Advice on diet for my 16 year old cat with failing kidneys

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plum crumble

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Hi All
Ted had his annual MOT, and as I suspected, the test results showed his kidneys starting to fail, as well as high blood pressure and arthritis. He is 16, so I was expecting all of this. I want the best quality of life for the old fella, so need to change his diet. I am totally shocked at the cost of specialist food for failing kidneys - needs to be low protein etc, as the kidneys can't process protein well as the organs deteriorate.

Has anyone done their own diet? I wondered if cooking whole chickens, removing the bones of course, and freezing portions would work? I am starting Ted on a trial box of Hills k/d tonight, but as the vet warned me, there is no guarantee he would eat it.

Any ideas from you lovely lot would be gratefully received
Plumx
small, Welsh and almost certainly bonkers, but can be tamed with Talisker, if required

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ANHBUC

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Re: Advice on diet for my 16 year old cat with failing kidneys
« Reply #1 on: October 11, 2012, 15:31 »
 :(  Sorry to hear Ted is not so well. 

We fed our old cat on Hills Science Plan Mature 7+ dry food and she also liked Purina One Senior dried cat food.  She died this year aged 20 and had health issues but not kidney problems.  Hills do a range for kidney problems as do Purina.

www.hillspet.co.uk/en-gb/cat-sick/kidney.html

www.purina.co.uk/content/your-cat/helping-to-keep-your-cat-healthy/common-cat-health-problems/cat-kidney-problems

Hope the information is of some help for you and Ted.  Sending you both big hugs.   :D

Ain't Nobody Here But Us Chickens!
Bagpuss RIP 1992 - June 2012, 1 huge grass carp (RIP "Jaws" July 2001 - December 2011), 4 golden orfe, 1 goldfish and 1 fantail fish (also huge)! plus 4 Italian quail, 1 Japanese quail, 1 Rosetta quail.

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Trillium

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Re: Advice on diet for my 16 year old cat with failing kidneys
« Reply #2 on: October 12, 2012, 04:26 »
When my old fella was having kidney failure the vet had us change from dry to canned food since the kidneys need more fluid to flush out. It doesn't prolong the inevitable but it makes it a bit more comfortable for them. When my first dog started having kidney failure, our vet also did holistic treatments and that gave him about 8 extra good months before the inevitable.

Sending you hugs  :(

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allotmentann

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Re: Advice on diet for my 16 year old cat with failing kidneys
« Reply #3 on: October 12, 2012, 08:00 »
I am just wondering how much protein is in rice? If it is lower in protein than meat (which I assume it is, being known as a carbohydrate food), could you bulk out the wet food with rice to reduce the protein content? I know rice is often recommmended for cats when they are not to well and most cats like it - or will at least tolerate eating it. I guess that you would need to ask the vet if it is okay to feed them this way regularly. It is probably also worth googling to find out which meats and fish are lowest in protein. I hope that you find something that Ted likes that will suit his needs. :)

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plum crumble

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Re: Advice on diet for my 16 year old cat with failing kidneys
« Reply #4 on: October 12, 2012, 09:16 »
thanks all, really appreciate your input :)

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madcat

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Re: Advice on diet for my 16 year old cat with failing kidneys
« Reply #5 on: October 12, 2012, 09:27 »
When our old fella was fading this way and his teeth werent great - gosh I have just worked out how long ago that was!  - he needed strong flavours to keep him interested in food, which is hard when avoiding protein and salt.  Chicken and rice was recommended but it was a bit bleh from his point of view.  And he didnt do vegetables.  Does ted?  A lot of cat foods for seniors use carrot or peas as streachers which would reduce the protein level. Older cats are as stuck in their ways as older males of any species!  

So expect to have to keep ringing the changes ...  I found that a bit of fish instead of chicken (that was when i developed the habit of checking the bashed tin shelf at the supermarket and in those days tuna was cheaper than it is now) helped ring the changes as did rabbit.  
All we need to make us really happy is something to be enthusiastic about (Charles Kingsley)

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plum crumble

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Re: Advice on diet for my 16 year old cat with failing kidneys
« Reply #6 on: October 12, 2012, 09:31 »
the only veg he eats is when BAD OH sometimes gives him a chip. NOT allowed!

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ANHBUC

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Re: Advice on diet for my 16 year old cat with failing kidneys
« Reply #7 on: October 12, 2012, 13:54 »
The only thing we every caught Bagpuss pinching off our plates was curry sauce!!!  Plenty of flavour in that, not sure what nutritional value it has though.   :unsure:  Maybe lightly curried vegetables would entice Ted.

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Trillium

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Re: Advice on diet for my 16 year old cat with failing kidneys
« Reply #8 on: October 12, 2012, 14:12 »
Almost forgot about tuna. Vet said some flaked tuna with the tin liquid mixed in was good. It's the extra fluids they need to keep flushing the kidneys and the tuna protein was easily digestible. Alas, gone are the days of cheap tuna.

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frizzy

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Re: Advice on diet for my 16 year old cat with failing kidneys
« Reply #9 on: October 14, 2012, 10:58 »
My cat Tommy really liked Hills k/d (it comes in dry and two kinds of wet food), when he was ill.  He used to drink vast quantities of water too.  He had another 15 months after being diagnosed which was a miracle considering how bad his kidneys were (he had lost over 90% of his kidney function), and I'm glad he could enjoy his food until right up to the end.

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mobilekat

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Re: Advice on diet for my 16 year old cat with failing kidneys
« Reply #10 on: October 17, 2012, 21:21 »
When I worked at the vets we were told to not feed chicken to animals with kidney issues as it can be too high in protein.
The specialist foods, whilst not cheap do seem to help, but the main thing is quality of life!
Very often quite lost- would be more lost if I could work out where I was!- But always find my way home.....



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