Cats, kidney failure, and not eating [solved]

bowtiedseal

My six year old cat has only one functioning kidney now and the vet has said there isn't anything she can do for her. I'm at college on the other side of the country so I've been getting updates from my parents. Apparently she's still pretty chipper and playing, but the vet has given her 2 weeks - 2 months to live. I won't have the chance to get home for another 2 weeks (from Saturday) and obviously I really want to see her, but I don't want her to make her suffer at all for my expense if in the next two weeks she rapidly deteriorates. Lily (the cat) is eating very little, which is my parents' main concern about her survival. She's a little chubby still but they're expecting some extreme weight loss at the rate she's going. Right now she's down to cat treats and eggs occasionally and doesn't like any of the prescription food the vet has recommended. My mom said she's going to get a couple different kinds of cat food today to see if she likes any of them, but do you guys have any recommendations for encouraging a sick cat to eat?

pictures of my cat I have on my laptop, which is not many!

Daenris

Well, if she's not lactose intolerant you could try little bits of bread soaked in milk (or if she is, you could use the special cat-milk stuff they sell). My vet recommended this at one point when my cat was sick and not eating much and she loved it. I think it got her hooked on bread, so now she secretly steals bits of it when we're not looking.

localh77

I know you don't want to make her suffer, but when my cat got sick and wouldn't eat, I fed him wet food (diluted with water and mashed up) through a syringe that we got from the vet (it wasn't special, though, and you could probably get one at any pet store). I would just fill the syringe up, and then while holding the cat in my arms, I would squirt the food into the side of his mouth. He didn't really like it, but I don't think it hurt him.

Anyway, I'm so sorry, and I hope she does ok.

bowtiedseal

Thanks guys. I'll ask my parents to try it.

Djeet

Is the cat diabetic, or has she just stopped eating?

Fembot

My condolences - I had a cat go through kidney failure a few months back. When she started getting picky about her food, I resorted to tuna and certain kinds of canned stuff - things that had a tasty aroma, like chicken chunks in gravy. She liked those quite a bit - and if it was a particularly bad day, it would help to heat it up a little bit first to get the smell out more.

bowtiedseal

She isn't diabetic, I believe the vet told us that the not eating is a side effect of her kidneys failing.

Thanks Fembot, I'll look into it.

Djeet

My cat stopped eating once, but I don't think her kidneys were failing; she would not tolerate being syringe-fed, and we had to have a feeding tube surgically inserted. We fed her thru the feeding tube and also gave her appetite stimulants (we had to try 2 different types). She also needed IV fluids because she really wouldn't drink either. Eventually it worked out (it was quite costly though).

Did your vet not suggest perhaps using appetite stimulants? Maybe she cannot tolerate that with the failing kidneys?

Before we went to the vet, we had some success getting her to eat and keep down fresh fish, raw to mostly cooked, with no spices. She wouldn't eat enough though so we had to take her to the vet.

Arcathan

My 14-month old cat died from kidney failure about two months ago. He had been with me through some of the roughest parts of my life, and as such was a huge light in my life. Probably the saddest day of my life (so far) when I had to put him down. My condolences to you. I can't go near cats without thinking of my cat Harlequin.

My advice would be to get back home as soon as possible, and be there when she passes away. You'll probably never forgive yourself if you don't.

bowtiedseal

I'm sorry about your cat.

I'm doing the best I can do without breaking the bank to get back home, and that means two weeks from tomorrow. Trust me, if I could have been there sooner I would have been. I don't know if I'll be there when she passes (since that might require me taking the semester off at an expensive school) but I am doing my best to at least see her.

Everywhereasign

My sister went through the same thing. Still, I can only imagine what you're going through.

If your parents are cool with it, I would ask them for their advice. I've had to have 2 cats put to sleep and in each case, the cat let me know it was time. I know it sounds stupid, maybe it was me projecting my acceptance, I'm usually the last one to believe in that kind of thing, but it worked for me.

If they could let you know if she's really taken a bad turn then you can decide if you can make the trip soon, or if it will still be a while. Do what you can to see her before it's time, but talk to the people who see her every day. They'll know best.

bowtiedseal

Yeah, I've already told my parents the ultimate decision about when she needs to be put to sleep is theirs, depending on her health. Unfortunately, when I am making the trip is non-negotiable, tickets have been bought, whether she's still healthy, at death's door, or already gone by the time I can get there. It's a full day of travel both ways and I cannot just take off from school.

Anyway, my dad called this morning and said she's been eating the past couple of days and still wants to play, so good signs.