Need ideas for low-protein cat diet.?

Question

I have a 15-year old cat whose kidneys are failing. I've read he needs a low protein diet, but have no clue what to feed a carnivore who won't eat veggies. He's not digesting his food right because of the protein in his food not going thru the kidneys right, and he's basically a walking, furry bag of bones. I realize soon he'll probably have to be put to sleep, but he still seems happy and purrs, so at this point I'd just like to put some weight on him. So far all I can get him to eat without meat or fish is mashed potatoes and cream gravy (from a mix, no real meat or milk in it). Any ideas would be greatly appreciated.

Low-protein, not no-protein, he's a cat, a carnivore, he can't survive without some protein, which is why he's still eating cat food. I'm just trying to put some weight on with the potatoes & gravy since his body isn't processing the protein correctly. His kidneys still work, they just get overloaded with a regular cat diet, so he needs less protein.

Answer 1

Does high protein cause kidney disease?
No. This myth probably started because, in the past, patients with kidney disease were commonly placed on low-protein (and thus low-nitrogen) diets. Today, we often put them on a diet that is not necessarily very low in protein, but instead contains protein that is more digestible (therefore producing fewer nitrogen by-products). These diet changes are made merely because damaged kidneys may not be able to handle the excess nitrogen efficiently. In pets with existing kidney problems, nitrogen can become too high in the bloodstream which can harm other tissues.

Unless your veterinarian has told you your pet has a kidney problem that is severe enough to adjust the protein intake, you can feed your pet a normal amount of protein without worrying about "damaging" or "stressing" your pet's kidneys. Also, keep in mind the fact that you are not "saving" your pet's kidneys by feeding a low-protein diet.

Generally, purchasing a reputable, quality brand of cat food that fits your cat's activity level will be just fine. However if your cat has special protein needs, or you want to find the best possible food for your budget, then you must interpret the often-confusing label.

Keep in mind that the protein level shown on the bag or can does not indicate the percentage of digestible protein, just the overall protein content. To roughly determine the amount of digestible protein, read the ingredients and note the order in which they appear. Ingredients are listed in order of weight. Chicken, beef, fish and lamb are very digestible, and if they are listed as the first ingredient on the label, you can assume the food is a good quality protein source. In addition to digestibility, the amino acid content is important. Most grains are low in one or more amino acids, and need to be combined with other sources to provide all of the essential amino acids.

It is a good idea to follow this general rule: try to find a food in the upper to middle price range. And keep in mind the highest-priced foods are not necessarily the best foods, and the lowest-priced foods are not always of poor quality.

Answer 2

If the cat gets hungry it will eat. However if the cat goes 24 hours without food get back to the vet. Make sure he is drinking water even if he isn't eating well at first. Protein is very difficult for the kidneys to handle and if the cat has renal failure ANY protein can add to the problem. At some point you will need to decide if you want him to eat protein and enjoy his food or learn to eat low protein and live longer. If he is an elderly cat and he doesn't have much time anyway you may opt to let him do what he wants, on the other hand if he is fairly young you may want to show some tough love and get him use to the low protein stuff. You could try tricking him at first with a half/half mix then over a few days faze out the regular stuff entirely.

Answer 3

Luvy is entirely right. The low-protein model is based on very specious research done on rats in the 50's or 60's. There has been no subsequent research to show that lower protein in a cat's diet either "cures" or slow the progression of this disease. The QUALITY of the protein is the most important element and most commercial cat foods contain very low-quality protein sources.

I rescued a cat at age fifteen and she ate a raw meat, high protein diet for the seven years I had her. She continued on this same diet even after her kidneys started "failing" at age 18. She lived to age 22 and 1/2 before her kidneys finally gave out and could no longer support her life. The raw meat diet was of course the highest quality meat protein that she could have had for her food. She never lost any significant amount of weight until she stopped eating at the very end.

There are other conditions such as hyperthyroidism or diabetes which cause cats to lose weight and your vet should check to see if this could be causing your cat's weight loss. I would feed her high quality canned food - look at www.petfooddirect and read the ingredients in By Nature's Organic. That's probably one of the best. Other good foods with quality protein are Natural Balance, Wellness, Felidae etc. The moisture in canned food will make it easier on your cat's kidneys to process her food and eliminate waste from her body.

If your vet insists on the low-protein model ask him to show you research which shows this benefits the cat or slows the progression of the disease - he can't.

Answer 4

Sorry to say it, but that's really not possible. Expect your cat to lose some more body parts function and die sometime soon if his kidneys are failing already. Don't fatten it, that's both bad for the cat and impossible in this condition.

I assume the logic was that since the kidneys can't filter the nitrogenous wastes anymore, the point is to reduce the amino acid intake? Problem is, amino acids are very necessary. Cats need taurine (a derivative of the amino acid cysteine). Cats must eat meat to get this, as they cannot make as many types of amino acid derivatives as humans. So while a human can be vegetarian, cats CANNOT. Lack of taurine will soon result in increased blood pressure for your cat, heart degrading, and slow destruction of the retina, meaning your cat will go blind.

I'm sorry for you and your cat, being a cat lover myself.

In response to the above: The dog had no teeth, but the kidneys were fine. Besides, cats can't make taurine, they need to ingest it from other sources.

Answer 5

Try a prescription food, such as Hill's Science Diet. Your vet should be able to supply you. They have foods available for just about any condition, in canned or dry varieties.
I have a dog who is on Science Diet low-protein food because he has a liver problem. He is on the L/D formula; your cat will probably go on K/D for the kidney.
The only thing is that the prescription foods are pricey, for example, we pay $40 for a 20-lb bag of dog food.

Good luck!

Answer 6

my cat is 18 years old, his teeth all fell out, and he was tee teeing all over, so I got him a BIG DOG CRATE- put his kitty box in there, a nice little cat bed, AND for food, I use the KITTEN MEOW MIX (pink bag) I boil water and pour it over the cat food, and let it sit for 20 mins or so, the I mix a little kitten milk in it, since I have been doing this, he has been doing SO MUCH BETTER.
he has even put on a little weight.
(he was soooo skinny and pitiful)
now he is happy. we keep expecting him to die, but he is getting so healthy now.