A bit overwhelmed here...

BluOnyx

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My 14-year-old cat started peeing all over everything, straining to pee, blood in the urine. Got his urine tested and he is showing that he has inflamed kidneys. I wasn't told he has kidney disease but he needs to be on a special diet because he is heading that way. He is a very picky eater. I have been trying to find food that is low in phosphorus and sodium and I am struggling to find something he will eat. He is severely underweight (ribs showing) and he keeps throwing up from not eating. I got some slippery elm to help with his stomach upset which will be here tomorrow because the vet said the inflammation causes nausea and loss of appetite and this should help but I still don't know what to feed him. I feel like I am going to lose him if he doesn't start eating. He just hides all day and goes in and out of his box trying to pee constantly. The only thing he ever wants to eat is canned Fancy Feast and he can't eat that anymore and even before me finding out his diet had to change, he was hardly eating that. I don't know what to do and feel helpless. His bloodwork will be in tomorrow but likely won't show anything because I got it tested not that long ago and he was very healthy on paper. I just don't understand. I thought this might be stress-induced cystitis (FIC) but from my understanding, that is a bladder issuer more than a kidney issue. I just don't know what to do.
 

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Hi. I am sorry for what your little guy is going through. I just starting researching pre-CKD, so I don't know a lot. But, Jem Jem just shared a chart (see link below) with me that lists low-phosphorus foods that might help you a bit. She also provided some helpful tips on how to access the chart:
"The actual list of foods, starts on page 5. (the link I gave you is the PDF version) It's in alphabetical order, so If you feed Fancy Feast for example, you need to scroll down to page 14. The Chicken Feast is listed to have 430/100kcals, where as the Turkey and Giblet is 355/100kcals. But both foods are fine foods for every feeding...as long as the type of protein is accepted by kitty...but one just has a slightly lower phosphorus content. If the food is still nutritionally complete I see no harm in choosing some of the low"ER" ones. But that's just my opinion.

On the far left, which is in grey, is the name of the food. At the top, in big letters, it will tell you the brand, then the following names are the different flavors/proteins. Then the next three columns are Protein/Fat/Carb %s, Then the phosphorus content by 100Kcals, then the calories per 5.5oz can...unless otherwise specified (some don't come in 5.5oz cans)
."

There also is a web site that is dedicated to CKD that you might want to check out as well - link also below.
I hope this helps while you wait for more experienced members to come along and offer their input.
Food Chart 2017 FIX NATION 12-3-18 (catinfo.org)
Tanya's Comprehensive Guide to Feline Chronic Kidney Disease - Everything You Need to Know to Help Your Cat (felinecrf.org)

EDIT: I hope they have given you some meds for inflammation and for his nausea!
 
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BluOnyx

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Hi. I am sorry for what your little guy is going through. I just starting researching pre-CKD, so I don't know a lot. But, Jem Jem just shared a chart (see link below) with me that lists low-phosphorus foods that might help you a bit. She also provided some helpful tips on how to access the chart:
"The actual list of foods, starts on page 5. (the link I gave you is the PDF version) It's in alphabetical order, so If you feed Fancy Feast for example, you need to scroll down to page 14. The Chicken Feast is listed to have 430/100kcals, where as the Turkey and Giblet is 355/100kcals. But both foods are fine foods for every feeding...as long as the type of protein is accepted by kitty...but one just has a slightly lower phosphorus content. If the food is still nutritionally complete I see no harm in choosing some of the low"ER" ones. But that's just my opinion.

On the far left, which is in grey, is the name of the food. At the top, in big letters, it will tell you the brand, then the following names are the different flavors/proteins. Then the next three columns are Protein/Fat/Carb %s, Then the phosphorus content by 100Kcals, then the calories per 5.5oz can...unless otherwise specified (some don't come in 5.5oz cans)
."

There also is a web site that is dedicated to CKD that you might want to check out as well - link also below.
I hope this helps while you wait for more experienced members to come along and offer their input.
Food Chart 2017 FIX NATION 12-3-18 (catinfo.org)
Tanya's Comprehensive Guide to Feline Chronic Kidney Disease - Everything You Need to Know to Help Your Cat (felinecrf.org)
Thank you. Would you happen to know what number I should stay under for phosphorus and sodium? I am so confused with this.
 

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Find a good quality food and slowly transition him to it, it's more important that he eats something right now. If he goes too long without eating he will develop fatty liver disease and that could, and in his current condition probably would, kill him.
 
