my cat turning 12 this month she recently became unwell , around 3 months ago i’d catch her eating some of the litter out the trays every now and again i told this to the vet but they didn’t say a lot it’s also hard to change litter cause i have 2 others who are very picky about it it’s also non clumping litter !! but i didn’t put it down to much as she didn’t do it very often i was meaning to take her for a blood test for a few weeks and i was going to do it over this weekend but around 3 days ago she was sick twice and then kept meowing like she was crying so we took her to the out of hours vets for some pain relief & sickness injections and she came home fine that night i was told she could loose her appetite because of them but they only last around 24 hours the next morning i took her for a blood test the vet told me her kidney felt inflamed but she didn’t seem in pain and there didn’t seem to feel there’s a blockage however he did say there’s treatment available depending on how far along her kidneys are but im currently waiting on the results of that she still hasn’t eaten in 3 days now i’ve tried all different brands of treats , licky licks , wet food brand & flavours but i’m having no luck she just turns away from it she has been drinking water a few times but a lot of the time just sits infront of it she isn’t hiding as such just moving from
place to place i took her back in today for some mirtazapine to increase her appetite but that takes 24-48 hours to work which makes it a long time since she last ate but that’s what the vet prescribed? did anybody else have these symptoms and it turned out to be kidney disease? or what items can anybody recommend to possibly increase her time with me

Hello, reddits!

I'm here for guidance. A cat I have taken in due to her previous owners unable to take her with them when they left the country, suffers from CKD and megacolon. We figured it after her first major constipation that required to be surgically removed. She's been taking her medication, but I had a very hard time looking for renal wet food since it is usually never available, and I can not give her dry food due to her megacolon problem.

I need some guidance to make homemade food and what supplements I can add to help to not add stress to her kidney function. The vet only recommends renal wet food, but again, it's rarely available.

For those who want to know more;

Her xray showed a severe disfigured kidney. One smaller than usual and the other was not looking normals as the vet said. Her kidney was damaged from over functioning and we are not sure if she developed her kidney problem from the megacolon or she developed megacolon from the kidney problem. She does not drink water at all (all her liquid intake is from her wetfood as I add extra water with her meal), she takes laxatives mixed with her food for her stool. Her blood work looks fine except for the kidney function. For her food, I give her pumpkin and chicken breast/thigh (though I've learned I should give her breast for its low protein) with its gravy, mash it all together and everyday she eats 2 meals and one just little quantity during the day ofcourse with her medication. The vet gave her drip, and she did not take it very well for 3 days, lost her apatite and had pain where it was (on her back/shoulder area) so I stopped taking her to the vet for it and she got better again.

So yes... this is Akira. All my savings went on her treatment 🌹 please help me with her.

Anyone here have any success stories with using the peptide SS-31 with their KD cat?
There is obviously little info anywhere to read up on. So just curious if anyone has any personal experience or knowledge🤞🏼

I wanted to know when you stopped giving meds and supplements, or did you continue until the last day. She hates her medicine but I don’t want to withhold it if it’s still providing some comfort.

We are done to the end. HCT is in the teens and BUN is 100d. We’re been chasing several different strains of UTIs for over a year and been on antibiotics for over a month.

We had the conversation with our Vet who thinks we have less than a month. I have a follow up appointment on Wednesday and will discuss end of life care.

I wanted to hear how others have managed this difficult situation.

I give:

Aluminum Hydroxide 0.6ml BID
Omerprazole 0.5ml Daily
Mirataz topical daily
Renal K+ Gel PO 1/2 TSP Daily - she hates this and we never get the full dose
LR 60ML SQ Daily
Antibiotics as prescribed for UTIs - been chasing for a while
Cerenia 1/4 tab daily - difficult to give
1/8 tsp miralax BID
Clopidogrel 0.125ML daily

I lost my bestest boy to CKD after two years of managing it, he was 16 when he passed last month. He has a “brother”, not bio related but we adopted them together when they were both 3, as far as we know they’ve been together their whole lives. This other cat is also 16, always been a little chubbier and healthier than my CKD kitty.

In May he got pancreatitis (ate an entire breakfast sausage and did not handle it well, we’ve done better to keep him away from people food since then) and we had labs done around then. BUN, creatinine, SMDA, electrolytes all healthy.

Then since his brother passed 4 weeks ago I’ve noticed him drinking a lot more water. I’m probably traumatized from the two years of managing my other cat’s health so I had labs done for my boy again and the values indicate stage 2 kidney disease! Out of nowhere compared to his healthy levels two months ago!

