Kidney Failure - Readings from Bloods help

[Pudner1]

I have posted a few times here about my ginger cat - my best friend.

He was feral and after abortive attempts to get him into the vet, finally the vet gave me some Gabagentin to sedate him enough to allow him to be put into a cat carrier and brought to the vet. He has been poorly for some time - eating less and less, dull coat, sleeping a lot, depressed in himself. He smells metallic and bad. His anal glands were blocked and he isn't grooming himself as much.

When i called in this evening the vet told me he has kidney failure - his readings for Creatinine are 452 while the normal range is 71-212 mmol/L; his urea is 30.5 normal range is 5.7- 12.9 mmol/L; his phosphorus is 2.68 while the normal range is 1.00-2.42 mmol/L;

Because he is feral the vet said he couldn't be put on a drip as he would rip it out (that's a definite he would) and recommended a dry cat food for cats with kidney failure. I was advised he could not have wet food anymore as there is too much salt in it.

The vets were very nice to me as they could see how upset I was and may have sweetened the pill a little - could someone here please tell me from the blood values - how long does my cat have? I didn't know anything about stage 3 or 4 until I read it in some of the threads. The vets didn't say what stage he was at.

It was a nightmare trying to get him in a cage. I have been trying for months as he has been in to the vet twice previously (once by trap and the second by tricking him into the cat carrier with food - haven't been able to since.

To say I am upset is an understatement - I will never get another cat after this - too painful.

Pudner

 

[silent meowlook]

I haven’t heard that about not giving canned food. Canned food is better than dry. With kidney failure you need to have them stay hydrated. Ask your vet about doing sq fluids at home. It would greatly help him. If this is something you would try, I can give you tips for that.
There is no way to tell how long a cat has by the numbers on a blood test. I do know from working emergency that even feral cats cat have iv fluids. There are ways to keep them from pulling out their iv.
I would look at this site
Tanya's Comprehensive Guide to Feline Chronic Kidney Disease - Everything You Need to Know to Help Your Cat

 

[Furballsmom]

I was advised he could not have wet food anymore as there is too much salt in it.

This is absolutely incorrect.

To give you some information directly from Felinecrf.org which is referred to above, there are quite a few low sodium wet foods available.

Weruva brands is one of them (for example Truluxe Steak Frites), and additionally Weruva WX (no prescription required) is very low in phosphorus and reasonably low in sodium which is typically beneficial to Kidney-compromised cats. Also, My Perfect Pet is very low in sodium and reasonably low in Phosphorus, as is Evangers Beef It Up.

As mentioned, there is no way to know how long he has. See if you can keep him eating, whether it's kibble or canned.
Any Good Tips To Get Your Cats To Eat? Share Them Here!

Tips To Increase Your Cat’s Water Intake - TheCatSite Articles

 

[FeebysOwner]

Depending on what all you can do with this cat, there are avenues for treatment to help. Cats with CKD need a lot of moisture, and so I am not in agreement with your vet about dry being better. The above referenced web site (Tanya's) is chock full of information, and can be overwhelming, so don't give up when you see how full of information it is. There is a corresponding free forum that you might join too once you have some basic appreciation for the web site. [email protected] | Home

Take a look and come back with all the questions you need to!

 

[Pudner1]

Thanks very much Silent Meowlook, Furballsmom, and Feebysowner for your help and the link to Tanya's site,

I went onto Tanya's site and had a read - my cat is stage 4 and has most of the symptoms of the end stage that are listed in a table on the site. Had a good read of the site and is more or less confirmed . He has a stiff walk now and his eyes are dull.

I can't get the brands mentioned as I am in Europe and can't find a supply of them here but I see that there is wet food available from Zooplus for cats with kidney failure.

My cat ate a bit this evening, is very confused, (he had sedation). It's the smell; he has had it for weeks a nasty metallic smell - I knew something was wrong but I didn't know what it was and I kept trying to get him into a cage unsuccessfully. I will order some wet food for kidney issues tomorrow.


