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Rest easy Bella at the rainbow bridge until you meet again! 🌈🐾🙏 | r/renalcats | comment | r/RenalCats | 2024-05-08 |
All the love in the world wouldn’t be enough…..❤️💕❣️💕❤️💕 | r/renalcats | comment | r/RenalCats | 2024-05-08 |
Allow yourself some time to grieve. Then remember that there's a little girl kitten somewhere, seeking her loving nurturing forever home. Although she probably won't be able to fully replace your beloved Bella, you'll soon realize and find out, that you really need her, at least as desperately as she needs you.
🐾🐾🐈🌈👣💔👣🐾🐾🐈❤❤ | r/renalcats | comment | r/RenalCats | 2024-05-08 |
😕🤗🤗😢😢 | r/renalcats | comment | r/RenalCats | 2024-05-08 |
So heartbreaking to have to make the decision yet can relate in that we try to do what’s best for them. I’m sorry you had to say goodbye and while 20 years is amazing, it’s never enough. My Sox would have been 21 this September and I’m still getting used to not seeing her everyday after being with her since December of 2003.
I hope you and those who loved her find comfort in the memories and knowing you helped her when she needed it though it broke your heart to make the call I’m think.
They say, pets break our hearts only once. I believe it.
I hope our cats received as much from us as we did from them. I know my cat made me a better person and hope to be a good pet parent for the remainder of my days.
Take care of yourself and thank you for sharing your goodbye. Reading other people’s posts and tribute serves a comfort to me and I’m sure others as well. To be united in our love of our pets… is to know how much our lives were better with them in it. | r/renalcats | comment | r/RenalCats | 2024-05-08 |
Sorry for your loss | r/renalcats | comment | r/RenalCats | 2024-05-08 |
I am so sorry for your loss 💔 | r/renalcats | comment | r/RenalCats | 2024-05-08 |
Thank you so much. Reading all of these messages has been so comforting. ♥️ | r/renalcats | comment | r/RenalCats | 2024-05-08 |
Wishing you many great memories. | r/renalcats | comment | r/RenalCats | 2024-05-08 |
Awww, I'm so sorry. Killer heartache I know too well. She was sooo beautiful 💔💔 | r/renalcats | comment | r/RenalCats | 2024-05-08 |
Sorry 😢 🐾🐾🌈 | r/renalcats | comment | r/RenalCats | 2024-05-08 |
Sorry for your loss | r/renalcats | comment | r/RenalCats | 2024-05-08 |
Not cats but dogs, we had 6 litter mates that all contracted diabetes in their 13th year, did the insulin shots and all the testing for a few years, was very hard to have them put down after they went blind and couldn't function anymore, my heart bleeds for you and your loss. | r/renalcats | comment | r/RenalCats | 2024-05-08 |
I’m so sorry for your loss. She looks like my girl- Little Bear. She was a rescue. 20 years means she was taken such good care of— wow! | r/renalcats | comment | r/RenalCats | 2024-06-08 |
I'm so sorry for your loss ❤️ | r/renalcats | comment | r/RenalCats | 2024-06-08 |
Sorry for your loss 🙏 | r/renalcats | comment | r/RenalCats | 2024-06-08 |
I'm so so sorry for your loss. Sending you so much love. ❤️ | r/renalcats | comment | r/RenalCats | 2024-06-08 |
I’m so sorry. Rest easy, sweet girl. 💜 | r/renalcats | comment | r/RenalCats | 2024-06-08 |
🙏🏽 | r/renalcats | comment | r/RenalCats | 2024-06-08 |
I am very sorry. Such a cutie | r/renalcats | comment | r/RenalCats | 2024-06-08 |
I am so sorry. | r/renalcats | comment | r/RenalCats | 2024-06-08 |
What a sweet face. Thank you for loving her with your whole heart for so long. | r/renalcats | comment | r/RenalCats | 2024-06-08 |
Awe. So sorry. 🩷💛💛💚💙🩵💜🤎 | r/renalcats | comment | r/RenalCats | 2024-06-08 |
I’m very sorry for your loss. RIP Bella, beautiful lady. | r/renalcats | comment | r/RenalCats | 2024-06-08 |
Rest in love and power young Queen Bella 👑. | r/renalcats | comment | r/RenalCats | 2024-06-08 |
~hugs~ | r/renalcats | comment | r/RenalCats | 2024-06-08 |
So sorry. I know it's hard, I had to send off my baby aover a year ago...Rip Bella | r/renalcats | comment | r/RenalCats | 2024-06-08 |
😭❤️🐈🙏🥺 | r/renalcats | comment | r/RenalCats | 2024-07-08 |
I'm so sorry for ur loss. 😞 We lost our Sanyu about 6 years ago, and I felt devastated. She was my best friend. She waited for me by the door to get home from work every day. She got depressed if had to go away for a few days. She was my crafting partner. She was our family. I'm sawry for your loss. The pain will eventually lessen, but they will always remain in our hearts; the memories will last a lifetime. | r/renalcats | comment | r/RenalCats | 2024-07-08 |
Thank you for your kind words. ♥️ Bella always waited for us too! She loved her humans although she had little use for her fellow cats. It’s so strange and sad not seeing her little face or feeling her curled up in our laps. I’m so grateful for our memories, and I know the pain will dull eventually. You can never prepare enough. | r/renalcats | comment | r/RenalCats | 2024-07-08 |
Really sorry for your loss 🙏🏻 may Bella rest in peace | r/renalcats | comment | r/RenalCats | 2024-07-08 |
20 years is amazing. 💗😭🙏 | r/renalcats | comment | r/RenalCats | 2024-09-08 |
My most heartfelt condolences. They are vital members of our family. | r/renalcats | comment | r/RenalCats | 2024-10-08 |
My 20-year-old cat has advancing renal disease (the high end of stage 3). He presents some of the typical symptoms and incremental behavior changes in a CKD cat. He's also had a couple of episodes during the past week where his eyes became almost totally black (dilated pupils) and he seemed genuinely confused as to his whereabouts. The first time I saw this, I thought he had lost his eyesight. Then maybe 30 minutes later, he was back to "normal". It happened again yesterday. Is this a common symptom of CKD, or kitty dementia, or a spike in blood pressure, or something else? Has anyone else experienced this with their CKD cat? | r/renalcats | post | r/RenalCats | 2024-05-08 |
