Has the sads: Boots the Cat is experiencing kidney failure

I haven't gotten all the details, but the vet called and reported on the bloodwork done for Boots, our tuxedo cat. Last week we took her in for her annual checkup/vaccinations and bloodwork. She has had hyperthyroid issues and an irreguart heartbeat, these were known.

Apparently the bloodwork newly revealed that her kidneys are beginning to fail.

She has not been the same since the vet visit; she's been very lethargic and reclusive. We were concerned about that  and my wife found online that reaction is not atypical with some cats.

My wife is taking Boots back to the vet tomorrow for subcutaneous fluids and antibiotics.

Don't know how long we'll have her. She's been with us since she adopted us in 2016.

Sorry to hear that Paul, I hope she rallies soon so you can have more years of good times together.

Paul, I am so sorry to hear this. My heart goes out to Boots, you and your wife. That's a really tough diagnosis to bear. I lost my cat Nyima that way almost 5 years ago and it still makes me sad, so I can imagine what y'all must be going through now.

The subcutaneous fluids can definitely help if used appropriately. What the vet didn't tell me is that once you start them on those, they'll generally have to stay on them. It is something you can learn to do at home (with the approval and guidance of the vet, of course). I have an extreme needle phobia and learned to do it, so it's possible. Though it was hard for me emotionally. It was fairly obvious when it not helping anymore and just creating needless stress and pain.

I found this website particularly helpful for understanding what was going on and supporting my cat. This page particularly is about subcutaneous fluids, but the whole site is quite good. https://felinecrf.org/subcutaneous_fluids.htm
Knowing what I know now about more natural ways of supporting health, I would not have used some of the suggested treatments. But the information is great and very helpful.

Something that I might have tried if I had known about at the time is nettle seed. I have heard from an herbalist I deeply respect that it can be used in kidney failure to at least improve quality of life and possibly preserve kidney function. I don't know if it's been used in cats for this or how one would go about it, just wanted to mention it in case it felt like something you'd want to explore.

Sending all the hugs your way. Hoping you all find the support and comfort you need at this difficult time.

Aww, Paul... I'm so sorry. I agree with Heather about the nettles. I mean obviously, there's no guarantees, but nettle, in general, is incredibly nourishing, and supportive for internal organs. I've not had experience with nettle seeds, but Napiers has this to say about them (https://napiers.net/blogs/news/nettle-seed-uses):
"Nowadays medical herbalists mainly use nettle seed to increase energy, as an anti-inflammatory and as a highly effective kidney trophorestorative. It slows down renal failure, evidenced by increased kidney glomerular function and lowered serum creatine levels."

So sorry, Paul. It hurts when a beloved pet is ill.
Hubby's cat had renal failure secondary to hyperthyroidism. In addition to the veterinary care, a homeopath suggested using nux vom. It did seem to help supplement her other care, as she kept going till she was a very old lady.

Are kidney problems in older cats sometimes signs of too much protein?
I think they reduce protein in food for older cats.

A friends cat had kidney failure and lived a happy life for a number years after being diagnosed. The cat was put on a low protein diet, which involved cooking regular rice meals. I'm no vet, but in this case I would definitely look into diet based approaches to help reduce the pressure on his kidneys as a first step.

The vet had a sudden opening this morning due to a cancellation. Boots was given subcutaneous fluids + an IV and an antibiotic (for UTI). We're taking her back tomorrow morning for a follow-up. We'll see how she is and determine whether to continue the fluids or how much/often.

Last Wednesday she weighed 5.4 lbs; today only 4.6.

The vet said that 1 in 3 cats older than 12 have kidney issues. If she rebounds she'll be put on a special diet.

I'm sorry that still must be really stressful.

My family dog this morning could barely walk and seems to have extreme discomfort in his hind quarters. My parents are taking him to the vet today but it doesn't look good

Ashley Cottonwood wrote:I'm sorry that still must be really stressful.

My family dog this morning could barely walk and seems to have extreme discomfort in his hind quarters. My parents are taking him to the vet today but it doesn't look good

That is rough. We just want happy stuff for our pets and times like these, it just sucks. We had to put another cat of ours to sleep only just in Sept 2019. JerrieCat had mouth cancer.  

Boots is a little better. Still camps out in the bathroom (there's a heat vent in there she snuggles up to for warmth) but today she was in there with her head perked up and looking around. And this morning she made a trip to the litter box. woohoo! Took her to the vet this morning for a checkup and another subcutaneous fluid treatment. She is now 4.2 lbs (from 4.4 yesterday.) But she does appear to be a little more 'with it.' Her body temp has risen, too. We're taking her again, tomorrow and decide from there about doing the subcut thing at home.

She is now in the living room, parked right behind my head on the couch. She is supervising my work.

