My kitty just recently got diagnosed..

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Kayv1tarantino
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My kitty just recently got diagnosed..

Post by Kayv1tarantino »

Hi
My name is Karen and I have a special furry girl named Mama whom I've been super blessed with having for some 18+ years now. I'll try and give you the short version if possible. We were having some issues with mama not being able to walk and so we took her into our vet. Our original doc was not in that day so we had to see The on call doctor. She was extremely negative and had overall gotten me quite upset in saying in so many words "oh this cats done.. you should put her down." My father and I took her home and are staying up with her for maybe two weeks now. Day and night we watch her, nurse her, help her to the litter box. Make sure she has fresh water. I even cook for her home cooked bell and Evan's chicken breast. I sometimes will give her a small bit of egg whites as a treat. A bit of Fresh salmon filet. I'm trying to paint the picture for you. When we had her at the vet with the on call doctor she also told us that day that my kitty had a very bad ear infection and that could of been the culprit as to what was badly throwing off her coordination and such. I wasn't a fan for running that second and putting her down. This cats like a child to me.. so the on call doctor did administer a shot of antibiotics and we went home with gabapentin pain pills which I will say are very very helpful. Mama works well with it. We had to lower the dose some because she was too out of it most of the time, we didn't think it was good to keep her like that. I ended up cutting them in half and now it seems to be the perfect dose for her. ( We are of course asking and letting our vet know all of this along with keeping him in the loop of what's going on.) Mama functions correctly and I see her happy self back in motion with us lowering the dose. Thank God I must say thank GOD. It has been a true up hill struggle for not only my little mama cat but yes also for my father and I. The worry alone will wipe you out, forget about the constant running night and day. We do love the animal and *fingers crossed* she is getting better so why not put the work in! Okay back to the issue at hand ... In the midst of all of this going on our main doctor called us with the news from the bloodwork that the on call doc had taken that day from mama. Mama has been diagnosed with early well he said "very early kidney disease." Now my head is spinning because I already know this can and most likely will cost money and we don't have much of that to go around to begin with and how do I best handle this new diet... can I successfully cook her a fully balanced nutritious diet for her at home ?? Is that possible... or maybe I could do half of the vet recommended "purina pro plan" diet and the other half I'd put in from cooking her homemade food at home. I have soo many questions and no one to help and take the time to explain what's in the best interest for my mama cat to give the correct answers without some means of money in the mix. (INCL our veterinarian) I figured to branch and reach out to people. I have been researching online, that's how I came across you guys!! Hopefully I'll find some good advice in care on here.
(- PS Please forgive me for running on, I put this together very quickly & on a whim it may not be my very best writing.)
Okay I've got to go cook dinner now but if anyone can help with this new kidney diet I would very very much appreciate it! Gods blessings to all and hopefully we'll talk soon.
♡ Karen & Mama =)
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fjm
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Re: My kitty just recently got diagnosed..

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I have done a lot of research into home cooking for CKD - my cat Tilly has also been diagnosed with early stage kidney disease. I do cook for her, but she prefers the Pro Plan sachets, so gets as much as I can persuade her to eat of those plus as much as she wants of the home cooked. My recipe reduces the levels of phosphorus, but doesn't have the other benefits of a commercial kidney diet, like additional potassium etc, and as she was losing weight I am just happy to have found something she likes! There is a well known saying that the best diet for a cat with kidney disease is the one they will eat...

If you little Mama-cat will eat it I would suggest cooking boneless chicken thighs with a very little chicken or beef liver (1oz liver to 1lb meat/50g to 1 kilo - too much is not good for them). Add half a teaspoonful of ground eggshell per pound, 1 teaspoonful per kilo, for calcium. This is not perfectly balanced, but if you feed it half and half with a good commercial renal diet it will boost the protein level, which she will probably need at her age and which does not need to be very low in the early stages of kidney disease. I am sure your vet will have explained the importance of keeping Mama well hydrated, making sure she always has access to fresh water.

There is an extremely useful website for owners of cats with CKD: https://www.felinecrf.org Don't panic - many cats live for many happy years after diagnosis, especially if it is caught early as it has been in Mama's case.
Last edited by fjm on Mon Dec 16, 2019 11:37 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Mollycat
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Re: My kitty just recently got diagnosed..

Post by Mollycat »

18 years is already a very good age and usually (not always) chronic renal failure is a slow progressing condition, so this diagnosis might not even impact her lifespan with just simple care. It is unusual but my first CKD cat was 8 at diagnosis and was fit and well until around 16 when it was as though her kidneys had been switched off overnight, and the only option back then was one dry food formula which we were not strict with by any means! Kidneys are a cat's weak spot and some vets will tell you that much past 12 a little loss of kidney function is practically expected.