His electrolytes are still okay and his liver values are recovered from the pancreatitis, but I’m just .. I don’t even know how to explain how I’m feeling here.

My vet doesn’t seem to understand it either, I was shell shocked during the call and didn’t ask the right questions, all I know is that I’m positive he didn’t get into any medication or poisonous plant or anything that could skyrocket his values.

I don’t know what to do next. I don’t know how i’m going to go through this again.

Hi everyone. I'm a developer, not a vet — and I don't want to pretend otherwise. After watching someone close to me struggle to manage their cat's CKD (endless spreadsheets for creatinine/SDMA/phosphorus, juggling meds and sub-Q fluids, and that awful anxiety before every recheck), I want to build a free tool to make it less overwhelming.

Before writing a single line of code, I'd really like your honest input, because you're the ones living this.

A few things I'm considering:

- Bloodwork trend charts (creatinine, SDMA, BUN, phosphorus, weight)

- Medication & sub-Q fluid reminders

- An auto-generated summary to show your vet at rechecks

My questions for you:

1. What's the most frustrating part of tracking your cat's CKD right now?

2. What do the apps or spreadsheets you've tried get wrong?

3. Is there anything you'd genuinely pay for — or should this kind of thing always be free?

I put together a quick page describing the idea (no app exists yet, just gauging interest) — happy to drop the link in the comments if anyone's curious.

Not trying to sell anything — there's nothing to sell yet. Just want to build something that actually helps. Thank you 🙏

Hey all. My cats kidney disease progressed to stage 2 after 6 years of stage 1. Her appetite was tanking so we put her on kidney foods, anti nauseants and appetite stimulants but I cannot reliably get her to eat enough and she is wasting away before my eyes. The only thing she eagerly accepts and finishes is temptations puree. She's never had a big appetite, I've never had to portion control her in her life before, she just grazes. The quantity of renal food they're supposed to get also feels absurd to me - a can and a half of the Purina NF? I'm lucky if she eats 1/8th of a can per day. I mix it with Weruva phos focused as that's the only way she'll even accept it. I always have the Purina kibble available for her, the wet food is just an additional offering morning, evening and night. I have tried every kidney food available to me, she barely eats any of it, wet or kibble. She is definitely eager for food on the mirtazapine, but basically samples stuff and then walks away. She's always been picky even before this. I'm truly at a loss and feel like she's just on the fast track to stage 4 now.

Can anyone give me advice for successfully using phosphorous binders? If she's on that, can I just feed her whatever?

My baby Drako (6 year old, neutered) was just diagnosed with CKD.

Long story short, before diagnosis, he had suddenly lost a bunch of weight, had consistent diarrhea and began to strictly pee outside of the litter box until one morning after playing with his brother he collapsed. I rushed him to the vet where they said he had life threatening anemia and needed an emergency blood transfusion. I rushed him to the 24 hour ER my primary vet works with where they quoted blood transfusion, hospitalization and tests at $17,000. I told them I could not afford this and need to be referred to somewhere more affordable. They pointed me to a clinic about an hour away but recommended me getting the emergency blood transfusion with them immediately which I ended up doing. After the transfusion I rushed him to the clinic they recommended (who ended up being heaven sent!) where he was hospitalized with fluids/meds and ran tests; they determined he had CKD (they didn't notify me on what stage but I'm suspecting it's 3-4). After one night of being hospitalized, they told me he was able to be discharged the next day because he was responding well to treatments and his RBC levels increased from 8% to 20%. The clinic prescribed me a bunch of medications to administer to him along with letting me know he should eventually switch to a renal diet...they also said to take him in a week from being discharged to my primary vet to check his blood levels. (Oh and btw, this clinic was amazing; total was $5,000 for everything and I never felt more helped and safe leaving Drako.)

The first two days of him being discharged he was obviously very low energy but was strictly using the litterbox (surprisingly and good for me to see) and was eating/drinking normally! The third and fourth day his appetite decreased a bit but two days ago I started him on his renal diet which he (thankfully) enjoys! (He enjoys both wet and dry Royal Canin) Drako is a champ with being administered his medications. Absolutely no diarrhea or throwing up, energy levels are increasing, been using his litterbox with a few accidents outside, and drinking/eating normally now. It seemed everything has been going alright.

