18 y/o cat won't eat

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Jazzman - 17 Jul 2003 12:19 GMT

I have an 18 year old cat diagnosed with Chronic Kidney Failure.
We're having trouble getting her to eat. We've tried cooked shrimp
(one of her favorites), raw and cooked chicken, wet canned food, dried
boxed food, etc. etc. The vet said what often happens with CKF is the
cat just stops eating, but we're determined to try to keep her going
as long as we can. Any suggestions would be most appreciated.

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fuga =^o^= - 17 Jul 2003 13:35 GMT

There's a really good website out there for Kidney Failure.

http://www.felinecrf.org/

There are some great support groups on yahoo where there are quite a few
people with extensive experience in battling this.

I believe there are some medications that can be given to cats to help with
nausea which can sometimes cause cats to lose interest in eating.

I hope you can get him to eat. Keep us posted.

Purrs,

Fuga

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Mogie - 18 Jul 2003 18:24 GMT

I don't know how much this will help but it's a good source of info:

http://www.flippyscatpage.com/health.html

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blcker - 18 Jul 2003 08:27 GMT

Quick Jazzman.....go here;
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Caring-for-CRF-Felines/

> I have an 18 year old cat diagnosed with Chronic Kidney Failure.
> We're having trouble getting her to eat. We've tried cooked shrimp
> (one of her favorites), raw and cooked chicken, wet canned food, dried
> boxed food, etc. etc. The vet said what often happens with CKF is the
> cat just stops eating, but we're determined to try to keep her going
> as long as we can. Any suggestions would be most appreciated.

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Arjun Ray - 18 Jul 2003 08:54 GMT

| I have an 18 year old cat diagnosed with Chronic Kidney Failure.
| We're having trouble getting her to eat.

Most likely, nausea is killing her appetite. Nausea is a common effect
of high creatinine levels. You can try syringe-feeding pureed food, but
this is a stop gap (as the cat must eat). Until the creatinine level
is brought down, nausea will prevent the cat from eating on its own.

| The vet said what often happens with CKF is the cat just stops eating,

I'm sorry, but your vet does not seem to know much about treating CRF
cats.

| but we're determined to try to keep her going as long as we can.

Please, don't lose hope. CRF is irreversible and incurable, but by no
means is it an immediate death sentence or cause for despair. Read the
materials at this site thoroughly:

http://www.felinecrf.org/

With proper treatment, there's no telling how long you can her going,
comfortably.

| Any suggestions would be most appreciated.

First, find a new vet, someone who knows how to treat CRF and is willing
to be aggressive about it.

Second, get a full blood panel done on your cat, if you haven't already.
(If your vet hasn't done this, then that's all the more reason to find
another vet ASAP). You will need a copy of the results, because in any
discussion with others, the actual numbers will be important to know.

In particular, BUN (Blood Urea Nitorgen) and creatinine are two values
specific to kidney function. These numbers will get scarier over time
as the condition degenrates, but don't panic: the numbers are indicators
only. Be prepared to treat the cat, not the numbers. Also important is
the chemical balance in the blood. It will get out of whack: look for
phosphorus (and with it, calcium) to get too high, and potassium to get
too low. There are food supplements available to deal with these.

Third, to get your cat eating again, the BUN and creatinine *must* be
brought down. This is done by fluid therapy - first IV (intravenous) at
the vet's for at least 24 hours, if not a few days, depending on how
serious it is; and then, subQ (subcutaneous) fluids at home on a regular
basis. Hydration is of utmost importance in CRF treatment. Kidneys are
repsonsible for maintaining the water balance of the body: as they fail,
the cat will lose too much water, and this has to be made up.

Fourth, once the cat is eating, it should be on a diet of canned food
only. Dry food for the occasional snack or treat only. Most cats don't
drink enough water anyway - they are evolved to get their moisture from
their food. CRF cats need moisture any which way they can get it.

Good luck.

