Kidney failure in young cat

[Cussypat1974]

I know someone else posted about this issue in the last year. My Locky has just been diagnosed and is to be PTs this week. I would like to get in touch with the person who has been through this first though......

[Lilith]

Hi Cussypat, very very sorry to hear about Locky.

I MIGHT have been the person whose post you recall as a while back I mentioned a two-year old cat who died after being diagnosed with ckd, but I'm afraid there's little info I can give to shed light on the subject as it was so long ago. I thought he died in the early 80s - I've worked it out that it was in 1982.

I don't know Timus's background; he came to me at about 8 weeks old when two girls knocked at my door asking if he was mine, because they'd found him. Umm...he was very thin and scared and had yellow wormy squittery diarrohea so it might have been that his home had got tired of him...I put a 'found' notice in the window but he stayed and grew into a long lanky Siamesey boy. But always quiet.

I had him checked out by the vet, and urine tests done. They diagnosed nephritis, which is what I believe they used to call ckd. After that he went regularly for checkups and a urine test. He slept like an old man, and was often incontinent when he woke; I learned to keep an eye on him and lift him on to his tray before he woke properly. He was such a sweet boy that, by putting a small pot under him, I could actually collect a specimen, which caused a lot of amazement at the vet's!

There was no guidance about diet given and I'm sorry I can't recall if much medication was used; they MIGHT have given him antibiotics or steroids but I really can't remember. Thirty-five years ago there was far less to be done, it seems.

He lived his life out placidly and one day fell asleep in the sun and died. He didn't deteriorate; just remained on that plateau. Two is incredibly young though, and again so very sorry about Locky x

[Cussypat1974]

Thank you Lilith! I knew I saw a post about it here somewhere! Locky came from a feral colony and was rescued by workers at a wildlife sanctuary when he became so sick with flu that he just let them catch him. They had been trying for ages, and as wildlife experts knew all the tricks!
I took him when I brought them an elderly rook I had rescued in my garden who coildn't fly. I coildn't keep the rook and they coildn't keep the cat! He is polydactyl, and they have just this year managed to TNR the rest of the colony, and rescue a whole litter of other polydactyls, so inbreeding is pretty much a given I reckon.
Anyway, he wasn't PTS today as he actually gained 0.1kg since Friday, so we are attempting treatment..... It is a matter of wait and see how he responds really. As he is so picky about food, he can have whatever he will eat for now, but if he makes it then a special diet will be on the cards of course. Horrible disease to have in such a young cat, and the outlook is bleak, but we will do what we can eh? I just remember seeing your post and being shocked as I never knew they coild get this so young, and mentioned it to my lecturer at the time. I suppose I was hoping for a miracle eh? Xxx

[bobbys girl]

Where there's life, there's hope. Thinking of you and young Locky.

[Lilith]

Hi Cussypat very good to hear about Locky's reprieve!

I've been following these threads about ckd with great interest - it's been an education. It's good to know that so much more can be done these days. It's also interesting to read on your other thread re Locky that some symptoms can be similar to those of diabetes insipidus - in fact that detail about Mark's Laz having 'old kidneys' is exactly what my vet said about Timus.

All the very very best with Locky - paws crossed...snakes are crossing their tails! x

ps I was also interested to hear about his being a polydactyl - during the 80s I acquired a mother and daughter, both polydactyls. Didn't half have to keep an eye on their claws lol.

[Cussypat1974]

Thanks for your replies everyone. Locky is doing ok-ish. I am going to do a new post about him in a minute to update on his progress.
Yes, the diabetes insipidus is really interesting alright..... Cats are biological wonders I reckon, unlike any other domestic animal.... It is never simple where they are concerned! I don't yet know how things will pan out with Locky, but I do know from experience that cats are amazing little survivors..... Given half a chance they often make it against all the odds.....

[MarkB]

Hi Catherine, if you decide to go ahead with testing for DI, there is an alternative to the water deprivation test. I only found out about it after Laz had done his. It was really upsetting watching him crying for water. By the last day, I think he was only allowed 40ml over 24 hours which he lapped up straight away. The alternative test is just giving them the DDAVP and restesting. I will find the link. Water deprivation isn't a good idea for cats with kidney disease anyway I wouldn't have thought.

