I just left the 24 hour emergency animal hospital and am devastated. My 10 year old cats all have kidney function tests that are slightly elevated and we have been monitoring them for several years with no changes and no need for sub q fluids etc as of yet. I had prepared myself for them eventually needing special treatment but they have been very stable and without progression for over 4 years. The last two days my Niki stopped eating and drinking and starting throwing up. Just like with our kids it is on a holiday weekend! I was so concerned with her increasing lethargy and sudden onset of illness I took her to an emergency vet and was shocked to find out she is in severe kidney failure. Her numbers are off the charts. They don’t give me much hope but admitted her and started IV fluids and anti nausea meds. I can’t stop sobbing and hope someone has an encouraging story of a kitty that rebounded from a crisis like this? It is doubly hard not having her at my usual vet. This night is going to be long and sleepless.
Yes to the rebound - Iggy nearly died two years ago of acute kidney failure. He too had fluids to flush his system and anti-nausea medication. Then he ended up going to the vet daily for three weeks to get a fluid pack - continuing to flush out his system. It didn’t look as though he would make it much past Labor Day (two years ago). And then he did, moving from acute kidney failure to chronic kidney failure - the vet estimated that he had about 6 months to a year to live. Two good years later he’s still with us and content with his life, doing much of what he’s always done. I think when he goes it will take us by surprise but I still have to say “two years” - it’s surprised us all.
Will think of you and your kitty tonight and hope for the best possible outcome.
Hugs.
My poor kitty was a victim during the pet food recall several years ago. She almost died from kidney failure.
She did rebound after a few weeks after having her kidneys flushed. Once she started eating again she got a lot better (she’d lost a lot of weight). She lived a couple more happy years.
H and I were able to give her fluids at home–it was pretty easy actually. I went with kitty to the vet a couple times he showed me how to give the fluids and then set us up so we could do it at home. One of us would wrap her in a towel and hold her and the other would give her the fluid. Only took a few minutes. It was a lot easier than hauling her to the vet.
Yes it is possible to rebound. Give the fluids 72 hours. If no improvement then it may be time to let go. I’m so sorry. I have lost a couple of cats to renal failure and my last one was sudden onset. It was devastating. I hope your kitty pulls through!
@katie93mom, I am so sad for you and Niki. If your experience is like mine, you may well have a stabilizing rebound. I have been giving my boy a probiotic (Azodyl) and changed his food to low protein kibble. He also gets baby food. We do fluids every other day. He’s been such a trooper through it all, but we are nearing the end now. Sigh.
Crossing my fingers for your sweet kitty to rebound.
She made it through the night and doesn’t seem to be suffering. She won’t eat and her kidneys are still not working. If she doesn’t rebound in 72 hours we will need to put her down so she doesn’t suffer. I have never lost a pet and the physical pain of this grief is overwhelming.
I’m so sorry @katie93mom. I hope your kitty gets better! Hugs to you.
This is not necessarily related to the kidney problem but not eating was HUGE for us especially since we had taken away her favorite food because of the food recall.
She wouldn’t eat ANYTHING especially the “special diet” stuff from the vets. Changing food for cats can be traumatic. “Treats” were the only thing she would maybe accept and that was iffy at times. My cat was literally starving.
It came down to force feeding for us. Vet showed how to do it (squirt food in side pocket of mouth with syringe). Tough for us and kitty (not that it’s bad but just traumatic in some ways). No happy campers in the house. The kidneys were better thankfully but she would not eat
.
Now this is going to sound weird but I know at least some pet owners will believe me…
After that first bad but ultimately successful try at syringe feeding I explained to my kitty that if she won’t eat, this is the only alternative. I meant business.
And the next day she started eating on her own.
You can think I’m crazy but I’m pretty sure kitty got my message.
I hope your kitty gets better and hugs to you! It’s hard to lose pets who are part of the family.
But you need to do what you think is best for them.
We decided that since it looked as though Iggy wasn’t going to make it - despite daily visits to the vet for a fluid pack - to let him eat whatever he wanted. So goodbye healthy food (which he wasn’t eating anyway) and hello treats. I gave him four or five treats (just a taste) every hour/hour and a half and he ate them. I didn’t worry about water because of the fluid pack, though it was available. Four or five treats turned into five to ten and then treats mixed with a bit of his favorite regular food. Soon he was eating.
Whoever mentioned baby food - that’s his every evening meal - ham, chicken, turkey, beef. (Baby food has no additives, pure protein.) We mix it with plenty of water to make a liquid gravy. He loves it.
I’m so sorry to hear about your sick kitty. We have a 19 year old kitty, and everytime she is sick, we worry about kidney failure. I hope your kitty rebounds…and is comfortable in the meantime.
Gouf, I am totally with you. My cats know that if they don’t comply, I will wrap them in a towel… and that means mandatory compliance. I syringe-fed one cat, but she passed away because she was sick with something nasty. Syringe feeding is not hard.
Thanks so much for all the kind words. I really only have my daughter (away at school…) and my fur babies. They mean the world to me.
Niki is still hospitalized but her kidneys started to make some urine (a critical step) and she ate a few (very few) pieces of kibble. Our vet is also of the mindset that ANY food is fine in a crisis such as this so they are offering a buffet of choices. So far baby food, tuna, chicken and a ton of canned options have been rejected but she went for some kibble when I hand fed her. Her one vice is ice cream and I’m considering bringing some in tomorrow! She has always been a terribly picky eater.
The vet still says the odds are low but as long as she isn’t suffering I want to try everything possible to pull her through this. Such stress!
Fingers crossed!!
I remember when @ignatius’ cat Iggy was very sick with kidney failure, and I thought he was probably not going to survive. But he did pull through. I hope the same for your kitty!
Thinking of you and your kitty. It is so hard when our pets are sick.
We lost our kitty this past spring just two months shy of her 20th birthday. It was very difficult for our family, but we were lucky that both our D’s live in town and we could all make the decision together when it was time to let her go.
@katie93mom: Update on the kitty, please. I’ve wondered how she’s doing - and you too.