It's definitely his blood pressure. I had to put my cat on blood pressure medicine it helped tremendously. | r/renalcats | comment | r/RenalCats | 2024-06-08 |
THIS. Get your cat to the vet as soon as you can. Your cat may have some degree of retinal detachment (due to high BP) which is causing intermittent blindness. I didn’t realize it was a thing until my cat went completely blind. | r/renalcats | comment | r/RenalCats | 2024-07-08 |
Thanks. My vet hasn't been so helpful in terms of prescribing appropriate medicines. Not sure why she didn't put him on blood-pressure meds. I've been there twice in the past few weeks, and it's always more tests but no treatment. During the first exam, we got bloodwork done and the prognosis was that he was in Stage 3 CKD and he also had a heart murmur. Due to the heart murmur, they recommended that we don't do subcutaneous fluids, but instead, give him packets of "Hydra Care" as a food supplement. Unfortunately, once he started lapping up the Hydra Care, he stopped eating regular wet food and started drinking less water, where before, he drank buckets of it. The vet also told me to take him off the two herbal remedies I'd been giving him for over a year, saying there could be things in those herbal remedies that are toxic to cats (even though they were both formulated for cats). One was called "Kidney Support Gold," and the other was "NHV ResThyro." I gave both of these to him for at least a year prior to this appointment. Anyway, a follow-up appointment included a CardioPet ProBNP test, which showed evidence of heart disease. They suggested more tests, but no solutions. I put him back on the herbal tinctures again, and for a few days he rallied: he started eating wet food again. But now he's getting worse: legs weakening, dilated eye episodes, etc. | r/renalcats | comment | r/RenalCats | 2024-09-08 |
My sweet girl Lady Georgina (6) has been diagnosed with Stage 3 kidney disease. I’m really struggling. She won’t eat a renal diet (I’ve tried every Hills flavor and Purina Pro), but I am giving her purina pro wet pack supplements. Recently she’s started with the incontinence, mainly at night. She’s peed on my bed 5 times in the past week and a half. She won’t wear a diaper and she won’t sleep in a crate (yes, I tried and yes, it went as horribly as you imagine). I’m currently sleeping with tinfoil on one side of my bed so she doesn’t jump up on it, and my couch is covered in pee pads and towels.
I don’t know what to do. My vet hasn’t given much guidance or support.
I don’t know what I’m looking for here. Maybe support? Guidance? Add anything you think could be helpful and I’ll be more than appreciative.
| r/renalcats | post | r/RenalCats | 2024-06-08 |
You could look up quality of life calculators for cats and see how your cat scores. Incontinence is a symptom of late-stage ckd, but your cat might have a urinary tract infection (which is treatable with antibiotics). Has your vet tested for this? | r/renalcats | comment | r/RenalCats | 2024-06-08 |
My sweet girl who I adopted 12 years ago, 8 of those years indoor was diagnosed with CKD. I am so happy she is still with me but I can’t seem to come to terms with her diagnosis. I can’t believe this has happened to her and it seems so early, since cats can live 20 yrs.
Like I said, she is fighting a good fight. When we first found out, I was told to let her go because she wouldn’t have made it. I was told to no go through with the surgery because there were a o many risks. I couldn’t just let her go. One week before we found out about her diagnosis, she was back and forth to the ER Vet being treated for UTI. Which wasn’t even the right diagnosis in the first place. After finding out her left kidneys were larger than her right kidney, she has been standing it the hospital and moving hospitals. She wasn’t home all weekend and I couldn’t imagine not taking her home. I took the chance because I believed in her and knew it wasn’t her time yet. I just knew she wanted to come home with me, and I just couldn’t let her go like that. Now one month after her surgery she is home. I try to do everything I can to make her comfortable and for her to enjoy all the things she use to before. She also recently started chemo.
I know I am doing all I can for her and I know she is happy that she gets to be with me in her home. I just can’t seem to accept that this has happened to her so soon. While I do what I have for her daily and so happy to care for her, I miss her so much. I miss her hanging out with me late in the night when I can’t sleep. I miss her sleeping near me. I miss her hanging out in the kitchen while I make her food. I’m missing so much of her.
While she has her own room and space to hang out in, I just really miss her hanging out with me and roaming the house. I have 2 other cats, where this month makes one year since they joined our family. I love them so much, but it just doesn’t feel the same with our Oreo.
How do you cope with the reality of your baby getting ill? I can’t imagine this ever becoming easier. I can’t begin to imagine a day without her, even though I had come close to that day. I just wanted to share a bit of her story and vent a bit.
But I would definitely appreciate any advice on how to cope with this new way of life for my baby.
Thank you for reading 💕 | r/renalcats | post | r/RenalCats | 2024-06-08 |
Hi. My cat was diagnosed with CKD a year before she eventually died. She was 16 at diagnosis and like you, I was shocked since all my other cats lived into their 20s.
She had a good quality of life right until her last week. I worked with the vet on nutrition and a kidney support supplement. We had lots of fountains throughout the house and extra litter boxes which helped. Honestly, she did really well until right before the end. Besides drinking and urinating a lot, she acted normal in every other aspect.