At very early stage in an 18 year old cat my personal feeling is it's almost to be watched more than treated. Water, 6 monthly checks, a good quality food and an eye for any weight loss, loss of appetite, increased thirst or urination, or lethargy. As fjm says Tanya's Pages is an excellent guide from beginning to end and I can't recommend it enough. I did actually submit our story, simply because my girl was one of the longest survivors, but it hasn't been included on the website.
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Re: My kitty just recently got diagnosed..

Post by booktigger »

Some good advice from the others, what did her bloodwork test for? There is a link between low potassium (common with CKD) and mobility issues, so there might be a link between the walking and her kidneys, in which case a supplement could help a lot.
Kayv1tarantino
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Re: My kitty just recently got diagnosed..

Post by Kayv1tarantino »

Very cool!
I will def use the website*
Your advice is golden *I do very much appreciate you taking your time out to try and help mama & I thru.
I am terribly sorry for my delayed response. I'm trying to juggle all of these things at once & unfortunately do drop the ball from time to time.

To Fjm -
Thank you for the recipe!
Is there any tips you can give me, any dos and don'ts pertaining to when cooking for our fur babies..
Any other recipes you may have too?

As for the question from booktigger -
The vet didn't get much involved when it came to the results of her bloodwork. Maybe it's cause he thought we wouldn't of been able to understand it ?
He did say that her kidney levels were elevated and that her cratnin (if that is spelt correctly) was creeping up.
Could we utilize that info, would it benefit me any to get a print out of those results?
Low potassium?? At first her walk was like a drunken sailor type of walk. Not now. Thankfully Her walk has gotten way way better. She can fend now. She was very bad..couldn't even stand to get up into the litter box. And when I brought her there she would just lay there and pee on herself. After that I'd get warm hot water and a wash cloth to wipe her and give her a body bath. Now she can get to the litter box by herself and her water bowl. I still have to hand feed her each time. Then again that more than likely is cause she is spoiled.. shes been being hand fed a long time before these episode.

This is the second time that this has happened. The first time the episode happened we didn't do the bloodwork.. we nursed her as we are now and thank God that yes it did get better. Then she got hit with it again basically the same symptoms this second time as the first however it is taking longer to come back when comparing it to the first episode.
What scares me is that it happened twice all within say a months timing.
To hear that something as simple as a low potassium level could have thrown her walk like it did scares me. Also makes me think what if am I doing wrong that could've made that happen??!

Thanks so much for all of the valuable Intel from each of you guys!!

I gotta keep my day moving & get mama some eats*
Oh one more thing.. can you guys please help me to pick out a good well not just a good food really a great cat food for ma. A dry and wet food if possible. Maybe give me two or three different name brands. Just incase she doesn't like one of them.
I reside in connecticut. Do you know if any of these food companies will send me free samples for mama to try. You know, a speciality food for her specific disorder. This kidney disease.
Very good
Okay guys.. I'll talk later on
Gods blessings to you all!
-Karen & Mama♡
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fjm
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Re: My kitty just recently got diagnosed..

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Cats can be very picky when it comes to food, and CKD cats even more so. I would certainly try for free samples if you can get them, but none were available in the UK when I looked. I went to one of the big online sites and chose a mix of different textures and flavours - I have heard good things about chewy.com in the US, so they may be worth a try. Once I found a food Tilly liked I bought more of that - she likes the Purina Pro Plan chicken sachets and the Kattovit renal dry, but products and formulations may be different in the US, and your cat may have completely different tastes. As cats with kidney disease pee a lot wet food is better than dry, but the important thing is to try and maintain weight and muscle - I give Tilly the sachets, home cooked, and dry to browse on as well.

If you are home cooking it is a good idea to add a little organ meat (5% liver, 5% other organs like kidney) as organs have nutrients that muscle meat lacks. Cats need taurine, which is higher in muscles that are used a lot - heart meat is very high in taurine if you can find it, and chicken thighs are higher than chicken breast, so they are a good choice. Fish, rabbit and poultry are the best protein sources for cats, but I like to add a little ground beef just to ensure a wider range of nutrients. It is important to keep the phosphorus/calcium balance, but bone - the obvious source of calcium - is very high in phosphorus and the aim for CKD cats is to reduce the level of phosphorus to protect the kidneys, so ground eggshell is a better source. 1 teaspoonful per kilo of meat, or 1/2 teaspoonful per pound, is about right. You can grind it in a clean coffee grinder or manually with a pestle and mortar - I then sieve it to be sure it is fine enough.

It is possible that Mama's balance issues have been due to potassium deficiency, but as your vet diagnosed a severe ear infection I would suspect they may have been vestibular disease - it may be worth asking your vet about it.
Kayv1tarantino
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Re: My kitty just recently got diagnosed..

Post by Kayv1tarantino »

Hello again and a very blessed and belated happy Christmas +merry new year to you & Tilly!!
Thanx for the info.
Between every day life and work.. you know just trying to sustain, juggling it all. In spare time I've been doing all the research that I can. Esp since this little baby mama cat is supposed to and needs to be on a renal diet now. I'm trying to research these so called "renal prescription" diet cat foods. I've come across some alarming information. Quite worrisome.
I'll see if I can link it here for you guys to watch, tell me what you think too..
(I'll attach it to a new post.)