Thanks very much for the information - necessary to face up to how bad this is.

Pudner

 

[iPappy]

Kidney Issues in Cats with Dr. Kris

This is an older group of posts and they can't be replied to, but there might be some information in here that could help you out, or things to run by your vet.
I hope the sedation wears off and he feels more comfortable.

 

[Pudner1]

Thanks iPappy for this link,

I had a read of it - basically as he is feral and the vet said he would pull out the drip (he would) for dialysis there isn't much I can do.

I have tried every brand of renal food on the market since last week - he is eating less and less - even ordinary normal cat food and I have bought lots of brands since to try and tempt his appetite. Today he ate only have a pouch at most.

I have to correct something here also. The vet did not tell me to give him dry food (I misunderstood that). I was told he needed a special diet but I was so upset at being told about the diagnosis I must not have taken it in properly.

I don't think he has long. I can hardly express how sad I am but will try and make him as comfortable as I can.

Pudney

 

[FeebysOwner]

For what it is worth, if you can get phosphorus binders, they can be added to non-renal food to pretty much do the same thing the renal foods do. Here in the US, there are brands available that are tasteless, Phos-Bond is the one I use. The only thing they can do is cause constipation, but not always. So, having Miralax (PEG3550 is the main ingredient) on hand is helpful if needed.

 

[Furballsmom]

tempt his appetite.

There might be something here;
Any Good Tips To Get Your Cats To Eat? Share Them Here!

 

[Pudner1]

Hello

I am looking for some more advice and help please.

Since I last posted, miraculously my cat seemed to improve from late May onwards for the last two months. He started to eat again and regained all the weight he had lost. The bad metallic smell disappeared completely. I had tried to bring him into the vet in May but this time the Neurontin did not work and he was rearing up to attack to avoid being put in a carrier for the vet.

However in the last three days he has stopped eating again. The smell is not back. He is drinking a bit of milk. He is sleeping a lot and has little energy. He seems to be breathing quite rapidly a lot of the time and there are funny sounds coming from his throat.

Has anyone got any advice on this? Should I try and get him back into the vet? I have my tranquilisers that I use myself - Rivotril .50mg - Could I quarter up one of these and give it to him to get him in. My main concern is not to distress him in any way but to help him and if getting him in to the vet for fluids would do that I would try again I think

Pudner1

 

[heatherwillard0614]

Hello

I am looking for some more advice and help please.

Since I last posted, miraculously my cat seemed to improve from late May onwards for the last two months. He started to eat again and regained all the weight he had lost. The bad metallic smell disappeared completely. I had tried to bring him into the vet in May but this time the Neurontin did not work and he was rearing up to attack to avoid being put in a carrier for the vet.

However in the last three days he has stopped eating again. The smell is not back. He is drinking a bit of milk. He is sleeping a lot and has little energy. He seems to be breathing quite rapidly a lot of the time and there are funny sounds coming from his throat.

Has anyone got any advice on this? Should I try and get him back into the vet? I have my tranquilisers that I use myself - Rivotril .50mg - Could I quarter up one of these and give it to him to get him in. My main concern is not to distress him in any way but to help him and if getting him in to the vet for fluids would do that I would try again I think

Pudner1

When you said he drank some milk what kind of milk are you giving him?

 

[Pudner1]

Cows milk. When he got sick the last time this was the only thing he would take.

 

[heatherwillard0614]

Cows milk. When he got sick the last time this was the only thing he would take.

Most cats are lactose intolerant. It is bad for their digestive system.. did he vomit or have diarrhea last time?

Can Kittens & Cats Drink Milk? | Purina

Many cats and kittens enjoy the creamy taste of milk. Our expert veterinarians answer the questions: can cats drink milk and should you feed your cat milk?

www.purina.com

Is it safe for cats to drink milk?

Have you ever wondered if milk products are OK to give your cat? Many cat owners have the very same questions. Read on to learn more about cats and dairy products.

firstvet.com

I attached these links about milk and cats..