It is hard though when they start to decline. Maybe do a quality of life check with your vet if you haven't done that yet. I simply tried to enjoy the time I had with her and not focus on the inevitable. | r/renalcats | comment | r/RenalCats | 2024-06-08 |
Thank you so much for sharing and I am so sorry for your lost ❤️🩹
I know she has a good quality of life right now and I am doing all I can to make sure she is cared for and gets treated. It’s just so hard to accept that is happening. It happened all of a sudden and at one time. It just can’t and don’t want to imagine what life would look like without her. I’m trying not to focus on the inevitable. It doesn’t help that each time I go to the vet we’re being told we’re buying her time. It’s so heartbreaking to hear each time. But I understand they have to prepare me for the worst and state what they find. | r/renalcats | comment | r/RenalCats | 2024-07-08 |
Hi there, did your puss have cancer as you wrote she was having chemo? I know what you mean about not believing what diagnosis is. I lost a cat last year and only found out 1 day before she had a tumor. She hadn't been eating and had lost weight. Had appetite stimulants which no helped and high temperature which didn't respond to antibiotics. So I had an ultrasound done. The vet found the day of ultrasound that she had the tumor and heaps of fluid. She asked if I wanted her put to sleep while she was sedated? I said no need another day. Her name was Tilly and 14. You could've knocked me over with a feather when vet told me. She was the youngest of our cats apart from 2 kittens we have. I never expected to lose her so soon. And being so sudden it was a super hard thing. She wasn't going to get better. I had to decide very quickly whether to put her to sleep. She would sleep on our bed every night and basically all day. I miss her terribly and still can't believe she's gone. It is very hard coming to grips with bad diagnosis of any sort. I also have a 17tear old with kcd. He's stage 2 wither hypertension and Hyperthyroidism and he could get worse anytime. I think just knowing helps that you can be mindful to spend more time with them. I think it's good idea to have some radical acceptance of pus's condition and do all you can which you are. I wish you all the best and hope she gets back to doing some of the things she used to. My thoughts are with you. Take care. | r/renalcats | comment | r/RenalCats | 2024-09-08 |
Man, when mine was taken to the ER I was in a different state. I took the first plane home (cried in two ubers and on the plane). They found a tumor and since that moment we just considered every moment with him as borrowed time, a bonus and a gift. I'm glad that we got that time to say goodbye but it was so hard for the last 2 months cause we made it a rule to not cry in front of him. He was on a KD diet, but after the first chemo failed, I just gave him whatever he wanted. Legitimately went to the pet store and bought one of each. Except raw meat, nothing was off limits.
During that time all I could think of was appreciating the moment. This is the advice I can give you. Don't focus on the injustice of it all. Don't waste time on this. Spend as much time as you can with your baby. Make sure she has all she needs. Fight with her and just let her know how much you love her. | r/renalcats | comment | r/RenalCats | 2024-10-08 |
I’m so sorry ❤️🩹 It truly is so painfully to see this happen to our babies. When we found out I was in bad shape for days. I told my husband if we had let her go the first night they told us, I would have ended up in the ER too.
After she came home from the surgery, I made a rule not to cry in front of her either. They have this way of knowing when we’re sad and hurting even if it’s for them. One night I broke down again because she wasn’t feeling well again and suddenly she was trying to show me she is okay.
I guess I’m having a hard time dealing with this as borrowed time. I know my time with her is a gift, but part of me just don’t want to accept it. I find myself thinking about months before when she wasn’t sick and all our other memories and adventures. I just keep wishing this isn’t real.
Thank you so much for sharing with me ❤️🩹 I know how hard it is to see this happen to our fury babies, but I can only imagine what it feels like after. I wish you well friend 💛 | r/renalcats | comment | r/RenalCats | 2024-10-08 |
Hi there. Thank you so much for sharing your experience with me. I am so sorry for your lost. I know how terrible the pain is get that info of their illness is. But I can only imagine what it feel like after and is something I am not prepared for. And I guess I don’t want to be prepared for it. She slept with me all the time. Now she stays in her own room, and it hard keeping her on the bed, as she pees on the bed. Which I suspect is result of her not being able to get to the littler box in time, so she pees wherever she is. But I miss her near me all the time.
I’m sorry you had to make the decision about her so fast. It’s hard. 14 years just feels so young. It’s so sad this has to happen to these beautiful babies. I was in the same spot but I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t let her go without trying. But I am so happy with my decision. And that very night she showed me she wasn’t ready and she wanted to be with me some extra time. And I love and appreciate her for that so much.
So to answer your question, she is taking chemo. However it’s not definitive what type of cancer or cancer. She has masses showing up, but when they test it, it’s not showing lymphoma or what type of cancer. They also believe it could be inflammation. But the doctors believe chemo is the best option to try.
Oreo also has hyperthyroidism as well. This year before finding out all of this, I was planning to work with her vet to get her radiation for it.
I hope you have the time you need with your 17 year baby and he gets better.
Thank you for sharing with me. Wishing you and your baby well 💛 | r/renalcats | comment | r/RenalCats | 2024-10-08 |
My soul cat died on June 15th. I wanted to share his story, my mistakes, and what I've learned since in hopes that it will help others.
Charlie came to me at the end of May 2018 from a cat cafe. He was a chonky boy. We took him to the vet shortly after we got him and he was estimated to be around 5 years old. He was a healthy, loving cat.
Fast forward to 2022, and we made the decision after we moved into our new house to put him on a diet to get him to lose some weight. Over the next year, he went from around 14 lb to about 9 lb. We accomplished our goal. During this time, Charlie started vomiting more frequently and his poop wasn't solid. We had switched vets at this time and he told us he might have a digestive issue, so he gave us a probiotic and some medication. This didn't help, and I made the mistake of not pursuing this any further with our vet. There was nothing else visibly wrong with him.
He continued to lose more weight until you could feel his spine. Our vet, however, was not concerned, and said he'd rather see him a little underweight than overweight. Finally, in January of this year, my partner had bloodwork drawn at his yearly vaccinations. The only thing the vet told him was that Charlie "may have the start of kidney disease." The vet offered no further explanation, solutions, advice, or expressed any other concerns. And I didn't ask any questions as I wasn't there.
Charlie crashed at the end of May. He started vomiting bile, became lethargic, and wouldn't get off the couch unless to drink water, use the litter box, or occasionally wander around to look for me. On his 6th Gotcha Day, we took him back to the vet. They drew blood and said his results were "not grave, but not great." He was given a shot for nausea, an antibiotic as it looked like he was fighting an infection/anemic, and stayed the rest of the day on IV fluids. We made arrangements to drop him off at a vet hospital for the weekend to continue fluids. I visited him on Saturday and he had perked up.
We picked him up on Monday and I made the mistake of not having more blood drawn to see where his levels were. I was now $2000 in and was quickly running out of money. I ordered the prescription wet food and kibble. I bought Pedialyte, everything I could to keep him hydrated. He was okay for a few days, but he started eating less and less.