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BluOnyx

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Find a good quality food and slowly transition him to it, it's more important that he eats something right now. If he goes too long without eating he will develop fatty liver disease and that could, and in his current condition probably would, kill him.
Should I just give him whatever he will eat until I find something? I don't want things to get worse for him.
 

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BluOnyx BluOnyx - Talien Talien is correct. So, here are some foods you can try right now to see if you can get him to eat. Worry about the phosphorus later.
  • Baby food meats – make sure it doesn’t contain any garlic or onions (Gerber Stage 2 and/or Beechnut)
  • Canned tuna or chicken in water
  • Salmon
  • Sardines (make sure there are no bones)
  • Chicken or turkey - deli meats
  • Rich kitten food
  • Fish, tuna or BBQ flavored canned wet food
  • Kentucky Fried Chicken or any similar product
In addition to those, I have seen many cats will eat Tiki Cat Mousse too, so another thing to try. Lickable treats are not complete foods, but better than nothing to get him eating again - Applaws, Vitakraft, Wholehearted, Tiki Cat Stix, Inaba Churu. And, there are also nutritional pastes you could see if he would eat - those would help with extra calories. Hopefully, you can find any/all of these in one of your local pet stores.
 
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BluOnyx

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BluOnyx BluOnyx - Talien Talien is correct. So, here are some foods you can try right now to see if you can get him to eat. Worry about the phosphorus later.
  • Baby food meats – make sure it doesn’t contain any garlic or onions (Gerber Stage 2 and/or Beechnut)
  • Canned tuna or chicken in water
  • Salmon
  • Sardines (make sure there are no bones)
  • Chicken or turkey - deli meats
  • Rich kitten food
  • Fish, tuna or BBQ flavored canned wet food
  • Kentucky Fried Chicken or any similar product
In addition to those, I have seen many cats will eat Tiki Cat Mousse too, so another thing to try. Lickable treats are not complete foods, but better than nothing to get him eating again - Applaws, Vitakraft, Wholehearted, Tiki Cat Stix, Inaba Churu. And, there are also nutritional pastes you could see if he would eat - those would help with extra calories. Hopefully, you can find any/all of these in one of your local pet stores.
Is boiled chicken in low sodium broth okay? I did make that for him and he does eat some of that but unfortunately, puked it back up last night. I can try that again if that is okay.
 

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Should I just give him whatever he will eat until I find something? I don't want things to get worse for him.
Feed him what he is currently eating and use that to transition him to a new food. You do that by mixing a small amount of the new food with the current food and if he eats that, the next day add a tiny bit more of the new and keep doing that until he's eating just the new food. If you try giving him a new food straight away it will probably have him throwing up and then he may never want to touch that food again, Cats have sensitive stomachs and can be very picky so just take it slow.

But if he won't eat his current food then the list that FeebysOwner FeebysOwner has good options for just getting nutrients and calories into him right now.
 

FeebysOwner

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Is boiled chicken in low sodium broth okay? I did make that for him and he does eat some of that but unfortunately, puked it back up last night. I can try that again if that is okay.
Boiled chicken is fine to try again.

Did the vet prescribed any meds for him while you are waiting on test results? Does the vet know that he is not wanting to eat and is throwing up? If not, call them and tell them what is going on. And, if he will eat Fancy Feast, give it to him for now. Getting him back to eating is much more important than worrying right now about food changes.
 
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BluOnyx

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Boiled chicken is fine to try again.

Did the vet prescribed any meds for him while you are waiting on test results? Does the vet know that he is not wanting to eat and is throwing up? If not, call them and tell them what is going on. And, if he will eat Fancy Feast, give it to him for now. Getting him back to eating is much more important than worrying right now about food changes.
The vet knows everything. He wanted him on one of those prescription diets and my cat will not eat that food. No prescription medication. He didn't have any infection or anything, just higher proteins in the urine than normal. Last year he had traces of it and now he has 3+ (I believe that is what it read) on his results with signs of crystal debris. I think they are so high because he has been getting more dry than normal the last few weeks. He usually only gets dry treats but I have been giving him fancy feast dry along with his wet since he started throwing up more and turning away his food, I just left it out for him. Something I regret doing now.
 
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BluOnyx

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I may as well ask, are freeze-dried treats okay? I give those to my other cat who has chicken allergies. If those are okay for cats with kidney inflammation, I will switch him to those.
 

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I honestly don't know, but I can't imagine those would be any more harmful than anything else at this point. If those get him to eating again, I would do it. They are not complete nutritionally, so eventually he will need to eat other foods. But, as said before, the key now is to get him back eating.