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Jason James - 18 Jul 2003 20:17 GMT

Our 15 yo suffered kidney failure andstopped eating. We had her to the Vet 3
times. Each time they put her on a drip of fluids. This had the effectof
'washing her blood of contaminants the kidneys had failed to remove.

It's a sad way for the cat to suffer as they feel sick once the contaminants
build up in their blood again.

I'm not sure what they gave her, but early on when she was first diagnosed
with CKF they gave her a shot. She was well for a month after. Maybe it was
a diuretic?

Jason

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Arjun Ray - 19 Jul 2003 11:51 GMT

| Our 15 yo suffered kidney failure and stopped eating.

Refusing to eat is the most obvious symptom of an impending crash.

| We had her to the Vet 3 times. Each time they put her on a drip of
| fluids. This had the effect of 'washing her blood of contaminants
| the kidneys had failed to remove.

Yes, exactly. A crash is a crisis, and an IV drip is an emergency
measure to counter it.

| It's a sad way for the cat to suffer as they feel sick once the
| contaminants build up in their blood again.

But, on the whole, this is controllable! The key is subQ fluids on a
regular basis at home. There is no need for the inconvenience (and
expense!) of constant visits to the vet for IV fluids. The contaminants
will still build up, but at a much slower rate - and if a crash impends,
you can take the cat in for IV fluids.

Did your vet not suggest subQ fluids at home?

| I'm not sure what they gave her, but early on when she was first
| diagnosed with CKF they gave her a shot. She was well for a month after.
| Maybe it was a diuretic?

Hardly likely. CRF cats dehydrate very easily because the kidneys fail
to retain enough water for the body - in fact, copious urine is one of
the earliest signs of CRF. A diuretic would be the last thing to give a
CRF cat.

It was probably a combination vitamin shot (mainly the Bs), as the water
loss would tend to drain the body of water soluble vitamins such as B, C
and E. (CRF cats also lose electrolytes - in particular, potassium - so
the shot could have been something for that too.)

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Jason James - 19 Jul 2003 22:35 GMT

> | Our 15 yo suffered kidney failure and stopped eating.
>
[quoted text clipped - 17 lines]
>
> Did your vet not suggest subQ fluids at home?

Arjun, the practice we go to is a big one. The Girl who took charge of our
female seemed to not be aware of her real condition and had her checked for
'feline aids' and some other things. She was on a drip and when we got her
home she was back to eating. It was only till the 3rd visit, on a holiday,
that we got the head-Vet, and he told us the news. He didnt mention any
treatment apart from IVs evry couple of days.

> | I'm not sure what they gave her, but early on when she was first
> | diagnosed with CKF they gave her a shot. She was well for a month after.
[quoted text clipped - 4 lines]
> the earliest signs of CRF. A diuretic would be the last thing to give a
> CRF cat.

OK,..she ws drinking a lot towards the end as well.

> It was probably a combination vitamin shot (mainly the Bs), as the water
> loss would tend to drain the body of water soluble vitamins such as B, C
> and E. (CRF cats also lose electrolytes - in particular, potassium - so
> the shot could have been something for that too.)

These sudQ fluids have some type of agent which helps the kidneys filter
them?

Jason

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Arjun Ray - 20 Jul 2003 02:10 GMT

|> Did your vet not suggest subQ fluids at home?
|
| the practice we go to is a big one. The Girl who took charge of our
| female seemed to not be aware of her real condition and had her
| checked for 'feline aids' and some other things.

That's strange, to say the least, for a 15 year old cat - surely she
would have been tested for such stuff long before. Taking blood would
have been SOP, but the testing should have been for blood values, not
diseases necessarily.

| She was on a drip and when we got her home she was back to eating. It
| was only till the 3rd visit, on a holiday, that we got the head-Vet,
| and he told us the news. He didnt mention any treatment apart from
| IVs evry couple of days.