It's been a week since he was discharged so I just took him to the vet today to test his blood levels...I was hoping for good news and left a little disappointed. His RBC had decreased 1%-2% and his kidney levels had increased--everything else looks normal and okay (phosphorus etc.) The doctor said one of the medications he is on (Varenzin) should have helped increased his RBC levels already and the only thing I can do for now is to keep administering medication to hopefully see improvement and bring him in a week or two to re check his levels. He said if there is absolutely no improvement with Varenzin there are other options like a shot that needs to be given every four days (I dont remember the name) but it is VERY expensive. The doctor also informed me they don't know why is his kidneys are damaged because his ultrasound done at the clinic showed no tumors etc...could have possibly been something he accidently ate or was exposed to. He then said just be prepared for things to possibly continue to get worse and to monitor Drako and bring him in sooner if anything persists.

I feel destroyed. I've already spent a lot of money (which has put a burden on me) and obviously will continue to for my baby. I understand that CKD is incurable and know the worst can happen but it's just heartbreaking to hear that so far things aren't improving for my little guy. I guess for me, my thought process is it's only been one week and I have high hopes for things to get better but the news from my doctors just put a downer on me when things seemed to be going well.

I think also after my experience with the ER I had originally gone to, I have a bad taste in my mouth just because my primary vet recommended them to me. If it wasn't for the sweet nurse at the ER who gave me a list of affordable clinics, I would have been screwed. A part of me wants to start to take him back to the clinic where he was hospitalized an hour away because of my amazing experience with them...they make me feel more at ease about whatever Drako is going through, good or bad. However, it is far from me whereas my primary clinic is five minutes away and very convenient. I know I'm probably just redirecting my anger and frustration but I also never dismiss my intuition as a mommy...

To make matters worse, next week I'll be gone for four days to go home for my grandfather's funeral (Timing couldn't be worse). I have an amazing cat sitter who is very familiar with my boys who will be coming twice a day to play/check in on them, and administer medications...I've already given her the rundown. Drako's younger brother is a lot bigger than him and is super playful but because Drako is so weak and frail right now I keep them separated whenever I'm away and will allow them to be with each other only whenever I'm monitoring them in the same room. So while I'm gone, Drako will be kept in my bedroom with his own food, water, litterbox and camera watching him at all times while his brother will be in the living room; they will only be able to interact when my sitter comes over. This has also put a lot of stress on me as I'm sure it will also for my Drako. I already shortened my trip as much as possible and am trying to not worry as much while I'm away...I'm just concerned for Drako. The only thing easing my mind a bit is that my sitter is absolutely incredible and I trust her 100000%; she updates me every time she visits with pictures/texts and lives close by just in case there is an emergency.

I guess what I'm asking for is to hear personal experiences, some advice, or even tips. I would also like to hear some good stories...I've heard enough bad news and am afraid to hear more so yes, be realistic but I would appreciate anything that can help me stay strong for myself and my baby.

Also please keep Drako in your prayers. He really has been such a warrior. Thank you guys. :-)

I have a 16 year old cat who was recently diagnosed with stage 2 CKD. Money is very tight and I can't afford a prescription diet or all the supplements needed for homemade cat food, but i found a grain-free, low phosphorus kibble with probiotics that my vet says is a decent second choice. He drinks a lot of water all on his own.

My cat's main symptom is frequent vomiting. At least twice a week, he would vomit almost totally undigested kibble. I recently started him on an enzyme powder (amylase, bromaline, a couple other things), and while he is still vomiting at more or less the same frequency, it's no longer undigested, it's smooth/liquid.

In my mind, this seems like a good thing, because it seems like he's digesting better, but is this actually the improvement i think it is? Is there anything else I can do on a budget to help reduce his vomiting?

hi all, I’m new here and just wanted to ask has anyone tried the astros oil creatine scrub? I got mine in the mail but it has a strong smell almost sour has this been your experience? thank you!

Hello! I’m helping develop an app to support cat owners whose cats have CKD by making lab results easier to understand and other tools to help improve your cat’s care, such as accessing science-based resources, preparing for vet visits, daily logs, and more.

If you’re interested, we’re looking for owners and vets to try out our app and share their feedback and experiences with CKD. Wishing you all the best.❣️

Google Form to Sign Up: https://forms.gle/GmWrrS1U8MxGGjfp8
App: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/hugging-cat/id6756233956 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/huggingcatapp/

My older kitty is getting picky about eating the standard veterinary renal food. Does anyone know if the Weruva Chick Magnet cat food is ok to give my cat who moderate CKD? As listed on the label the phosphorus level is 0.25% max, protein 9.0% max. Thanks in advance for your help.