So glad to hear there's some improvement! Is she eating? Cats are designed to get most of their hydration from food, so ensuring that the food she is eating is wet can really help. Especially since staying hydrated is so important for kidney health. Making sort of a cat food stew by mixing a good amount of warm water into canned food works pretty well to get both food and water in. You could use raw or cooked meat as well. Warming it up so she smells it can also increase interest in food.

I hope she keeps feeling better and better!

Heather Sharpe wrote:So glad to hear there's some improvement! Is she eating? Cats are designed to get most of their hydration from food, so ensuring that the food she is eating is wet can really help. Especially since staying hydrated is so important for kidney health. Making sort of a cat food stew by mixing a good amount of warm water into canned food works pretty well to get both food and water in. You could use raw or cooked meat as well. Warming it up so she smells it can also increase interest in food.

I hope she keeps feeling better and better!

She isn't eating; but she's gained weight from the subcute fluids injections the vet's been giving her. I took her in today and she's now 4.8 lbs, up from 4.4 on Tuesday and 4.2 yesterday. Temp and heartbeat is better.

We are going to do just what you suggested. The vet had said the same thing. We have a large syringe to feed her with. We also have the subcute stuff to do that at home. We also were given some prescription cat food for cats in her condition, and my wife is bringing home some soft special diet cat food.  

She is a little perkier.

In the week since the last post, it she had improved somewhat; she'd gotten more mobile and perkier. We've been giving her the special diets and the subcute fluids. But, in the past several days she's stopped eating, she's only drinking.  This morning I thought she had passed away, but she looked up at me and eventually moved to another perch. She's sleeping now, but who knows how long she'll be with us. I doubt much longer (she has survived longer than we thought, we were convinced she'd be crossing the Rainbow Bridge last week. She's a resilient little kitteh, typical for one who rules the house with an mighty paw.

So sorry, we just lost a 9-year-old medium-sized mixed-breed dog to kidney failure two weeks ago.  She had a rather rough last two months with several ups and downs, she also stopped eating about a week before the end, and it was so sad because she had had a fairly big up swing early in her treatment and we were expecting her to be around for several more years.

It's definitely tough to find a balance of prolonging life and quality of life. My boston terrier is a few months from hitting 17 now and has been winding down for the last year+. Moving her from southern California to Montana in 2 months will be pretty rough om her and as she's already having issues and does poorly with weather changes. It's a tough internal talk I've been having about if/when putting her to sleep would be more humane than moving her into much rougher, winter living conditions.

I'm so sorry, Paul and Mark. Their advanced age doesn't really make it any easier...

It doesn't look like it will be long, now. At least Boots will cross the Rainbow Bridge from her home where she's loved.

(We had the vet put to sleep another girrl cat we had; that was hard. Never had to do that before. JerrieCat had cancer around her jaw. Her final moments were spent in my arms after the vet administered the dosage. She was momentarily free of pain and died energetically licking my arm; something  Jerrie had never done before to me. She and Boots didn't get along. )

I'm so sorry, Paul. Hoping that now her time has come, her passing is quiet and gentle.
And also sending love for everyone else dealing with the pain of losing a beloved companion. It's never easy.

Keeping you in my thoughts...

Boots crossed the Rainbow Bridge about two hours ago. She had tried to get up from where she was and stumbled, attracting our attention. I picked her up and brought her over to a couch and cuddled her, a few minutes passed and her breathing began to become labored and she finally died in my arms.

We'll bury her tomorrow.

Boots was a cutie-pie. She absolutely loved getting belly rubs. She'd easily flop down on her side and spread her four legs wide and exposing her fluffy underside. She'd probably happily accept them for hours, if my hands were up to it!

She didn't meow, she squeaked.

Boots also was a shameless moocher. I mean, really: if I or my wife had food out, she'd be right nearby imitating a vulture perched awaiting a meal. (Our vet says that mooching is a sign that a cat has hyperthyoidism, which she did have.) This included our weekly pill-sorting out session. Rose and I have these weekly pill-box things and when we'd sort our meds and place them in the boxes, Boots would be right there, thinking "Oh, food! Gimme!"

She also oftentimes threatened to interrupt the card games my wife and I frequently play; I sometimes tried to bribe Boots with extra tuna or bellyrubs if she would just jump on the playing table and mess up the cards (when my wife was winning. Nope. Wouldn't help me out. Grrls.)

She was a good lap cat, crawling into my lap and often burrowing her head in the crook of my arm. Sometimes she'd lick my shirt. Boots liked doing that; not my skin, the cloth.

And she ruled the house with a mighty paw. We have another cat, a male Bombay named Ninja who weighs in at 12.5 lbs, to Boots' 5 lbs. Boots totally intimidated him. She didn't care he was bigger. She called the shots. (Ninja is a total luvadub. Craves belly rubvs, too. Always tried to play with Boots, but she'd have none of it.  )

Aww, Paul... I'm so very sorry...