My Cat Throws up His Special Kidney Food but not Regular Store Brand Food?

Question

Hi, my 6 yr. old cat may have kidney disease (will find out for sure on Friday) and my vet prescribed Hills K/D in the meantime until his next blood/urine test. He hates the food and when he does eat it (I got both canned and dry) he throws up. But when I get him the "unhealthy" canned food that has all the bad stuff in it (like phosphorous and sodium) he finishes it and doesn't throw up. I've looked into homemade recipes but they seem too complicated and I'm afraid of adding all those vitamins and oils they suggest.

Are there any healthy and simple foods that a cat with kidney disease can eat and how would I make it tasty without adding salt? Stuff like boiled chicken and rice, is that good for a cat? If he continues eating the regular cat food that's not good for him will that shorten his life span considerably?

Answer 1

I would talk to your vet about this, first. I do know that many cats and dogs do not take well to a sudden change in diet. With your vet's permission, I'd slowly introduce the new food -- maybe a quarter of the new food mixed with three-quarters of the old stuff your kitty is used to. Gradually increase the ratio, and hope that works.

But again, call your vet, to be on the safe side.

Answer 2

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Answer 3

All the grocery store brands are crap. You want food with the first ingredient being real meat. Iams is probably the best grocery store cat food. The first ingredient in the dry food is meat, even though all the other ingredients are crap. The only real good foods are expensive but they save you money. Think of it this way- if your mom fed you McDonald's every day, you'd be extremely unhealthy and have some terribly high medical bills. OR think about if your mom was a health nut and fed you the best out there- yes you'd need to go to the doctor as every person does, but you wouldn't need to go as often as the kid that lives off McDonald's because you are much, much healthier. Just showing a comparison to show you that a low quality food like PURINA or meow mix will just cost you more at the vet AND give you an unhealthy kitty. The good brands are wellness, blue buffalo, MERRICK, solid gold.

Answer 4

Did you just switch foods quickly? Or did you mix them slowly? Always take at least a week and slowly mix the food together until there's no more of the "unhealth" cat food on his food bowl. If he continues to throw it up, it might mean that the food is too rich for him. Tell your vet about this problem, maybe your vet will know of any other past cats that had the same problem. Try switching to a low fat, 100% natural cat food with no corn, or any by products.

Does the food that he throws up on contain corn? That could be upsetting his stomach. Try some petfood like Core (made by Wellness) or Nature's Logic, or Eagle Pack, or other good brands. It's hard to find them (I only know of 1 petstore in New York that carried those brands), but it might help your cat.

Answer 5

You really need to talk to your vet. They need to know your cat isn't eating keeping the k/d down, and they can further advise you on diet then.

Prescription diets aren't a cure or a medication, they're just aimed at maintaining the health of whatever organ is involved - k/d is easy for a kidney to cope with, that's all, and won't put any undue stress on the damaged organ. Obviously the cat's stomach doesn't agree!

Boiled chicken and rice is OK, but a cat can't survive on it for ever any more than a human could - not enough nutrients. Call your vet for advice. Don't start feeding your cat any recipes you've found on the internet - internet advice is 90% crapola. Remember any twit can post anything on the 'net, it is not a reliable source of information.

Chalice

Answer 6

Hi KD food is a low protein food and that's not what an obligate carnivore needs.
If your cat is not in final stages, this is not want you want to do. There are new thoughts on this and the thinking is it is not the amount of protein but the quality of protein that matters.
The Merck veterinary manual [www.merckvetmanual.com] says that cats need "4 g of protein of high biologic value per kg body wt/day". That's about 7 calories from protein per pound body weight per day. If a cat isn't a good eater and consumes, say, 20 calories per pound per day, then 7/20 = 35% of calories can safely be from protein. It must be high quality protein, which means meat, fish, milk, and eggs, and not grain or soy.

I am under the assumption that you have been feeding mostly dry foods. Many use a vegetable based protein instead of animal and that is part of the problem.. Your cat needs protein as it is a carnivore and cutting down on it will lead to other health issues and may cause faster degeneration.
You want to cut down on fat and phosphorous (no fish allowed now) The best way to do this is with a raw diet which you can make yourself or buy . (making yourself is better) link provided at the bottom
If you are unwilling to do that then something like the non fish flavors of Wellness or merrick with NO grains are good alternatives.
You also will want to look into phosphorous binders. Something like aluminum hydroxide

You also either want to talk to the vet about having injectable pepcid ac on hand or you can buy it in pill form (ac not plain pepcid) and give 1/4 tab for stomach upset which happens alot in crf cats due to acid in the stomach.
I hope this stuff helps, here are many links for you
Making cat food
http://www.catinfo.org/makingcatfood.htm
other links
http://www.marvistavet.com/html/body_chronic_renal_failure.html
http://www.felinecrf.org/
http://www.felinecrf.com/
http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/Feline-CRF-Support/

Answer 7

Did you make the transition to the new food quickly? This could cause vomiting. So could a food sensitivity. Have you compared the labels? Is there a difference in a specific ingredient, such as the grains or protein source?

EDITED to add links for you:

http://www.felinecrf.com/

This site is recommended to cat breeders on a group that is co-moderated by feline health experts. You will find several brands of prescription diets listed on the "Dietary Management" page of this site -- perhaps another one will sit well with your cat -- plus some recipes for homemade diets.

Of course, work with your vet to make any changes in your cat's management care plan.

You're a great kitty mommy.

Answer 8

My cat did terribly on KD. But she did very well on Innova Lite. What you need to do is feed your cat very high quality proteins like Innova or Wellness (not store brand unless you want her to go downhill quick). then add some phosphorous binders, they usually cost like $2 for six months worth. It is the phosphorous you need to bind, not the protein. And, make sure your kitty is getting pepcid if still throwing up. Boiled chicken is pure protein, so you would definitely want to add phosph binders, and you also want to give taurine. It's just safer and will ensure no complications to feed a healthy prepared diet like Innova or Wellness, adn to lower the phosphorous. My cat lived for two years on that and thrived until something else took her. Good luck!

PS, I switched quickly to Wellness and Innova with no problem -- the cats could tell it was good stuff and they felt good eating it, and both improved dramatically. But if you feed something weird like KD it does take a transition. And many cats just will never eat it.

Answer 9

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Answer 10

Yes boiled chicken and rice is a good one also raw ground beef and water. Take the bones out of the chicken.