A week after we picked him up, we took him back to the vet because I wanted his teeth checked out to make sure he didn't have any mouth issues. The kibble he was eating, he was having difficulty and almost swallowing it whole. They said he was fine. I regret going back to this vet.
He diminished each day until we started him on sub que fluids. However, we weren't comfortable with trying to get him to hold still to do a drip, so we syringed 8-10cc 3x daily. Another mistake I regret.
Finally on Saturday, June 15th, we took him to the emergency vet where we had him hospitalized at. They ran a kidney test and said Charlie wasn't gonna go home and he needed to be hospitalized immediately. I said I couldn't afford to, so she said the best thing was to let him go, so I did.
I regret my ignorance at this disease and not asking more questions. Since Charlie passed, I found this subreddit and have become more educated. I wish I would have found this during Charlie's last weeks. He was still using the litter box. He was still drinking. He was still getting up and moving around, albeit very slowly and stiffly. We finally got him to eat some baby food. I don't believe he was ready to go, but I was so shell shocked during this time, I didn't ask questions and I didn't do the proper research.
Do not be afraid to ask any questions of your vet. If you feel your vet isn't providing proper care, go elsewhere. My single biggest regret is continuing care at the vet I was going to. I believe with all my heart they let Charlie down. I try not to best myself up too much over it, but it is something I 100% wish I would have changed.
For those of you whose kitty may be currently going through this awful disease, I hope Charlie's story will help you in some way. Hug them extra tight. And when that time comes, my Charlie will be there to welcome them across the Rainbow Bridge. | r/renalcats | post | r/RenalCats | 2024-06-08 |
I am so sorry for your loss. Do not regret giving him a loving, safe home for the time you had together. I recently lost one of my boys to a sudden and rapid illness, and I had many of the same doubts of “what could I have done differently,” but I am starting to understand: there wasn’t anything I even knew to change. We do our best with the resources and knowledge we have in the moment. You did your best for Charlie, and I promise he knew it.
Thank you for taking good care of Charlie, and for sharing him with us. He was beautiful and very loved. 💙 | r/renalcats | comment | r/RenalCats | 2024-06-08 |
I’m sorry for your loss. Don’t blame yourself. After a while, one thing leads to another and you’re tackling dozens of health issues that all conflict with one another. It’s impossible to “make things better” once the disease has kicked in. I had to put my baby down on Sunday after it was kidneys, dehydration and urine issues. She wasn’t coming back. She stopped eating and within three days went from eating the whole house to nothing at all. It all happened so fast.
I have also blamed myself for not trying to do more. She wasn’t on fluids and drips. I wasn’t educated about this treatment when she was diagnosed in February. I also blame the vet here. I wish I knew there was more I could do. But then again, a cat on a drip twice a week, taking medicine 3 times a day, it’s a lot for both the owner and the cat. Perhaps not the happiest way to live. | r/renalcats | comment | r/RenalCats | 2024-06-08 |
You may well have spared your buddy the part of staying too long. We can only do our best. | r/renalcats | comment | r/RenalCats | 2024-06-08 |
I’m so sorry for your loss 💔 this is a horrible disease that seems almost impossible to navigate on most days. I bet Charlie knew nothing but love his entire life. Don’t blame yourself. | r/renalcats | comment | r/RenalCats | 2024-06-08 |
It strikes me how you did so much for Charlie and it was all in love and with the best of intentions. Thank you for sharing your story here, and it does help many people. Your lessons learned from your journey with Charlie will be his legacy for all the CKD kitty lovers who have read your story and all those who grace your life in the future. "When we know better, we do better." - Maya Angelou. Be gentle and take care of yourself. <3 | r/renalcats | comment | r/RenalCats | 2024-06-08 |
I’m so sorry for your loss. You did what you could and showed him love. You are also alerting others to question if something doesn’t feel right.
I’m going to take your advice and seek a second opinion for my 19 year old boy. For the last year his ears have seemed to be itchy and I’ve taken him countless times to the vet and his ears were ok. Even had some dental work taken care of since I thought the pain may be impacting his ears. He still has itchy ears and when you scratch his neck he twitches and loses his balance. I just want to make sure he’s not in pain.
Bless you for the love you gave Charlie! | r/renalcats | comment | r/RenalCats | 2024-06-08 |
I’m sorry for your loss - remember that you did your best for him and gave him all the love. That’s the most important thing, that he got to say goodbye with his family. | r/renalcats | comment | r/RenalCats | 2024-07-08 |
So sorry for your loss just remember he will always be with you | r/renalcats | comment | r/RenalCats | 2024-07-08 |
Well, I'm sorry. It's so heartbreaking, so hard to go through. We love them so much. They give us so much joy and comfort. It's amazing, really, how much comfort they give us.
We do our best, and can only hope we give them what they give us in return.
I lost my best boy 16 years ago and still grieve for him. I am sending love and hugs to you and your family.
RIP BEAUTIFUL GIRL | r/renalcats | comment | r/RenalCats | 2024-10-08 |
Thank you for sharing. I agree with you, not all vets are made the same. If you see something wrong and the vet doesn't give an explanation, get a 2nd opinion. My kitten was getting eye infections every 6 months. The first vet just gave me eye drops and sent me home. They would go away and reappear like clockwork. I changed vets and the new one noticed a tooth issue that was causing them. Guess what, no more eye infections!
Also, trust your gut. You know your kitten the best. You can spot irregularities. I took mine to the vet because I felt like the tumor he had was coming back but the vet couldn't see it and said that the loud breathing may be from the scarring. I contacted the oncologist and he said something similar, but also told me what signs to look for in case I am right (so I take him to the ER and the oxygen box immediately). The next day I was doing my daily full body checking (he really enjoyed it and it helped me check for irregularities - bumps, scars, or even pain spots) and I felt something on his throat that wasn't there before. Called the ER to get the oxygen box ready and brought him in. Unfortunately, I was right. The tumor did come back. The ER doctor asked me how I figured it out cause just by looking at him, nothing was visible. He was active, eating, being a superstar (he was an amazing kitten - before he passed all the nurses came to say goodbye).
