Cat kidney diet issues... Wondering about Weruva?

[r-kins]

Hello all!

You may have seen my thread that my awesome cat, Freddie, has unfortunately been diagnosed with kidney disease at a young age. I'm doing the best I can, but he only likes the Royal Canin Loaf out of all the foods I've tried so far (Hill's, Purina, Royal Canin), and he's getting bored with it. Right now all I have left is Blue Buffalo which came barely recommended by the specialist who said they aren't that great with quality control. It's on its way, but odds are he isn't going to like it. He wants his old food back, which was Merrick canned patés. It doesn't help that his brother doesn't have kidney issues, so he's still eating the delicious stuff that Freddie can't have. (In an ironic twist, Finn wants the kidney food much more than his regular food.)

Weruva was recommended to me, so I thought I could try feeding it occasionally to break up the monotony Freddie is experiencing. He loved his wet food so much that I feel awful about him having to give it up, even if it's to extend his life. What's the point of even doing this if he's just miserable?

So anyway, I am very confused by the food charts. Would someone be able to help me out a bit and explain which foods are ok according to the charts?
I saw that Weruva has a line geared towards kidney cats (Wx). I know Tanya's CKD says to go for under 0.5% phosphorous, protein of around 35%, and sodium not higher than 0.2% if possible.

Freddie really prefers paté over chunks of meat, so I'm looking at both Wx and also the pate.
Here's the Wx chart: Wx - Phosphorus Focused Foods - Weruva | Because We Luvya
Do I go with "As fed" or "Dry Matter" when looking at the content? If I go with "As Fed" it looks like all of the Wx foods fit into the requirements? Phosphorous fine but protein is a bit high?
Here's the Cats in the Kitchen Patés chart as well: Cats in the Kitchen Patés Nutrition Information - Weruva | Because We Luvya
Is anything but the Wx close to suitable?

Thank you in advance for any help. I just want to make sure my cat eats and that it's as kidney safe as it can be. He doesn't really eat kibble so at least that's working for us.

 

[suzeanna]

I also have a kidney kitty. She was on canned Purina Pro rx for early renal but seemingly developed an allergy as evidenced by a hotspot after a couple months. I didn't really like it either since it had fish and I think rice. I also went through the Weruva options (wx phosphorous wasn't available yet) and settled on a combination of pate (Press Your Dinner) and a couple of shreds options (Paw Lickin Chicken and Steak Frites). We tried a few of the BFF PLAY pates but they're a different consistency (more blended/textured, not gelatinous) and she was pretty ambivalent about them. I do add water to all of her meals. The Steak Frites shreds are particularly good at being low phosphorus, I believe.

 

[FriendofFerals]

I've got three cats all in various stages of CKD due to age. I'm not dealing with prescriptions for all three. Check out "Dave's Restricted Diet Phosphorus – Chicken & Chicken Recipe Paté in Juice" (on Chewy). It has 0.15% Phosphorus just like the prescription stuff. It's still expensive ($59 on autoship) and it's low in protein so unless your vet says specifically to restrict protein also, it is NOT a complete food and needs to be mixed with something. I mix 50/50 with Blue Wilderness Chicken Pate and so far the Stage 2 cat has not gotten any worse in a year. That's all they eat...no treats or anything because phosphorous is the enemy when it comes to CKD.

 

[Furballsmom]

I know Tanya's CKD says to go for under 0.5% phosphorous, protein of around 35%, and sodium not higher than 0.2% if possible.

The website author briefly discusses "as fed" and dry matter food analysis methods. Unless she has had a chance to update her comment, a lot more cat food manufacturers have become more transparent about the nutritional makeup of their foods.

With that said, you want to utilize a consistent analysis method to compare, so if you want to use the "as fed" numbers from Tanyas site, you want to use "as fed" numbers elsewhere.

The Weruva WX is carageenan free, (all their varieties are at the minimum aafco requirements for iodine which matters for hyperthyroid kitties).

all of the Wx foods fit into the requirements?

