Chronic Renal Failure in Cats

I had a great question from a cat lover this morning. Her eight year old year cat was recently diagnosed with Chronic Renal Failure (CRF). Apparently he had been losing weight lately and she was concerned enough to take him in for an exam.

CRF is fairly common in older cats and the early signs can be non-specific. They may lose their appetite, seem listless and often they may vomit. These signs are usually the result of uremia and the accompanying nausea. Uremia is the result of the gradual build up of toxins that are usually removed by a properly functioning kidney. If there is enough kidney damage to cause uremia you can estimate that these kitties only have about 70% of normal kidney function left.

 

The question was related to prognosis and the amount of home care that would be required. Our cat lover was more than willing to shoulder the burden as this cat was her constant companion over the last eight years and she wanted to do anything she could to extend his life. 

 

The answer to this question is not simple. The life expectancy of a cat diagnosed with CRF depends on the amount of damage that has been done. End stage renal failure, meaning there is nothing you can do to prevent further damage, occurs when there is only about 10% of normal kidney function left. At this point cats rapidly decline. 

 

Cats can live for several years after the diagnosis of CRF with good home care and a good partnership with your veterinarian. There are definite ups and downs; points where you may think your cat has recovered and times when you think the end is near. 

 

There are a number of medications that may be involved including drugs to control anemia, nausea, calcium and phosphorus levels and blood pressure. Changing diet is also very helpful. The kidney is responsible for removing many of the byproducts of protein metabolism. High dietary levels of sodium and phosphorus can also result in progression of kidney disease. Diets modified to have lower levels of high quality protein and lower levels of salt and phosphorus can help slow the progression of kidney disease.

 

Cats love high protein diets and they may balk at changing to a lower protein diet. This can be complicated by nausea and drugs like Valium that improve appetite in cats may help.

 

You may also need to learn how to give sub cutaneous fluids to help with the inevitable dehydration that develops with CRF.

 

I came across an excellent web site devoted to helping cat owners deal with CRF. They do an excellent job of providing support and a wealth of knowledge about the disease itself. If your cat has been recently diagnosed with CRF I'd recommend you spend some time on this site. 

 

It's certainly not a hopeless situation. You'll have to work closely with your veterinarian and monitor the progression of the disease with blood tests at regular intervals. Your vet and their staff will become partners in the ongoing care of a cat with CRF. Make sure you have a good relationship and good lines of communication with your veterinarian and their staff. 

Comments

[Jones Allen]

Hi there.. Thank you for sharing this informative contents that i can used or apply in my daily life.. I am looking forward to see more contents like this :)

If you have time please visit this site:
Kidney Disease Treatment

[Lindsay Aristo]

Hi there.. Thank you for sharing this informative contents that i can used or apply in my daily life.. I am looking forward to see more contents like this :)

If you have time please visit this site:
Kidney Disease Treatment

[Andrea]

My cat, Strider, was diagnosed with CRF in 2008 and we managed well with prescription diet, meds and SQ fluids (once a week) until recently (he's almost 12 y.o).

Lately, though, his azotemia spiked up again and he's started losing weight because he's eating very little. He's still enjoying himself and his quality of life is such that the good surpasses the bad by far.

[Cat Lover]

Does anyone have any advice on low protein foods that your cats with CRF like? My cat has rejected KD, etc... Thanks!

[Larry McDaniel]

Thanks so much for both comments. It's really good to hear about such success stories from folks that have been in the trenches. It helps give hope to others that might be thinking twice about what may appear to be a daunting task.

[Elisa Camahort Page]

My 15 1/2 year old cat was diagnosed with CRF in 2003, only a few weeks after we lost her littermate to Lymphoma. I thought it was terribly unfair, but in fact Samantha lived another 4.5 years until she was over 20 years old, and until the very last week, her life quality was very good. I did give her sub-cutaneous fluids at home for most of that time...sometimes daily, sometimes every other day, depending on her blood work. The most important thing was to take her to the vet quarterly to check the progress of her disease and adjust treatment accordingly. She did reject prescription foods, but some OTC foods for seniors are as low in protein and phosphorous as the prescription foods, so we switched to that. All in all, I would say that it's easier than you think to care for a CRF cat, and well worth it.

[Laura]

Thanks for this article. My cat Barnes has had kidney disease since early 2003. We've managed it with diet (mostly) and sub-Q fluids (on and off, every other day now) and that has worked well. He's now in the end stage of his disease (he's about 14 years old) but still happy and much himself. His weight is dropping because he's not eating well and I can't find much to tempt him that doesn't make him sick but he still goes out and about and is enjoying life. Not bad for 6 years of kidney issues.