I don't blame the doctors because even my husband didn't see the signs. Cats are amazing at masking. That's why it's so hard to map symptoms to diseases. When he got diagnosed I read all the research papers I could on lymphoma and lymphoma in the neck. It was disheartening because the amount of cases studied was ridiculously small.
So TRUST YOUR GUT.
A lot of times vets don't give you the full panel of tests due to cost considerations (sometimes they don't even offer to tell you so ASK). For his sister, I asked for the full panel and she also gets the daily checkups from me. If she sneezes, I go to check if there's something wrong. | r/renalcats | comment | r/RenalCats | 2024-10-08 |
Oh my heart is breaking for you. Charlie knew you loved him and did what you could. I have a kitty with kidney disease and I tell the vet I want all copies of the blood work and all their comments. I keep a folder. Then I research what all the lab work says.
There are things the vets don't seem to advise you on. I found a person's advice on additional renal care for his cat on reddit. Vetreiscience renal support and its has helped my kitty. His post was on or around 7/14.
Also if you ever get another fur baby get insurance...it helps.
Ii grieve with you but know that is a love that doesn't die. | r/renalcats | comment | r/RenalCats | 2024-10-08 |
Update: Unfortunately…she’s not looking great. She hasn’t really been able to move on her own. We did manage to get her to eat a good amount after 24+ hours! Some antibiotics and sub q fluids as well. She took some pain pills dissolved in water and syringed. I feel selfish for deciding to do more at home treatment….should I have made the choice yesterday of hospitalization or euthanasia instead? Should I still wait to see if she improves more to justify the ER visit?
We’d love to do a treatment to save her, but the ER said her numbers are bad, and her chances of this working were about 10%….as much as I want to take that gamble, our biggest worry is having her die alone. Not sure that would be the case, but if her last hours were stuck in a hospital confused and scared, I would never forgive myself. We also of course want the best quality of life we can give her.
We decided at home euthanasia. Hopefully my boss lets me take the day off so we can spend some cuddle hours with her.
Always hoping a miracle pulls through for her in the morning to change our minds. Thank you all for your positivity.
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Long edit: My boyfriend and I have put her through a 48 hour IV treatment. Her numbers were looking better, but slowly kept rising till her crash.
Financially it’s pushing what we can spend. We are willing to do another treatment, but my boyfriend doesn’t want to put her through something like this and is convinced that keeping her in a hospital for 2-3 days has a low probability of helping and would just shorten our time with her.
Also, I read all your comments, and seeing the post about the bacteria made me question some of her tests. They kept getting readings of bacteria, but every time they did a lab test, the results were negative. Is that weird? Is that maybe a route I should pursue harder if these antibiotics seem to help her more?
I understand I’m probably being selfish in this situation. I’m already stuck at work all week while he’s been able to stay home with her, so I couldn’t even spend the time I wanted with her if I tried.
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Hi! I made a post yesterday about my baby, but maybe I’m just trying to look for some ray of hope….
My rescue cat of 3+ years(she’s between 8-11) was diagnosed with acute kidney failure 2 months ago. Kinda got blindsided with uti issues right after adopting her(constantly took care of them here and there), but was never diagnosed with kidney disease until recently. Fast forward to today, and she has had a huge crash over the weekend. Her levels seemed unreal from her first numbers.
BUN 275.9 Crea 19.9 phosphorus 30.4 (this has only been a two month thing, so I honestly don’t know if we’re at the highest extreme. I know 5+ Crea is end stage, but don’t actually know how far that number can go up.)
We went to our vet and the emergency vet for a second opinion. Both seemed highly unlikely that admitting her would be successful. We went home with more medicine and fluids. She was off fluids for maybe two weeks before her crash cause she seemed better. I regret doing it now even though she made it close to impossible to give them.
We are gonna try to see if more fluids, antibiotics, appetite stimulates, nausea meds and pain pills can maybe “improve” her. Maybe to the point where a hospitalizations odds seem better. Currently she can barely walk and doesn’t make any noses now. We know it’s not curable, but the levels we got make it seem like euthanasia is our only option.
Hoping someone has a positive story with a similar situation! We won’t make any calls for the next few days. Hopefully she still has that long with us ❤️ | r/renalcats | post | r/RenalCats | 2024-06-08 |
Yes, mine had a terrible UTI that spreads to kidneys. Her creatinine was much lower than yours (4.4) but she looked terribly sick. This was last October, she was hospitalized 3 times until january and after her last course of antibiotics she was finally better! We found out she was resistant to all antibiotics and the last one was the only one effective. | r/renalcats | comment | r/RenalCats | 2024-06-08 |
At one point she had only 2.5kg. Now she weights 3.3kg which is normal for her. | r/renalcats | comment | r/RenalCats | 2024-06-08 |
Ours has been fighting persistent UTIs for a year and half and the most recent urinalysis came back clean but her renal value were off the roof and she became extremely anemic even after monthly darbo/daxfer.
We put her on a 3 day IV hospitalization but pulled her out after a day and half because one of the vets wanted to put her down (because she became more anemic but renal values got better), this was back in June. She couldn’t walk properly for a good two weeks. We started doing daily fluids, bi-weekly darbo/daxfer and also added Porus One and Kidney Support Gold. She is no longer anemic and her CKD smell seems a lot better (when she was really sick she had this particular smell on her head, tail and back now only sections of her tail has that smell).
We also got a second opinion as well and our vet said it was a balance between the anemia and the renal values, and even with a full 3 day hospitalization, some cats don’t get better. But we were glad that we did it though at least it flushed out some toxins. | r/renalcats | comment | r/RenalCats | 2024-06-08 |
Our 14.5-year old boy was attacked by the neighbor's cat back in late April. Within a few couple days, we knew this wasn't just a run of the mill injury. Took him to a vet, who put him on oral Clavamox and really didn't investigate. He's been on that before, so we were prepared for vomiting after 5 days... which happened again this time. And his symptoms seemed to be worsening: he didn't really want to eat much and was hiding under the bed. Totally not himself.
He also seemed painful/touchy when we'd try to pet him and looked swollen around his rib cage, so I gave him a gentle exam and discovered his right kidney seemed swollen.