Either things are done differently in Oz, or this practice believes in
keeping guardians in the dark ("Oh bring her in every couple of days or
so"), not to mention being more than a little casual about treatment of
CRF.

CRF is a *serious* condition, and it *can* be treated without a trip to
the vet every couple of days. You should have been told the moment the
diagnosis was definite. This would have been based on the blood panel
results (elevated BUN and creatinine values, inter alia) and a urine
specific gravity test (the urine would have been abnormally dilute).

Treatment consists of aggressive hydration and diet control (such as
canned food only, reduction of phosphorus intake, supplementation of
potassium intake, etc., more controls as the condition deteriorates.)

Your vet seems to have been content with IV drips for hydration. Maybe
this was years ago, but these days, fluids delivered subcutaneously at
home is routine and normal. In the US, you can get supplies for three
months or more (depending on the frequency) for about $50.

| These sudQ fluids have some type of agent which helps the kidneys
| filter them?

They are the same fluids as in IV drips, sort of like saline solution.
It's called LRS (Lactated Ringer's Solution) and it has various chemical
supplements: sodium chloride (salt), anhydrous sodium lactate, potassium
chloride, calcium chloride, and maybe something to adjust the pH.

The supplements are to add to the electrolytes in the body, the water is
to counter dehydration and allow the kidneys to flush sufficient waste
even at their severely reduced efficiency. (Note that there are *no*
clinical signs of CRF until at least 75% of kidney function has already
been lost!)

How do I know all this? ;-) You guessed it - I have a CRF cat. He was
diagnosed in April 2002. He had one crash, in Feb 2003. I can't say
that he's in good shape, but things aren't too bad either. Despite
having lost weight and looking drawn, his appetite is good, he's active,
and so far he's happy.

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Jason James - 20 Jul 2003 05:28 GMT

Can't explain what was going on here. She had all her shots and went to the
vet for small things about twice a year. Her teeth weren't good as she was
another stray we decided to keep and must have had a lot of sweet biscuits
or similar. They were fixed years earlier and at the time she was given a
good going over. Costs are high here. A min consultation is roughly $50, the
feline aids test and other tests and a few nights on IV was $415 (ouch)

> That's strange, to say the least, for a 15 year old cat - surely she
> would have been tested for such stuff long before. Taking blood would
[quoted text clipped - 10 lines]
> so"), not to mention being more than a little casual about treatment of
> CRF.

Believ it or not the only treatment he offered was IVs or put to sleep.

> CRF is a *serious* condition, and it *can* be treated without a trip to
> the vet every couple of days. You should have been told the moment the
[quoted text clipped - 10 lines]
> home is routine and normal. In the US, you can get supplies for three
> months or more (depending on the frequency) for about $50.

This has been new to me. I shall ask the vet next time I'm there.

> | These sudQ fluids have some type of agent which helps the kidneys
> | filter them?
[quoted text clipped - 15 lines]
> having lost weight and looking drawn, his appetite is good, he's active,
> and so far he's happy.

That's good to hear you have an extension with him before it overtakes him.
The duration of CKF before death seems to be quite a while. Our 15yo was
sick for about 2 weeks before she got too weak to stand and he told us there
was no hope. Perhaps she was stricken with sudden failure?

Jason

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MaryL - 20 Jul 2003 09:19 GMT

> > I have an 18 year old cat diagnosed with Chronic Kidney Failure.
> > We're having trouble getting her to eat. We've tried cooked shrimp
[quoted text clipped - 15 lines]
>
> Jason

I had a cat who had this same problem many years ago. He was also 18 when
it first developed. They first administrered Ringer's Lactate by drip IV,
several weeks apart. When he needed it more frequently, my vet showed me
how to inject it subQ (barely under the skin), and he also had me force-feed
some Pedialyte to replace electrolytes. These two treatments helped
enormously for some time. We also used a canned prescription cat food, but
it has been so many years that I don't remember which one was recommended.

Good luck!

MaryL

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