17 is old for a cat. You will know when he is starting to go downhill. Cats will start loosing their muscle mass.

17 is old for a cat. You will know when he is starting to go downhill. Cats will start loosing their muscle mass.

I haven't dealt with the disease in cats, only with a dog, but here are 2 sites I keep in mind when feeding my cats. This site is written by a veterinarian, and this site is about the importance protein vs phosphorus in the diet. Few vets are knowledgeable about diet and follow the basic protocol of feeding what they've been taught.

My vet is great, but he's no help when it comes to diet. Fortunately, he's on board when I tell him of diet changes I've made for my pets and he acknowledges the benefits of homemade diets. He just can't recommend any specific one.

It sounds like you have a health 17 yr old cat and many cats can live to their 20's. I assume they checked him for diabetes?

Personally, I agree with Dr. Pierson's statement "‘Renal’ diets restrict protein to the point that many cats – those that are not consuming enough of the diet to provide their daily protein calorie needs – will catabolize (use for fuel) their own muscle mass which results in muscle wasting and weight loss."

© 2018 Feline Nutrition Foundation

Read more at https://feline-nutrition.org/health/phosphorus-can-be-key-for-kidneys 
All content on this website is © Feline Nutrition Foundation 2008 – present. Individual authors may have additional copyrights. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from the Feline Nutrition Foundation is strictly prohibited.

It sounds like your kitty is doing quite well. Our cat died at age 17 with kidney failure. She got bad enough that we administered fluids at home. We stood her on the washing machine, hung the fluid bag on the cupboard knob and DH did the actual administration. She didn't even feel it.

She had very little appetite, and the vet gave us something (Cipro?) to stimulate her appetite. We were uncertain about when it was "time," but the vet asked us if she was still enjoying anything in life. Sunning? Playing? Or just sitting in misery, unable to groom? To be honest, and sorry to say, we let her go too long, she suffered a couple days, and it's a sad memory. We bottle fed her as a kitten with eyes closed, so it was a hard loss.

As for food, cats don't always appreciate diet change. Seems to me canned food is recommended for the extra fluid.

Good luck with your dear pet, and you are wise to ask and collect information. I think there are one or two forums somewhere dedicated to cats with kidney failure.

Thank you for your input/experience! Yeah it is always hard to see pets get old. As I said, at this moment he still looks great........looks and acts like a much younger cat, so fingers crossed he keeps it up for a bit longer! He does eat canned food........ate mostly canned food during his life but we have cut out the dry completely at this point. Never a fussy eater.. I know some cats don't like to drink water but luckily that is not a problem so he keeps himself well hydrated.

He has done well...........found as a young kitten discarded on the side of I-95 just south of Philadelphia. My kids have grown up with him.

Annz beat me to posting Lisa Pierson DVM's website on feline nutrition - as she puts it cats are "obligate carnivores with a low thirst drive." Which means as a desert animal, the cat evolved to get much or most water from the bodies of its prey and eat almost exclusively meat. Its the modern dry kibble diet high in grains/carbs that's the problem and not something inherently wrong with the cat. Basically when they first started to make catfood they just took the dogfood recipe and reduced the size - only recently have manufacturers started to look at what makes a good feline diet.

Anyway in addition to moving to exclusively wet food, I would highly suggest getting a cat fountain - my cat loves it and has increased his water intake. My vet suggests starting to mix in water into the canned food to further increase water intake - we're working on that.

One of my old girls lived to 22 - was just starting to develop kidney trouble but the congestive heart failure got her first. So your guy likely has at least 5 more years in him, if hes in this good a shape at 17.

My cat was diagnosed with kidney issues at around 16 years old. We just had to put her down this spring at 21+. She lived a long and happy and uneventful life with her kidney issues. I provided water dishes for her around the house and she drank a LOT of water. She ate (and ate, and ate) a single flavor (her choice - salmon) of a single brand of supermarket canned cat food, and a saucer of half-and-half every day. Maybe a couple of mouthfuls of dry cat food or a few crunchy treats a day, although she had lost a lot of teeth over the years. My wonderful vet (cats only) took a conservative approach to changing her diet, saying that unless/until she showed any real progression of symptoms, the major goal was to keep weight on her - she was always a tiny girl, only 7-8 pounds at her heaviest and she weighed about 5 lbs for the last 3-4 years of her life.

She was active, talkative, affectionate, social, and out and about up until about a month before the end, when she gradually started sleeping more. She was primarily an indoor cat, although she liked to sit out on the top step of the deck on sunny days, and would stroll out the 50 feet to visit the resident catnip plant most days Spring through Fall. She slept most of the day and would come out to socialize in my lap in the evening. She and one of my dogs (Chihuahua mix rescue from Puerto Rico) had a very special close and physical relationship (I called them the "bed buddies").

I noticed this past March that she was losing her appetite, although her behavior was unchanged.. she still went on a tear or two each day, racing from one room to the next and climbing the cat tower. When she stopped drinking as well, I knew it was time and took her in to the same vet who had checked her out when I brought her home from an adoption event 21 years ago. We both sent her off with good long cuddles.