This was basically the manufacturer's specific intent, to create an uber low phos food that people could use, per one of their reps' discussions with me

 

[GranolaLouise]

I tried hundreds of $$ on renal foods and she wouldn't eat ANY of them. One whiff at the bland stuff and she'd just walk away.
I know I would after eating Fancy Feast and Purina tasty stuff .
I finally got her to eat Royal Canin loaf D and T and E pate'. with an appetite stimulant med from the vet.. At times I have to rotate them.(she still refuses all Hill's ,no matter what I do to it)

re dry kibble:
One trick I found was to get a jar and fill it partially with Renal Kibble (I use the Royal Canin) She would never eat that before.
I then fill the jar more with Temptations Crunchy treats and also Greenies in another batch. The aroma from the treats permeates the bland renal kibble and she gobbles and eats it like it is a holiday of treats! But that trick is just to supplement her wet fods.
She drinks water, but also gets her water from wet foods.

re wet renal food:
I buy skinless chicken breasts and boil them in unsalted, plain water. I bottle the water(broth) and add a bit to her wet food and then top it off with a pinch of the chicken grated up in the blender. She loves it.
Your kitty may change her mind about the foods she was eating with this addition.
ALSO, about only 4 or 5 seconds in the microwave brings out the aroma in the Royal Loaf.

If you call Wureva and ask for samples, they will send you some . Their renal foods are chalk white , no smell, and have the consistency of watered down cream of wheat!. I gagged when I opened the cans!

 

[Furballsmom]

Their renal foods are chalk white

Huh. I have some cans downstairs, I'll have to check this out. However, it's more what the cat thinks than what we think

 

[r-kins]

The website author briefly discusses "as fed" and dry matter food analysis methods. Unless she has had a chance to update her comment, a lot more cat food manufacturers have become more transparent about the nutritional makeup of their foods, and they've added "as fed" numbers. As I recall, felinecrf utilizes "as fed".

With that said, you want to utilize a consistent analysis method to compare, so if you want to use the "as fed" numbers from Tanyas site, you want to use "as fed" numbers elsewhere.

The Weruva WX is carageenan free, (all their varieties are at the minimum aafco requirements for iodine which matters for hyperthyroid kitties).


This was basically the manufacturer's specific intent, to create an uber low phos food that people could use, per one of their reps' discussions with me

It says in the page intro on Tanya's CKD that it's "as fed," but it looks like at least with the Weruva, it matches up with the "dry matter" rather than "as fed". The "as fed" percentage for all foods is way lower and would fit with any normal cat food as well.

The two pages for comparison:

Wx - Phosphorus Focused Foods - Weruva | Because We Luvya

Weruva’s Wx Phos Focused Foods is a line of 5 recipes curated for cats with carefully selected animal based proteins, naturally low in phosphorus levels. 100% protein and fat calories with zero carbohydrates to promote muscle mass and maintain high palatability. Continue reading to find out...

weruva.com

https://www.felinecrf.org/canned_food_usa.htm

 

[r-kins]

Update: Freddie (shockingly) loved the Blue Buffalo and wolfed it down. Even if it's not the most recommended, if he eats it it's better than him starving.

Thanks for all of the information so far. I'm going through all of it slowly and replying.

 

[Furballsmom]

it matches up with the "dry matter"

You're right, my apologies for going on a faulty memory which had things backwards. I've asked for an edit on that so that my original post is less confusing

 

[r-kins]

You're right, my apologies for going on a faulty memory which had things backwards. I've asked for an edit on that so that my original post is less confusing

I don't think it's your memory since the opening paragraph does say "as fed" despite it showing the breakdown for "dry matter" in the tables. Maybe I should email the site and let her know?

 

[Furballsmom]

Maybe I should email the site and let her know?

You could, bless your heart for that

 

[r-kins]

I tried hundreds of $$ on renal foods and she wouldn't eat ANY of them. One whiff at the bland stuff and she'd just walk away.
I know I would after eating Fancy Feast and Purina tasty stuff .
I finally got her to eat Royal Canin loaf D and T and E pate'. with an appetite stimulant med from the vet.. At times I have to rotate them.(she still refuses all Hill's ,no matter what I do to it)

re dry kibble:
One trick I found was to get a jar and fill it partially with Renal Kibble (I use the Royal Canin) She would never eat that before.
I then fill the jar more with Temptations Crunchy treats and also Greenies in another batch. The aroma from the treats permeates the bland renal kibble and she gobbles and eats it like it is a holiday of treats! But that trick is just to supplement her wet fods.
She drinks water, but also gets her water from wet foods.

re wet renal food:
I buy skinless chicken breasts and boil them in unsalted, plain water. I bottle the water(broth) and add a bit to her wet food and then top it off with a pinch of the chicken grated up in the blender. She loves it.
Your kitty may change her mind about the foods she was eating with this addition.
ALSO, about only 4 or 5 seconds in the microwave brings out the aroma in the Royal Loaf.

