cats

[Meenah]

I'm not sure where to post this question. My oldest cat is in renal failure. She doesn't seem to be in pain, but her appetite is decreased and she is starting to pee in the bathroom on the floor instead of her litter box in the basement. I moved the litter box to the bathroom, but she still seems to miss it and pee on the floor next to it. Her BUN, Creatinine and Phosphorus are all elevated, and she isn't concentrating her urine. I don't want to torture her, but she doesn't seem to be in pain. Any suggestions?
Luanne

[DCJenn]

Luanne-

Renal failure was what eventually is the cause of death of most cats, according to my vet. (Including every cat I've ever had, except the FB and it was a contributing factor for him) If she's not in pain then don't worry too much about it, but keep an eye on her. You'll know when it's time, and my thoughts are with you.

Jenn

[PrincessFiona]

Luanne, I'm sorry to hear about your cat!!! Keep us all posted...maybe Michelle will be around later and you can ask her?

kris

[Meenah]

Thanks guys. I am spoiling Sarah, giving her her favorite foods and pampering her. I feel like if she is only around for another month or two, or even less, I'll just spoil her and give her whatever she wants (of course Abigail, my other cat likes this idea as she benefits from it).
Luanne

Sorry to hear about this, Luanne. Enjoy your time with her.

[Michele]

How long has she been in renal failure? She'd definitely benefit from fluids...either subcutaneously or IV. How high are her BUN and creatinine? The high BUN will lead to oral and gastric ulceration which will become painful. IV fluids or subQ fluids will help dilute out the urea that's accumulating in her blood. Feeding her everything she wants is OK but depending on her status you could be making it worse. The current thought is high quality protein so she can more effectively use it and the ammonia won't accumulate as urea (BUN) in her blood. Her potassium could become too high and she could have heart trouble as a result. Without knowing more I can't really be that much help. The things I'm mentioning are all possibilities...I don't know how much they actually pertain to your kitty. Cats can really hide how they are feeling sometimes and it can be difficult to tell how sick they really are. Unfortunately renal failure is all too common and we don't have any good methods for treating it. Some places will do dialysis for around $5000 and some will do a kidney transplant if she's got a good one and a bad one. Neither option is particularly practical or effective. Fluids and GI protectants and monitoring are our best tools.

[houseelf]

Luanne,

I'm so sorry to hear this. I know that pets are like family members and this is so horrible for you and your family. Your in my thoughts.

Kelly

I'll be thinking of you and kitty too. I'm sure you'll be spending lots of time giving kitty cuddles, and making sure she know's how much she's loved.
A good forum for help coping with kitty health troubles is rec.pets.cats.health+behav (just go to google and type that in, then click the "groups" link) The people there are very well informed and very supportive.
As is everyone here, I just thought you might find someone dealing with something similar. I hope this helps!
Again, thinking of you, and wishing you well.

[Flynn]

Thinking of you and your feline family member....

[SueC]

I'm so sorry to hear about your cat Luanne--that is really sad! Sounds like you are doing a wonderful job of keeping her comfortable, I'll be thinking about you guys.