does anyone have a cat with kidney failure? ?if so can you tell me the symptoms?

Question

my vet thinks mines kidneys are failing but i didnt have the money to test her and be sure

Answer 1

Such an awful predicament! I feel sorry for you and your kitty. How bad are her symptoms and what is her age? The list of the symptoms in another post is excellent. You might score her on those. If she has a high number of symptoms you are probably dealing with a terminal case and your kitty is suffering.

I have a 22 year old kitty whose kidney readings have been bad for over three years and she still eats, pees, poops well etc. She is alert, loves her food and despite severe arthritis moves around a lot. It will be fatal at some point if something else doesn't get her first. She gets a lot of vet support -- an herbal tincture on her food twice daily, acupuncture treatments and month trips to the groomer for a comb out and bath.

I say this because there is very little "treatment" that does much.
I don't do fluids for Cameo, she has been eating a high protein raw meat diet for seven years. I don't have her tested because numbers don't mean this much. You have to go by age and how many disturbing symptoms you see. If the cat is in distress it is best for you to take that step to help her to a quiet passing.

Your humane society will euthanize her. They may ask for a small donation depending on your circumstances.

The poisons released into her system by malfunction of her kidney is very painful for her.

My heart goes out to you that you must make this choice and it is the responsible thing to do.

Answer 2

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Answer 3

Some common signs of kidney failure from your perspective are frequent urination and increased water intake. You really should save up to have a blood test done by your vet though, because they can easily tell by the creatinine level in their system. This is often a silent killer among cats because they usually don't show signs of it on 'the outside' until it is too late. Also, failing kidneys can cause other ailments in your cat if left untreated such as hypertension, and a strain on all other major organs. I'm not sure what kind of cat you have, but renal failure is also more common in certain breeds such as Maine Coon cats. I am speaking from experience because I lost my Maine Coon cat 2 years ago to this disease. It is terrible, and unfortunately a terminal disease (unless you want to go through extensive measures like kidney transplants or something drastic) but if caught early enough you can make the last months or years of your cats life a more comfortable one. Good luck to your and your kitty.

Answer 4

I know what you are going through. I had a cat named Althea . Her kidneys swelled up to the size of an egg. Normally, the vet said that their kidneys are the size of a short finger nail. My cat had dark runny bowel movements all over my house for a week and all day long. She was very thin. Her fur was oily like. She vomitted also. She became so weak. The vet said it would be 1,000 bucks to test her. Being completely poor at the time, I could only afford to have her put to rest. It broke my heart to no end, I still miss her. It was one of the hardest things I ever had to do. God bless and Good Luck.

Answer 5

A good way to tell if the cat has kidney failure is to watch her when she goes to the litter box. If she doesn't go at all or is having a hard time going, this is usially a good indication that something is either wrong with her bladder or kidneys.

Answer 6

I think the below website may help you; here is some info I found:
"The most telling signs are increased thirst (polydipsia) and excessive urination (polyuria). As the condition progresses, your cat may experience loss of appetite, nausea and vomiting, weight loss, poor hair coat and emaciation. Only 30% of kidney capacity is needed for normal functioning. Therefore, no symptoms will be seen until approximately 70% of renal function is lost. It is important to begin treatment as soon as the first symptoms appear.

Even with diet control, drugs and fluid therapy, you will eventually see at least some of the symptoms on the following list. Not all cats will exhibit all symptoms.

Excessive urination
Increased thirst
Nausea and gagging
Licking lips
Grinding or cracking sound in jaw
Vomiting (both clear/foamy liquid and food)
Drooling
Dehydration
Hunching over the water bowl
Stomach irritation (uremic gastritis)
Constipation
Loss of appetite
Weight loss
Muscle wasting
Emaciation
Poor hair coat
Halitosis (ammonia smell)
Lethargy
Sensitivity to sound
Eating litter
Weakness
Depression
Oral ulcers
Detached retinae
Convulsion, low temperature, coma (end-stage)

Answer 7

I'm so sorry if you are worried about losing your pet. With kidney failure you will notice listlessness, weakness and most importantly no interest in food or water. When my cat had kidney failure he would go to the water, put his face over but not drink...In the end they become dehydrated. Usually this is a fatal condition.

Answer 8

I had a 12 year old cat that had kidney failure. He got progressively weaker. Wasn't interested in his food, didn't want to drink. Didn't urinate much, and when he did there was blood. I took him in to the vet, and had him rehydrated, but then he started having strokes, and one at a time, his pupils dilated, and he was going blind, still getting weaker. I took him back to the vet, and decided that it would be selfish of me to keep treating him, he was in pain and wasn't going to get better. I decided to put him down, and it was the hardest decision that I had ever had to make. I still cry when I think of it, I loved that kitty cat. His name was Dipper. As in Little Dipper. I'm sorry if your baby kitty has it, it's a hard thing to deal with.

Answer 9

this is a hard question for me.....my cat had a stroke that was caused by kidney failure........she could not stand and was shaking all over......i put her in a box and she crawled out to be by me.........she could not hold her bladder anymore either....all this was in a space of 24 hours.....I had no choice but to take her to the vet and have her put to sleep.....i held her in my arms when it was done..... The vet said that there was no hope and that she was in pain.......and yes, I could see it in her eyes that she was hurting......it was so hard to put a friend of 17 years to sleep.......but it had to be done..... i took her home and buried her in the backyard and planted daffies, daisies, and some other flowers that come back year after year........

Answer 10

I agree with the other person. Kidney failure is often the end result of a cat with cat AIDS. or FELV. They sleep a lot, they moan and groan, try to pee and the urine is dark and smelly... their sides have "Knots" on either sides of their backbone in the hollow part of their sides between the ribs and hind legs.

I seriiously urge you to take it in and be seen, maybe put to sleep without suffering a terrible lingering death... have mercy on it!