I don't know which food to put her on. Beside me home cooking as much as I can for her. I know that I cannot supply her with all the necessary nutrients that she needs &requires. (Atleast until I get more info on how to handle this renal diet again this is all new to us.) So that being said I do need to as quickly as possible help her in providing a wet and dry cat renal system. Mixed with some home cooking. My father and I are looking around for what would be considered thee " best " kidney food for her and yeah we came across this info and it includes big names that are quote well known and called "top quality"" food brands. So my head is spinning even more, hah.
Honestly today is my day off with a bunch of errands to get done on a late start up. I was going to go to petco to pick up the royal canin brand to try mama on it but that brand is mentioned to be one of the foods tested and now with questionable quality.
Ahh..
Oh on a last note. With my absence for days on here please do not think I am running away or ignoring you. Your the only ones coming thru with good solid information I can rely on so it seems. I appreciate your time and all.

Mamy thanks from Mama & I! ♡♡
Okay I'll get back
Gods blessing to all.
Kayv1tarantino
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Re: My kitty just recently got diagnosed..

Post by Kayv1tarantino »

How lab tests show pet food ingredients are no better or cleaner than off-shelf brands
https://wjla.com/features/7-on-your-sid ... ngredients
Kayv1tarantino
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Re: My kitty just recently got diagnosed..

Post by Kayv1tarantino »

FDA to investigate after ABC7 exposes euthanasia drug in dog food | WJLA
http://wjla.com/features/7-on-your-side ... n-dog-food
Kayv1tarantino
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Re: My kitty just recently got diagnosed..

Post by Kayv1tarantino »

Dog foods pulled from shelves nationwide after ABC7 investigation finds euthanasia drug | WJLA
http://wjla.com/features/7-on-your-side ... nasia-drug
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fjm
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Re: My kitty just recently got diagnosed..

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I would stop putting yourself into a panic! Pet food is subject to regular recalls, just as is human food - it shows the system of tests and checking is working. Unless you grow and raise all your own food completely organically far away from any possibility of wind drift from commercial growers food is going to contain pesticides - you can reduce the levels as far as possible, but in the modern world it is almost impossible to avoid them, yet most people are living much longer and healthier lives than 100 years ago. The point of prescription foods (very few of which need a prescription) is not that they are somehow "purer" than supermarket food, but that they are formulated to reduce certain symptoms - in the case of CKD diets they have reduced levels of phosphorus, which is known to hasten the decline of kidney function. Some also have higher levels of potassium to compensate for that lost through increased urination, and they may also have lower levels of protein - high protein in the later stages of CKD can make cats feel so sick they no longer want to eat, although it may be best not to reduce it too far in the early stages.

The one easy intervention that has been proven to increase a cat's healthy life span after a diagnosis of CKD is to feed a low phosphorus diet, or to give a drug that reduces the amount of phosphorus absorbed from food. If you choose a reputable one (preferably a wet food) that your cat will eat, supplement it with a little high quality protein like chicken or fish, and then monitor how well she does on it, aiming to at least maintain current weight, you are giving her the best possible chance. It is extremely unlikely the food you give her will contain dangerous levels of any contaminant - there is a useful article here https://thebark.com/content/pentobarbital-pet-food on the background to the pentobarbital scandal.
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Re: My kitty just recently got diagnosed..

Post by csrb7007 »

Hello all, We have a 17 year old female with hyperthyroidism and CKD. Approximately 6-8 months ago we switched her diet to a raw chicken meat diet with a supplement additive. Our vet, with whom I don't have a ton of faith in, says her lab readings are looking great and to keep up with what we're doing. I was just looking at the reading and noticed her cholesterol was very high...324. She does still drink roughly a cup of water a day and eats 4+ times a day (1-2 ice cubes of raw meat) each time. Poops very little, pees a lot, plays like a kitten some times.

I'd really like to get someone to tell me what her readings mean and what I can and cannot do to make sure my baby is getting the best care available.

Thank you
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Mollycat
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Re: My kitty just recently got diagnosed..

Post by Mollycat »

A raw meat diet may not be the best thing for a cat with hyperthyroidism and CKD. If you don't have faith in your vet I'd be thinking of changing vet rather than taking on this complex and conflicting multi condition combo alone.

There is a ton of really good information, very well researched, here http://www.felinecrf.org/index.htm - Helen is not a vet but she does know her stuff and her approach is sensible. There is a specific section for cats with hyperthyroidism.

Pooping little is normal on a raw diet, peeing a lot is a key symptom of both conditions. High cholesterol alone doesn't mean a lot on its own but can go with many different problems, so a vet needs to go through the whole list of blood results with you. We're not vets anyway.
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