Also I don't know about the medicine you are referring to. That would be a question for the vet..

Is there anyway you can sit in front of him with the carrier behind him and guide him backwards into the carrier?

 

[Pudner1]

Thanks for the reply. He has been drinking milk for years without any issues. He would not eat anything else and i wanted to get some nourishment into him. The issue is that he has stopped eating in the past few days.

This cat was feral and as soon as he sees the carrier now he runs from it and on the last few occasions we had three hours or trying to trap him unsuccessfully. It is highly unlikely that this suggestion will work given his reaction to carriers but I will try it anyway thanks

 

[heatherwillard0614]

Thanks for the reply. He has been drinking milk for years without any issues. He would not eat anything else and i wanted to get some nourishment into him. The issue is that he has stopped eating in the past few days.

This cat was feral and as soon as he sees the carrier now he runs from it and on the last few occasions we had three hours or trying to trap him unsuccessfully. It is highly unlikely that this suggestion will work given his reaction to carriers but I will try it anyway thanks

Is there anyway you can borrow a box trap from your local shelter or people that TNR in your area?

 

[heatherwillard0614]

Is he inside or outside now? If he is inside get him in the bathroom have the carrier in the tub so he doesn't see it. Shut the door with you in there with him if you can have someone help you put him in I find with cats the fight going in backwards is the easiest way... feral are another story all in itself though.. I want to thank you for loving this boy and getting him the help he needs.

 

[Pudner1]

Hi Heatherwilliard

he is inside now in the sitting room on a chair - it is a big house and he never goes into the bathrooms - he has his rooms that he likes - the kitchen which is large and the sitting room. I already have a box trap (purchased some years ago). That is how I got him neutered in the first place but he would never go near it since that time - and believe me I have tried loads and loads of times with every type of food from the suggestions here and by trying to disguise the trap etc - it only really works the one time a trap.

I will contact the vet and ask him about it. The TNR gang in my area have proved over the years to be viciously unhelpful and really nasty when I asked for help from them previously on several occasions. I was told that 'they would never attempt to handle a feral cat - it would rip them apart' which to be honest if you saw this guy in action would happen if he was threatened. He has slashed me on numerous occasions over the years. He has gotten tamed now to the point when I came pet him from the front; before if he saw a hand he would rear back and slash you. Now if he sees my hand he does not object and I can pet him. Last week he actually got up on my knees for a bit. That was a first as I have had him for 10 years and he does not allow himself to be picked up. If you pick him up he squirms rears and slashes. I suppose what I am asking for here is advice re his condition. Why did he seem to get better and eat for a few months? Why does he not have the horrible metallic smell that he had? I suppose only a vet can tell me that though - I will try it your way tomorrow with a carrier. I think he is quite weak now.

 

[Kflowers]

The most important thing now is to let him be where he feels safe and as comfortable as possible. Might the vet be able to help? Possibly, but you might want to ask what the vet would suggest doing and, based on whether or not that realistically could be done decide your next step. At this time, you want to measure his comfort against adding a few weeks or months to his life. This would not be a failing on your part.

The TNR group doesn't sound like people you want to deal with. If they aren't TNR ferals are they going after people's pets? If they are going after strays, they ought to be trying to place them in homes not releasing them back to fend for themselves.

 

[FeebysOwner]

Is there anything specific that you did the last time when he perked up in late May? If so, repeat it. And, if you did, that might have also eradicated the metallic scent. But that could also have been a one-time fluke. Things like that happen.

Aside from that, it is not uncommon for cats with illnesses to have rebounds and relapses.

I forget - did you ever discuss with the vet about you giving him sub-Q fluids at home? That is assuming you could manage to do that with him? He probably could use to receive sub-Q fluids on a routine basis.

 

[IndyJones]

Honestly the best thing to feed a terminal cat is whatever they want. Tuna, salmon, icecream, chicken gibblets, kfc, whatever they like. It is more important that they eat anything and enjoy it rather than starve because they won't eat cat food.