If you call Wureva and ask for samples, they will send you some . Their renal foods are chalk white , no smell, and have the consistency of watered down cream of wheat!. I gagged when I opened the cans!

Those are all really good ideas! Freddie doesn't seem to love kibble all that much (it was probably a help to his kidneys before his diagnosis) but I am considering getting some in case I spend the night away. Right now he eats so little kibble they just have regular stuff out. The vet said it was ok for a night or so if I left them occasionally.

The chicken broth is such a good idea. I'm definitely going to keep that one in mind if I need it. Extra water is always a bonus!

 

[GranolaLouise]

I don't leave the kibble out, nor do I feed it to her as a meal. I use it as a treat in between the meals because she is ALWAYS looking for something to eat. It is just a few pieces, and here's why...
Kibble swells when it mixes with water in her stomach. Given that and the amount of wet foods she is eating , her stomach gets or feels overloaded and then she pukes it up.
2 nights ago she kept waking me up around 2 and then 3 and then4:30 etc and I just gave her a few kibbles to snack on until I could pull myself out from under the covers and get her breakfast. Sure enough, with the wet food she had eaten from the nighttime dish and the snack, I found a surprise on the kitchen floor in the morning which was Bounty worthy!
before adopting, I used to walk around my house barefoot or with just socks on..now I make sure I wear slippers for sure.
Yesterday I made some Pate'. I boiled a chicken breast and chopped it in the blender. I took 1/4 of it and blended it with a few Spoonfuls of the broth and she had a nice topping for her breakfast this morning. She LOVES it. It LOOKS like the weruva, but does not smell like it.
It has no 'special cat nutrients", but she gets those from the Royal Canin renal wet food underneath it.
Yesterday I did that with canned Tuna. I let the tuna sit in a tupperware for a little while with some water and just made a crumble from the tuna and added some tuna water and she loves that as a topper too.

 

[ailish]

Their renal foods are chalk white , no smell, and have the consistency of watered down cream of wheat!. I gagged when I opened the cans!

Weruva has one regular food that is stark white and the first time I opened it I just figured, "No way will she eat this." But I gave it to her and she could not care less. She has eaten it many times since without any problem. Now, my cat is not a picky eater, but she does know when something is different. Just saying, so people don't automatically assume their cats will not eat white food.

 

[GranolaLouise]

Weruva has one regular food that is stark white and the first time I opened it I just figured, "No way will she eat this." But I gave it to her and she could not care less. She has eaten it many times since without any problem. Now, my cat is not a picky eater, but she does know when something is different. Just saying, so people don't automatically assume their cats will not eat white food.

I had not tried the white regular foods. But I definitely have tried and was referring to the Weruva WX renal varieties and my cat won't eat those and they smell horrible.

 

[r-kins]

I don't leave the kibble out, nor do I feed it to her as a meal. I use it as a treat in between the meals because she is ALWAYS looking for something to eat. It is just a few pieces, and here's why...
Kibble swells when it mixes with water in her stomach. Given that and the amount of wet foods she is eating , her stomach gets or feels overloaded and then she pukes it up.
2 nights ago she kept waking me up around 2 and then 3 and then4:30 etc and I just gave her a few kibbles to snack on until I could pull myself out from under the covers and get her breakfast. Sure enough, with the wet food she had eaten from the nighttime dish and the snack, I found a surprise on the kitchen floor in the morning which was Bounty worthy!
before adopting, I used to walk around my house barefoot or with just socks on..now I make sure I wear slippers for sure.
Yesterday I made some Pate'. I boiled a chicken breast and chopped it in the blender. I took 1/4 of it and blended it with a few Spoonfuls of the broth and she had a nice topping for her breakfast this morning. She LOVES it. It LOOKS like the weruva, but does not smell like it.
It has no 'special cat nutrients", but she gets those from the Royal Canin renal wet food underneath it.
Yesterday I did that with canned Tuna. I let the tuna sit in a tupperware for a little while with some water and just made a crumble from the tuna and added some tuna water and she loves that as a topper too.

I'll definitely have to try doctoring up Freddie's food. I wanted to add a little kibble because I'm worried he isn't getting enough calories. He's very trim whereas his brother is a little chonk. The wet food is high volume so he can only eat so much before he feels full.