Tell your vet that he won't eat the prescription food and ask for some alternatives.
 
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BluOnyx

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No I mean as treats in general, not for eating now.

I did get him to eat a little under half a can of Fancy Feast chicken pate.
 
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BluOnyx

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I am hoping the slippery elm will bring his stomach back. A lot of vets seem to recommend the stuff for issues like this.

Would giving him fish oil help? I was reading that was beneficial for inflammation. I was looking at the Nordic Naturals Omega-3 Pet fish oil.
 

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I am hoping the slippery elm will bring his stomach back. A lot of vets seem to recommend the stuff for issues like this. Would giving him fish oil help? I was reading that was beneficial for inflammation. I was looking at the Nordic Naturals Omega-3 Pet fish oil.
I am not sure if it were me I would keep adding stuff right now until you have his tummy settled down and he is eating more normally again. But, yes, eventually adding some Omega-3 could be beneficial.
 
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BluOnyx

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I am not sure if it were me I would keep adding stuff right now until you have his tummy settled down and he is eating more normally again. But, yes, eventually adding some Omega-3 could be beneficial.
I give him water with supplements. I wouldn't add it to his food until he was eating normally. I have been giving him water each night with a liquid multi-vitamin for a few months now since his appetite has not been great. He has had this be an on-going issue for a year and a half now and I have taken him to different vets without them figuring out what was wrong.

Since his urinalysis is showing protein, it is assumed he has kidney inflammation. This is the third one (urine test) he has had since this started and the first to show this as it is. He has a blood test about 6 months ago and I was told he is completely healthy, especially for his age. This is why I assumed it was FIC. I don't know if FIC can actually cause inflammation in the kidneys or not though. I can't seem to find a vet that knows enough about FIC to begin with.

For reference though, he is VERY sensitive to stress and actually has stress seizures. I know for cats that do have FIC, they have a poor stress response which is another reason why I had assumed it to be that. Either way, I just want to focus on him eating again and then go from there. I don't want this to become full-blown kidney disease.
 

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I don't know what all the vet did to determine kidney inflammation (vs. other urinary tract issues), and I don't understand - besides a dietary change - why the vet(s) wouldn't do more. I found a couple of articles (see links below) one of which discusses reasons for high protein in urine and the other talks about kidney inflammation. As best I can tell, most vets would prescribe antibiotics given there could be an infection behind the problem.

I don't know where you are located, but if you are being told by these vets that they can't pinpoint the problem, is there a chance any of them would be willing to consult with a vet university? These schools teach their students about all kinds of conditions, some of which might never be seen in an actual practice. I have also included a link to a web site for vets who specialize in nephrology and urology, but this is only applicable if you are located in the US.
Excess Protein in the Cat's Urine | PetMD
Kidney Inflammation in Cats - Symptoms, Causes, Diagnosis, Treatment, Recovery, Management, Cost (wagwalking.com)
American Society of Veterinary Nephrology and Urology (asvnu.org)
 
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BluOnyx

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I don't know what all the vet did to determine kidney inflammation (vs. other urinary tract issues), and I don't understand - besides a dietary change - why the vet(s) wouldn't do more. I found a couple of articles (see links below) one of which discusses reasons for high protein in urine and the other talks about kidney inflammation. As best I can tell, most vets would prescribe antibiotics given there could be an infection behind the problem.

I don't know where you are located, but if you are being told by these vets that they can't pinpoint the problem, is there a chance any of them would be willing to consult with a vet university? These schools teach their students about all kinds of conditions, some of which might never be seen in an actual practice. I have also included a link to a web site for vets who specialize in nephrology and urology, but this is only applicable if you are located in the US.
Excess Protein in the Cat's Urine | PetMD
Kidney Inflammation in Cats - Symptoms, Causes, Diagnosis, Treatment, Recovery, Management, Cost (wagwalking.com)
American Society of Veterinary Nephrology and Urology (asvnu.org)
He didn't have any trace of infection in his report which is why I am assuming he didn't prescribe anything. Maybe the blood work would be more telling for something like this. Those results will be back tomorrow.

I feel like a lot of vets in this area are practicing some outdated practices which is why I am not getting a proper answer. If the diet change doesn't help, I am going to have to try another vet.
 
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BluOnyx

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Okay so his blood work is showing everything is normal other than being low on potassium so we are going to go pick that up today. What could cause this? Just not eating enough or is this tied in with kidney issues?
 
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