Took him the next day to another, much better vet, who did an actual workup and found red and white blood cells in his urine... and then did an ultrasound of both kidneys and discovered his left kidney was shrunken and likely not functional, and his right kidney was swollen. Both kidneys had hydronephrosis, indicating the ureters were blocked. X-ray and ultrasound failed to find any crystals, so based on his history (the cat attack) and the white blood cells in his urine (also elevated on his blood work), the vet concluded we were dealing with something bacterial.
Vet gave him a shot of Convenia (not my favorite, but it was desperate times and he'd been on it once before, so we took the risk), and sent us home with fluids (lactated Ringer's solution) and another injectable antibiotic (IIRC, levofloxacin), plus dexamethasone (corticosteroid to help decrease the swelling/immune response) which we just added to his fluids. We gave him 100 mL of fluids with the dexa every third day because the dexa stays in their systems so long and can push a cat into diabetes, especially if you overdo it. We also switched him to Purina k/d wet food.
The bacterial culture & sensitivity test (on his urine) came back negative (probably because of him being on Clavamox before he had the test: apparently, we should have done the more sensitive version of that test, which looks for lower bacterial counts), so we never knew what exact species we were fighting... but three different antibiotics in him, plus all the rest finally did the trick.
We just finally stopped fluids and dexamethasone four days ago (!)... we tapered him off the dexa SUPER slowly... and our boy totally seems like himself again.
Did you get an ultrasound of the kidneys, to look for something like hydronephrosis or other anatomical issues (crystals causing a blockage, kidney swelling, etc.)? That imaging definitely helped guide our vet to a presumptive diagnosis and treatment.
Our vet just admitted at the last follow-up that he didn't know if our boy was going to make it... and didn't really have high hopes for him. But he made it!
What our vet told us is that we needed to hit this with everything we could, all at once, to see if we could clear the blockage (and presumably, the infection that caused it).
Every cat and every situation is unique, but that's what I would push for: do everything you can, both on the diagnostic side... and then on the treatment side as well.
All the best to you and your kitty, and I hope you get to a happy resolution, like we did! 😽💗 | r/renalcats | comment | r/RenalCats | 2024-06-08 |
Me again: also, check out Tanya's CRF site for really useful info about all this. Here's a link to the page on acute kidney injury: http://felinecrf.org/acute_kidney_injury.htm
Hope this helps! 💗 | r/renalcats | comment | r/RenalCats | 2024-06-08 |
my boy was hospitalized in october 2022 when he was 10 with an acute kidney infection, creatinine was 14 at its highest. they think he had a stone that got lodged in his ureter combined with a UTI. pumped him with fluids and antibiotics, and he came home. he was on multiple kinds of antibiotics for about 2 months post hospitalization, plus subq fluids.
as of now, august 2024, he just celebrated his 12th birthday and is in stable condition between stages 2 and 3. we do quarterly check ups and labs at his vet to make sure things are okay / adjust if needed. he gets subq fluids, stool softener, and an appetite stimulant daily, b12 shots weekly. he’s recently started to gain some weight too, and that’s with stress of moving houses and being subject to a renovation. all that to say there can be hope 🥰
if you have the ability / option, i would see if there are any cat only vets in your area. in my experience they give the best care for our furry friends. | r/renalcats | comment | r/RenalCats | 2024-06-08 |
Hi! By “doing a lab test” do you mean they are culturing the urine and no bacteria is growing?
I’m so sorry you’re going through this. Have you had any ultrasounds or x-rays to check for masses, stones, or crystals?
This basically happened with my kitty too. Acute kidney injury from a stubborn UTI. We hospitalized him in March 2024 and he did rebound but a month later is kidney levels increased. His urine culture always came back negative so we were guessing on antibiotics (I know I know…. antibiotic resistance but he was 17 so risk vs. reward there). He was on 2 different antibiotics over the course of a month and daily subQ’s but his kidneys gave out in May. We tried IV fluids but it was in vain. Several ultrasounds and x-rays never could explain why he randomly had bloody urine. It still haunts me. His creatinine in December was 1.9 and even down to 1.7 in April after his crash. It averaged about a 2 for the last four years so technically early stage CKD depending who you ask. | r/renalcats | comment | r/RenalCats | 2024-06-08 |
Yes on the culture test. They said the machine detected it, but the results after the culture said there wasn’t any bacteria.
I’m sorry about your loss. We’re trying our best for at home stuff. If she would show positive signs, I would feel better about trying the hospitalization, but I fear her condition isn’t gonna show improvement unless we do it. We finally got her to eat more, so we can finally administer antibiotics. | r/renalcats | comment | r/RenalCats | 2024-06-08 |
That sounds like our experience too. It’s so frustrating getting conflicting information and not knowing what to do. When you think it’s an infection it seems so treatable so you want to do everything in your power to fix it. | r/renalcats | comment | r/RenalCats | 2024-06-08 |
My cat was hospitalized in January 2022 after a UTI quickly sent her from perfectly fine to unable to stand. She was diagnosed at stage 2/3 kidney failure at the time and was 19.
She's 21, has the exact same creatinine / BUN values now, and has been pretty healthy overwise for most of the last 2 years. The first few months after her UTI were a little dicey with a lot of bad days, but she got through it. | r/renalcats | comment | r/RenalCats | 2024-07-08 |
r/renalcats | post | r/RenalCats | 2024-06-08 | |
Per the graph in the video, it looks like TT actually did pretty good on the Greycoat supplement. What is everyone else's experience? Did your cat improve?
Here's a link to the supplement for reference: https://greycoatresearch.com/products/dr-toru-protocol | r/renalcats | comment | r/RenalCats | 2024-06-08 |
Hi, I want to first start by thanking everyone who helped in my previous post. It's been tough and getting Jet balanced has been a mess.
I got him the phosphorus Binders and getting a good dose is a wip. I at least got him to get it in him at this point and it reduces his vomiting spells.
Now he doesn't want solid food. I've been putting in the extra effort on my end and making him "cat smoothies". Not wanting solids I don't think is new, but actually eating the smoothie I make is.
