Cat Loved Hill's KD for a Year, But Now, She's Not a Big Fan

[michaelm101]

Mia, 16 yrs old, was diagnosed with kidney disease over a year ago and was prescribed a kidney formula. She was fine with it for over a year, but recently has developed a slight aversion to it. I place her methamizole into it and when she doesn't eat it, she's not getting the meds. She also appears to be losing some weight.

Thanks in advance for any advice!

 

[verna davies]

Welcome to the site michaelm101 and Mia. There's lots of good advice here so I hope you find the answer to Mia's eating problem.
Can you try a different food, she may be just fed up of the same one and its good to rotate for this reason.I know that Royal Canin and Pro Plan make a suitable food but not knowing what country you are in I dont know what is available to you.

 

[di and bob]

At 16 she needs her meds and to get some food into her. Get some 'lickable' treats at Walmart or online to put her meds in. I have not yet had a cat refuse it. They like the chicken and tuna and the tuna and whitefish ones the best. The stew or broth ones, mine did not like the bisque. She may be ready for a change. There are many kidney care foods out there, especially online, and at local farm supply stores like Tractor Supply. You could ask youe vet or research online which ones you would need.
I'm so sorry. She has to start eating to get better. She sure looks good in that picture! What a beautiful girl. At sixteen she is geriatric so needs a lot of pampering right now. I know for the last year of my Burt's life, I just fed him what he would eat to make him happy. He loved Arby's roast beef and shaved deli turkey. Just love her as hard and long as you can......

 

[LTS3]

This web site has good info, if you're not already familiar with it:

Tanya's Comprehensive Guide to Feline Chronic Kidney Disease - Everything You Need to Know to Help Your Cat

Methamizole can be compounded into easy to give forms that don't need to be hidden in food, such as a transdermal gel. Hiding medicine in food can result in food aversion.

When was the last vet visit? If it's been awhile it's a good idea to schedule one soon and have the weight loss checked out in case it's a symptom of another medical issue.

 

[stephanietx]

What is more important than a rx food is that your kitty eat. Reference the site from Tanya above for foods with low phosphorus content and try one of those. Many kidney kitty owners feed the classic Fancy Feast and have success with that.

 

[FeebysOwner]

Hi. Echo all the above information, especially LTS3 's suggestions. I would have her re-checked by the vet, especially given her age. And, as I understand it, she should be monitored quite frequently due to her taking methimazole for her hyperthyroidism in conjunction with kidney issues. A cat that age should probably have semi-annual check-ups, but I think in your case, it should probably be more often than that.

 

[Jem]

I have to agree that a vet visit is in order.
My boy would stop eating when he either needed more fluids (toxicity levels increased) or if he developed an abscess (CKD kitties are prone to mouth infections).
Do you give SubQ fluids to you cat? That was by far the best thing I could have done for my CKD kitty.
When the toxicity levels rise, it makes them feel sick. Cats will then associate their sick feeling to the food they are eating, which will cause an aversion to the food. To keep my boy eating I would consistently rotate the flavor of food I gave him. I had 6 different wet foods and 3 different dry foods that were switched up all the time. And of course the SubQ fluids kept his kidneys flushed so the toxicity would stay down.

 

[mommytobuck]

Have you tried heating the food up. For some reason that gets my cat eating almost anything he doesn't want to eat cold.

 

[Furballsmom]

You've gotten great advice - this below might also be useful, including using a popsicle stick to literally scoop small amounts of food into your kitty's mouth, repeatedly. Waiting for a reluctant cat to eat on his/her own can take too long, and as you mentioned, there is the issue of the meds.

Any Good Tips To Get Your Cats To Eat? Share Them Here!

 

[Jem]

Also, although this method of determining the severity of CKD has such wide margins, due to the fact that many cats don't tend to have a "baseline" documented prior to diagnosis. What "stage" of CKD is your kitty at?

 

[IndyJones]

Also, although this method of determining the severity of CKD has such wide margins, due to the fact that many cats don't tend to have a "baseline" documented prior to diagnosis. What "stage" of CKD is your kitty at?

From what I know of renal failure it is usually pretty advanced and the damage irreversible by the time any symptoms at all show. Because there's two kidneys if one fails the other compensates for it.

My cats aren't fond of hills food but apparently hills offers more formula styles than some of the other rx brands and they can be used interchangeably. My old cat who had kidney problems was on the hills food you mentioned and liked the stew version more than the loaf.

I think Purina veterinary diets and royal canin also make different kidney diets.

Cats are smarter than dogs when it comes to medicines especially if it adds a bitter taste to their food (think accidentally biting a pill) liquid medicine is usually much easier to give since it squirts directly into their cheak or jowel. Just make sure she gets her favourite treat as a reward afterward.

 

[IndyJones]

Also please don't force her to eat whatever you do, it can make her associate food with being grabbed and restrained and can also cause aspiration (choking).

 

[Jem]

From what I know of renal failure it is usually pretty advanced and the damage irreversible by the time any symptoms at all show. Because there's two kidneys if one fails the other compensates for it.

I was asking about what Stage her cat was in. My cat was first diagnosed while in "stage three", but we were able to keep him quite well for over 4 years with treatment. He went into "stage 4" (end stage) for the final year and passed at 20.
CKD is Chronic Kidney Disease not Renal Failure, although yes CKD means the kidneys are "failing" but not necessarily in acute failure.
I also understand when the damage is done, it's irreversible, but with treatment, like SubQs, which basically acts like dialysis for cats, you can help tremendously in a cats quality and length of life.
And not all cats are diagnosed with CKD in an advanced stage, some present with very mild symptoms and are diagnosed at a very early stage of the disease, and may even be diagnosed out of happenstance from regular check ups. So depending on where a cat is in the progression of the disease, there are many things that can be done to help which is why I asked about the progression/stage of the OPs cat.

 

[michaelm101]

Thanks all. Mia saw the vet about 4 months ago. She has an appointment on Monday. She always ate her KD food and I was overjoyed to know this after reading about many cats being aversive to it. Suddenly not eating it was a shocker. I intend to get creative with her food. In terms of her condition, I have read enough on it to get an associates degree in it!

BTW, that picture was Mia at about 2 years old. She still looks similar, but just a bit thinner...

 

[Furballsmom]

Let us know what happens

 

[michaelm101]

Doc said her overall blood work was good, but needed a new thyroid test. After using mirtazapine transdermal appetite stimulant and getting 3 days of successive methamizole administrations, I took her in for the thyroid test which yielded results that she needs double the dosage.

She is now back to her "roaring-for-food" self again. And she's gobbling up her prescription kidney food, which I have a supply of in 31 flavors...

She's spending much more time in my lap-- here as I type. All is well!

 

[michaelm101]

 

[Furballsmom]

which I have a supply of in 31 flavors...

lol

Seriously, though, I'm absolutely thrilled to read your update!!