If you decide to go ahead, I will send you some. It is supposed to be kept chilled. I don't have the chiller pack it was sent in, but it can survive room temperature for a number of days safely (although prob not a good idea when it is so hot) There is only 2.5ml in a bottle, but the dose is 0.05ml, so 50 doses per bottle - easy to measure using a 1ml syringe. My vet charged £40 a bottle, but I found it online for under £15 with a prescription - I had to buy 6 at a time though.

As for food, none of the 4 I had with CRD (or whatever they are calling it this week ) would eat renal wet and would grudgingly eat the dry. I found that one called Happy Cat kidney diet (from zooplus) went down the best, I think Kay had some luck with Bozita renal. Some of the senior foods are nearly as low in phosphorus as some of the renal diets anyway (ie JWB senior fish @ 0.5%

Edit - I found the alternative to doing the horrible water deprivation test. It seems many vets aren't aware of this http://www.surroundedbycats.com/di-safer.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; Much kinder and safer.

[Cussypat1974]

Mark, you absolute STAR! I was DREADING the idea of restricting his water intake..... Not gonna happen now! I will mention all of this to my vet at his next check-up. It is certainly worth a shot eh? It isn't a common illness in cats, but it strikes them young apparently. I bet it is underdiagnosed ya know...... Like epilepsy. That is supposed to be rare in cats, as are congenital heart issues and dwarfism, but I have seen LOADS! When they are feral I suppose they usually just die from these things with nobody noticing......
Today he has had most of a bottle of whisks cat milk. Last night he ate 2 slices of ham. I KNOW this is all stuff he shouldn't be having, but it is all he will eat. The interesting bit was that he wouldn't touch the ham when I tore it up for him, he wanted to eat the whole slice whilst holding it with his paws, like he had hunted it down lol. It must be his feral nature I suppose! So today I have given him a raw chicken wing. Normally I wouldn't give that to a sick cat, but he went for it immediately! I'll check in a bit to see how much he has actually eaten.
Thanks again Mark. It is great to speak to someone who has been through similar issues. Just one question, did Laz throw up and go off his food like Locky? Can that also be a symptom of DI? I know it is with CKD, which is probably why the vet came to that conclusion along with the urinalysis. His bloods are going to be very interesting when we do get them.......

[MarkB]

Laz had multiple health issues and so was on & off his food all the time - although generally had a good appetite. He was always throwing up, even after the DI was under control. One thing I thought of when his water intake was at its highest, was that it was possible that if his stomach was full of water, he wouldn't want to eat - seems to make sense.

PS - meant to say - on the link for the safe testing, ignore the bit about using injectible, rather than eye drop DDAVP, because the one I have (and is generally used in the EU) is nose drops, so a cat will get the full dose (as long as they don't snuffle it out)

[Crewella]

One thing I thought of when his water intake was at its highest, was that it was possible that if his stomach was full of water, he wouldn't want to eat - seems to make sense.

That makes sense to me too. When Daz had all his bladder problems I found that adding water to his (wet) food not only helped with flushing through his bladder, it also helped with the weight loss as he seemed happier with less actual food, as if the water helped him to feel full. It also slowed him down and stopped him gobbling all his and moving on to other cats' leftovers!

[Cussypat1974]

I hadn't thought of that at all, but it makes absolute sense! He went straight for the whiskas milk, so at least he got some calories into him by drinking that eh?
I am not sure nose drops would be possible with him. He has become very tame in his weakened state, but still puts up quite a fight when he sees me coming with meds...... Thank you so much guys. I don't know if he can be saved, but you input is certainly opening possibilities for him. And I really appreciate it, and he would too if he understood. He is a lovely little fella.......

[bobbys girl]

Thinking of you as you fight the good fight. xx

[Cussypat1974]

He is still the same..... In good form, eating little bits throughout the day, and although he did vomit over the weekend, he hasn't since. I also think he is weeing and drinking less...... So the benazacare seems to be helping. Scrambled egg is saving his life to be honest, as even though he gets a plate of mixed deliciousness at every meal, it is always the egg that wins out!
I am happy to keep him going as long as he is happy in himself. Yesterday he won an argument with Little Patches over a bowl of whisks dry lol. It wasn't a real argument, just a battle of head bumps to see who won their place in the tiny dish!