I put a teaspoon of binder with a can of his favorite food and blend it till it's a smoothie. It takes him a good while, maybe 3 hours to eat it. If there's Any solid shreds in it he will refuse it.
So far he seems like he's doing better if I can keep up the pressure with this diet change. He has more energy, he's more sociable and maybe throwing up once a week. Really time will tell if this will be effective enough.
Oreo, his brother eats a little of it, but is getting better at eating his food. I put a no blend pate out for him and it seems to be a functional system.
Any feedback of course is handy. | r/renalcats | post | r/RenalCats | 2024-06-08 |
Oh, so I‘m not the only one making „cat smoothies“ - Madame Emma will not eat solid chunks.. she will just lick the sauce. 😌
However, she will also eat soft mousse/paté so i do not have to use and clean the blender every day. I add some warm water and mash everything with a fork until it has a consistency of pudding or very thick soup.
I also add psyllium husks to help her poop. | r/renalcats | comment | r/RenalCats | 2024-06-08 |
Have you tried Simmer Down or Stews Clues by Weruva? They’re very soupy and my cat likes them. No shreds | r/renalcats | comment | r/RenalCats | 2024-06-08 |
Not wanting to eat solids might indicate a tooth problem. Has the vet looked at his teeth lately? | r/renalcats | comment | r/RenalCats | 2024-06-08 |
It sounds like you're going through a lot, Jet is lucky to have you. It sounds like you might be using homeopathic remedies because you mention Phosphorous, though I don't understand Binders. (?) If you haven't used homeopathy then I'd give it a go because there are no side effects so it's gentle for kitties. My orange tabby consistently perked up on it, and lived for almost 5 years with CKD. You can establish a relationship with a veterinarian online for distance consultations if you don't have a holistic practice in your area. Good luck. | r/renalcats | comment | r/RenalCats | 2024-06-08 |
My lil one seems to like weruva lately but I haven't heard of those flavors- are they decently low phosphorus? | r/renalcats | comment | r/RenalCats | 2024-07-08 |
What you call 'cat smoothies' I call 'kitty soup' 😂 and I make multiple kitty soups a day for our wildly picky girl. She now comes to the kitchen at the sound of the blender haha | r/renalcats | comment | r/RenalCats | 2024-07-08 |
They’re low enough for my cat, about .7 dry matter phos
https://www.bizave.com/foodlists/Weruva%20Low%20Phosphorus.pdf?fbclid=IwAR2X8xK99R0rSnIRTRXMP1mQA0RIeEVddNXKhyHX13i0ixIsU2fnrWZbdXo_aem_AZQ8bhAQbjsOC775ys5edfehd4sDXnvQgN6bgRhoJ5AX9CY0c0IrkotPsjGP8jjHhmA | r/renalcats | comment | r/RenalCats | 2024-07-08 |
Big jet is usually a big baby, but he seems more confident since living with me. When I start the blender or vacuum he seems intrigued rather than scared | r/renalcats | comment | r/RenalCats | 2024-10-08 |
I was interested in the brand, but the names messed me up 😂 | r/renalcats | comment | r/RenalCats | 2024-10-08 |
When he went it was a checkup. I'm not sure if they looked at his teeth though because it's been a ride since than. It's been brought to my attention I might want to seek a second opinion | r/renalcats | comment | r/RenalCats | 2024-10-08 |
OMG someone speaking my language. So I looked into a holistic vet cuz the one I originally took him to is a pill pusher. I'm on a holistic journey myself reason I'm hoping to bring the kids along for the ride. The only vet near me is way to far out of reach. Still in PA, but up north. | r/renalcats | comment | r/RenalCats | 2024-10-08 |
The names are so confusing! It’s so hard when they can only have certain ones because of ckd, and they all look so similar with hard to read wacky names. I stand in front of the wall of them cursing whoever came up with this 😹 | r/renalcats | comment | r/RenalCats | 2024-10-08 |
I lost my dog 7 months ago who passed away at 17 and I took care of him all through his life into his old age. I miss him dearly and want to give a shelter per a good life to honor him.
I was browsing the local shelter’s website and came across a 16 year old orange tomcat and knew I had to go look at him. I just saw him at the shelter and we connected instantly. He was so sweet and friendly!
But the issue is, he has stage 2 kidney disease. Naturally, my husband and I have some reservations about adopting him and want to know the realities of it.
First of all, we just bought a new house and are worried that he will get kidney infections and become incontinent and our new home will stink like cat pee. Second, we are concerned about vet bills. We make okay money but don’t have too much disposable income. Third, we are worried he will pass very quickly after getting him due to being 16 and his health condition.
Will I be way in over my head by adopting this cat? I need honest answers about what the reality of this could look like. | r/renalcats | post | r/RenalCats | 2024-06-08 |
Just for the record, my cat's labs were barely Stage 2 about three years ago now.
Your mileage may vary, I think I've got a 'best possible' outcome. With a 16 year old cat, you can't expect five years of health (though you might get it!), but the CKD makes it much less.
That said: you probably have a good kitty there! Set a budget, plan in advance what you are willing/not willing to do. You might have a great cat for a few years. Keep your expectations in line, but even thinking about this means that you are compassionate for animals, so give it some thought! | r/renalcats | comment | r/RenalCats | 2024-06-08 |
I’m gonna say it’s probably not a good idea if you are concerned. There will be some vet bills and additional cost for renal diet, and possibly some medications. My boy was in stage 2 for over 4 years with no health problems and just went into stage 3. That being said, ckd kitties come with some health problems and additional responsibilities and should be adopted by someone ready for the additional care and responsibility | r/renalcats | comment | r/RenalCats | 2024-06-08 |
Incontinence isn't a given in stage 2. He'll be going a lot while the kidneys still have some degree of function, but he should be getting to the litterbox unless there's another issue at play. Arthritis being more common in the mid to late teens. His urine will be smelling much less pee-like as kidney disease progresses and it becomes poorly concentrated and mostly water, which will then back these toxins up into the bloodstream requiring more advanced care in the later stages: SubQ fluids and various meds.
