Best Food To Prevent Kidney Disease In The Future

[gldustwm]

Hi,
I am new here. I have had one cat who succumbed to kidney disease at age 8 and now my 12 year old kitty was just diagnosed with renal failure. It really is heartbreaking and makes me wonder what I could have done to prevent this. The conclusion I have made is it's the food I feed them (Science Diet Dry).

I now have one healthy 5 year old kitty. I'm asking what is the best possible food to feed him combination of wet and dry that I can feed him to hopefully prevent him from getting this horrible disease. Yes, I am aware that wet food is healthier for cats, however, we do travel quite a bit and sometimes can't have someone to check on the cats every day so they must be able to eat some dry food. Also, my current kitty is very large and is overweight. I would like to put him on a diet. Thanks for any help!

 

[cheesycats]

Wet food. As much as you can. I understand not being able to always be around but while you are at home a strict wet food scheduled diet along with some play will help him shed pounds and keep his kidneys healthy. Constant dry food for years and years will cause kidney issues. That’s just the way it is. Find a few low carb wet foods and rotate those. For when you can’t feed wet food look at foods like dr elseys clean protein, natures variety raw boost, or young again zero carb food. Those are going to be your best bet for weight loss. Just be sure to be strict and only feed the recommended amounts a day. No free feeding. And making sure he has plenty wet food when you can will help keep his kidneys flushed and healthy.

 

[Furballsmom]

Hi!
You've gotten good advice! Lots of play, and canned food when you're home will do a lot regarding the weight issue. Also, a pet water fountain and filtered water can help, along with even adding a little water to the wet food if your cat will still eat it that way.

These may be helpful; CatFoodDB - Cat Food Reviews to help you find the best cat food for your cat

https://catinfo.org/docs/CatFoodProteinFatCarbPhosphorusChart.pdf

Just be sure to weigh your kitty, and do not allow the weight loss to happen too fast.

You want to be able to feel a thin layer over the ribs.
Here's an adult cat body chart, and also some self-entertaining toys, etc that might help as well
https://www.petmd.com/sites/default/files/nestle_purina_cat_body_condition_chart_crop.jpg

20 Best Interactive Cat Toys: The Ultimate List (2018) | Heavy.com

Home - the Ripple Rug

Food Puzzles for Cats

How To Make Your Home Bigger (at Least For Your Cats)

 

[1 bruce 1]

I understand not being able to feed wet food 24/7. It happens. If I were in your position I would opt to feed canned food daily whenever you can, as much as you can, and make dry continue to be a palatable source of food when wet food isn't available so they don't go off dry when you're not around (kidney cats need to eat SOMETHING!)
An automatic, timed feeder might work if you're away from your home and someone can only pop in a few times to scoop boxes, and they can offer wet food, but this way food is available, whenever you decide it's available.
The 24 hour a day dry food buffet can make things a pain to make sure they get enough wet food, so this might work on your day to day schedule, too, if you have a cat that isn't "into" any moisture rich food.
Have you thought about putting their water into a pet water fountain? Cats really seem to like this moving water business and it encourages them to drink more. The fountain needs to be taken apart and cleaned often, but it's not a big deal.
The protein thing is a bigger issue in later/end stage CKD and not so much the early part, but protein quality does matter.

 

[gldustwm]

Thanks for all your replies. Does anyone know the Phosphorus levels listed in some of these foods that were suggested? They really only list the protein and carb content and whether protein is the first ingredient, lack of fillers etc. Should the phoshporus content not be something I should be concerned about right now anyway?

Also, as being more of an "expert" than me - what soft/canned food do YOU feed your cat? That would help me choose. Thanks

 

[Name9335]

All wet diet, or if you can, a balanced raw diet. That is the most biologically appropriate thing for them.

 

[Furballsmom]

Hi!
Did you have a chance to see this regarding phosphorus?
It is something to be aware of
http://catinfo.org/docs/CatFoodProteinFatCarbPhosphorusChart.pdf

A couple of foods my big kitty gets are Merrick rabbit and tiki cat (it has menadione but he doesn't leave me a lot of choices )

 

[lisahe]

Hi!
Did you have a chance to see this regarding phosphorus?
It is something to be aware of
http://catinfo.org/docs/CatFoodProteinFatCarbPhosphorusChart.pdf

A couple of foods my big kitty gets are Merrick rabbit and tiki cat (it has menadione but he doesn't leave me a lot of choices )

That chart is a great resource for checking phosphorus. Another good resource is this chart: Tanya's Comprehensive Guide to Feline Chronic Kidney Disease- Canned Food Data USA

I've asked two cat vets about phosphorus levels for relatively young cats and have been told not to worry about it. Cats need phosphorus and, particularly if the cat is eating wet food, there shouldn't be concerns. Even so, though, I don't like to feed a lot of foods with higher phosphorus. You'll see on the chart that some brands of food, like Weruva, tend to be lower in phosphorus than foods like, say, Fancy Feast. We feed a big variety of all wet foods, which is good for lots of things, including weight control! Among the canned brands: Weruva, Fancy Feast, Nutro Natural Choice, Wellness Core, Feline Natural, and Koha. The cats also eat a lot of homemade and raw food.

Our previous cat was a kidney cat so I understand your concern! I hope you're able to get your kidney cat's condition under control -- if it's early stage, sometimes a commercial diet of wet foods with lower phosphorus levels can help. Good luck.

 

[jen]

I believe I read that if you give them too little phosphorus when they aren't in kidney failure it can also cause issues. I agree otherwise with everyone above that canned food and lots of water is important. Getting the obese cat off dry and onto low carb and a controlled amount of food is going to be really important to prevent Diabetes. Lastly, male cats on only dry can get dehydrated and blocked so really there are a lot of reasons to get them on a mostly wet food. Use the dry as treats so that they stay used to it and you can use it if you are away.

 

[lisahe]

I believe I read that if you give them too little phosphorus when they aren't in kidney failure it can also cause issues.

Yes. Phosphorus is required by AAFCO (PDF here), with higher amounts for cats in growth and reproduction.

 

[dan32]

I've had a bunch of cats with CKD, although mine have been more geriatric (like 16-18) when they came down with it. 12 yo is kind of young for CKD. I hate to say it, but a kibble-only diet is convenient for us, bad for them.

The general rule is the more moisture in the diet, the better. If you have to leave food out because you're away, you could try the freeze-dried type raw foods that are admittedly dry (which you are trying to avoid), but at least not carb-laden - since you were also trying to aim at weight loss. Always, always have water out for them to drink.

 

[Rhall]

Just wanted to add I lost my last cat to renal failure at age 8 as well. It was truly heartbreaking. He would not eat canned at all. I thought I was feeding him a quality food but now I'm not so sure. I now have the kittens in the pic. They love canned and I have dry available. I am now just trying to find the most affordable quality canned available.

 

[Furballsmom]

Not to hijack the thread, but Rhall they are darling!! You could take a look at walmart, tractor supply (regular stores and online) and grocery stores for decent canned foods that aren't as expensive as some other brands