not treating the underlying cause, so she is likely to have it for life, but could have been worse. I haven’t had chance to speak to her normal vet over the diagnosis, but the specialist said either diet or medication – she did say a high fibre diet, although I have read on the internet that they don’t think that is the best way anymore. I’m reluctant to change her diet, as her kidney values have reduced in 3 months – unsure of her urea/creatnine values, but her SDMA has reduced from 16 to 13 (top end of the scale is 14) in 3 months, so it is working, and she likes it, plus I read that it is best to change to either a wet only diet or a raw diet – she is the pickiest fat cat I’ve ever come across when it comes to wet food, since her operation she has preferred dry food and I’m too wary of getting the balance wrong to do a raw diet. So I decided to go for the medication route, unfortunately it is a human medication so we are waiting for the chemist to get the correct dose in, as it isn’t used often in humans, I’m not sure of its name but it is a biosulphate that is supposed to stop the bones leaching calcium.

Just wondering if anyone has dealt with this condition, or this and kidney issues?

Hi I'm no expert but if you're finding food you're cat eats do some fact finding before changing when my Tiddles had to go to renal food she would not eat it no matter what I tried so possibly mix it

The irony is she is happy eating renal food, she's been on dry since Mar (mind you, she isn't fussy about dry!) and she has had two pouches of renal wet which have gone down well - the specialist who did the scan was advising against renal in favour of high fibre