It's a costly game managing any disease, but CKD is common and predictable in terms of what's needed and generally when. Estimates are difficult, but I was a little over £10k GBP all in with my most recent CKD cat through stage 4 and life-threatening anemia having half of that come from a weekend in an animal hospital with a internal medicine specialist. He also had a £2k-ish surgery to correct megacolon a few months before. Vet visits for bloodwork and meds will be routine. Most expected meds are cheap as far as vet meds go. Some experimental drugs in the later stages are expensive.
It'd be unfair to predict a life expectancy, but death isn't immediately expected in stage 2. If recently diagnosed, stage 2 can usually be managed for some time. FWIW: my stage 4 cat went on for over a year in upper stage 3 and 4. YMMV. | r/renalcats | comment | r/RenalCats | 2024-06-08 |
I think the “what you are willing/not willing to do” part is the most important thing. I’d read through this sub to learn more about what can happen, especially toward the end. You might be the right person to help this kitty through the illness—or you might not be. And that would be okay. But it wouldn’t be okay to make things worse for you *and* for kitty by not being willing or able to endure what’s coming. | r/renalcats | comment | r/RenalCats | 2024-06-08 |
I've never had a renal cat with incontinence. But they are quite costly, and an extended lifespan is not always a given. My girl went from stage 2 to ESRD in 4 months despite several thousands spent on care. It had caused too many issues that couldn't be managed.
However.. I love adopting senior kitties, especially hospice kitties. No matter the length of time I have with them it's always worth it. | r/renalcats | comment | r/RenalCats | 2024-06-08 |
Look at the flip side. How long has that 16 year old kitty been in a cage waiting to be adopted? It takes special people to adopt senior cats. You would be giving this kitty a great life for the time he is with you, whether that is shorter or longer, no one knows. But at stage 2, I would think that is manageable and you could have years of life together.
He's 16 and stage two. If he were 10 years younger and stage two, I'd be more worried about his future health. But many older cats have kidney disease and do fine for several years with it. For now, he probably only needs prescription diet food, which does have higher cost than regular food.
I had cats with kidney disease and they were always good with the litter box. I honestly have no idea what percentages of CKD cats have litter box problems. It's definitely not zero, but I don't know how it compares to other old cats. | r/renalcats | comment | r/RenalCats | 2024-06-08 |
I think the older guy deserves to be loved and have people to call his own … it’s not easy with any animal that has health issues even young animals can develop health issues. | r/renalcats | comment | r/RenalCats | 2024-07-08 |
Lots of great answers here on what to consider. Cost would be the big one for me because I know I’d want to pursue every possible test and treatment (maybe you’ll be more rational lol). Having an elderly cat with a chronic disease IS a lot of work. But if you’re like me - childless and wanting a needy pet to give your life meaning - then an old cat will fit the bill!
I think incontinence is low on the list of concerns. Kidney disease doesn’t really *cause* incontinence, it’s just that CKD kitties have to pee frequently and often have mobility issues due to arthritis or muscle weakness. UTIs also become more likely but aren’t inevitable (my cat never had one). As a preventative measure to accidents, get a low entry litter box for every floor of the house where kitty spends time. | r/renalcats | comment | r/RenalCats | 2024-07-08 |
I run a nonprofit cat sanctuary for senior and chronically ill cats. At any given time I may have 4-5 kidney failure cats at various stages. In my experience no matter what the stage is, it is not cheap to properly care for a kidney cat. Between the special food, the medications, the co-morbidities, the bloodwork, etc it’s not a low cost endeavor. If you are already concerned about the vet bills, I’d forget it and get a young healthy cat. | r/renalcats | comment | r/RenalCats | 2024-07-08 |
My sweet girl is 18 and in late stage renal failure. She has no incontinence issues. Fluids every two weeks is $49 at the vet, but they will teach you to do that when it's necessary. With 2 of you, I think you can easily do it at home. | r/renalcats | comment | r/RenalCats | 2024-07-08 |
Don’t do it. The prescription food is very expensive and he needs medication and many visits to the vet. | r/renalcats | comment | r/RenalCats | 2024-07-08 |
None of my cats with ckd had incontinence. But as for vet bills it can get pricey depending on how much you want to support him. And a 16 year old with ckd lifespan? That is all pure luck. One of my first cats lived to 21 when diagnosed at 16. My Siamese died half a year from showing any symptoms. My current cat has been alive for years but he and his sister I believe have had it since kittens (his sister died young at 3 and he’s still around years later and acts totally fine). I suspect with him it isn’t a matter of kidneys failing rather then abnormal kidneys that don’t function as well (he is the last of his litter of three. Their other littermate died during the spay. I think the litter either had bad genes or something went wrong in the pregnancy and they didn’t form properly in the womb). | r/renalcats | comment | r/RenalCats | 2024-07-08 |
I want to add though if you can afford a cat that will need care and can handle that he may not be with you long you would be doing a real kindness to him to give him a home for what life he has left. | r/renalcats | comment | r/RenalCats | 2024-07-08 |
Controversial opinion, but I adopted the world's cuddliest orange boy at age 15 with CKD, and shortly after finding out he's picky and won't eat prescription food I decided to have him be peri-palliative care/hospice, save all the vet visits, labs and aggressive medical treatments like subq fluids and let him enjoy the time he has left. We're a year in and so far he's doing well. I don't think it's a problem (as long as you're ok with it) to give them a loving home for the remainder of their lives and let them go when it's time - they are already living way longer and healthier indoors than "in nature", animals don't understand medicine the same way we do and with so many cats needing saving I sometimes feel like we prolong their lifespan more for our emotional needs but not theirs 🤷 | r/renalcats | comment | r/RenalCats | 2024-07-08 |
My 16 year old cat with renal disease just died a few weeks ago. She was not incontinent. My house does not smell like pee. I never fed her prescription food--she just would not eat the stuff. Some Fancy Feast is just fine. She got fluids at home when needed. Some of the most beautiful and happy moments I had with her were after she passed stage 2 ckd.
Years ago I adopted an elderly cat who died of heart disease a few months later. I'm happy that I gave him security and love at the end of his life. | r/renalcats | comment | r/RenalCats | 2024-07-08 |
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