So... I know we probably had a much easier time of it than many people who have cats with failing kidneys. Just wanted to let you know that you may have many great years ahead of both of you!

Susan

Susan thank you for sharing your story!!!!

Great story Susan! So nice to hear your vet's approach since, IMO, so many hit our pets with way too many meds/treatments that aren't needed. Your cat lived a very good life and it's mainly because you knew what worked best for your cat. To see her special treat was half&half was so cute. : )

Do hope her little 'bed buddy' is doing ok.

I just came across this photo of the "Bed Buddies" taken a few years ago. When we adopted the rescue dog Peggy Sue about 7 years ago, she and Pebbles the cat (pre-kidney issues) immediately started a tempestuous, physical, rough-and-tumble "courtship" that lasted several months. Seemed like they couldn't get enough of---or keep their paws off---each other. I never saw anything like it between any of my cats and dogs. They chased, wrestled, clawed, nipped, howled, growled, chewed on each others' heads, and ambushed each other throughout the day but just came back for more. And then retired together to the bed between rounds. No one got hurt or traumatized, it really seemed like they were enjoying it immensely. They would both instigate, and there was no anger, aggression, or fear involved, just a whole lot of physical energy and attraction that needed to get worked out. As Pebbles aged and the puppy grew up, it all got a lot calmer, but they stayed best friends. This pose was typical:

Susan

Awesome pic! Cat had another follow up appt. recently. Bloodwork all in all good but showed some definite kidney disease. Blood pressure still good. They want to put him on half kidney food, half regular food (both wet). I think I see some signs of aging that were not apparent a year ago but he is still active, grooming, playing and enjoying life. He continues to drink very well on his own. A very calm, easy-going cat at home he becomes a horrible monster during exams, than back to himself (even in the vet office) post exam LOL

Your cat is very old so it is expected for her to get some problem..

Cats have a problem with water because it is so impossible for them to drink enough of it.. It is very important to keep your cat hydrated and the best way to do this is to provide them with wet food and with a water fountain for cats.

Here is a great article from Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine where you can actually get proper info about the cat's kidney problems

https://www2.vet.cornell.edu/departments-centers-and-institutes/cornell-feline-health-center/health-information/feline-health-topics/chronic-kidney-disease

i am so sorry to hear, i know i am late, but i have had problems with my boy for years. i use the stuff you put on the paws, it works great. i have had numerous non cat vets up here tell me my kids won't survive. i nurse their nondrinking problems with the special water for babies - sorry brain burp. and kitten formula. use chicken broth sometimes too. also, butter and eggs, make my little girl very happy. my boy is now 16. he lost his twin sister. oh yes, going outside is far better for them. my boy only gets sick on the weekend.

I first discovered the outside with my cat years ago. he kept getting ill. it was very expensive and the food was ungodly expensive and not helping. i finally was going to take him in and have him put down. he ran out and i was exhausted after my 2nd job and my child, to do anything. cane back the next morning like nothing was wrong. my little house now has a 6 foot fence outside the chidren happily lay out all summer, 40 ft porch for when it rains. oh and shazbut - cat from 20 years ago, lived in tampa with no fence on normal food for another 9 years making him 18 when some nasty person ran him over. true it was a horrible end, but if he had not gone out, he would have died at 9.

woodnative - I know that I too am very late in answering this post. However, I wanted to say that I agree with your vet's suggestion to add the kidney food to your cat's diet. First thing I thought of . Many people whose pets have kidney issues follow this route and as I always say that if you don't try it you won't know. In Canada we would buy the food from our vet - made by Hill's.

I hope you kitty is doing well. One of our cats lived to be 21 and was in great health until the end. She too was great buddies with our dog.

Update........15 months after my original post..... cat is now 18....almost 18.5 yo and still doing ok but recently slowing down more, not eating as well (and he was always a very food motivated cat). On kidney food and some meds for kidney and thyroid and recently added one for blood pressure (which was not too bad but a little high). He has lost weight, but still grooms himself well and enjoys life........so I will take all the time I can get while he still has quality of life!.

Have you tried giving him Purina Feline Fortiflora? It's helpful if they don't want to eat.

Update, our feline friend passed three days ago. He was doing very well, other than sleeping more and had some difficulty jumping up and climbing steps. We had taken him back to the vet about 2 weeks ago for a follow up to the September appt. He was doing well and was supposed to come back in January sometime for routine bloodwork. He did not like the kidney food much (would eat it slowly over time....and this is a cat that would normally eat anything) and the vet said we could add some of the regular cat food he used to like into mix. He LOVED this again and was eating everything morning and night and gaining some weight back. The morning he died was very routine. Later he was laying in his usual spot on the back of the couch. My wife saw him and greeted him there about 3 pm. About 4:15 she passed by again and he was stretched out awkwardly with labored breathing. We got him in a carrier and to the vet where we had him put down, though he would probably have passed shortly anyway we made it easier. I am thankful for the time we had with him and I am thankful that his death was relatively quick and that he enjoyed life up until the end. Rest in Peace