Kats Kidneys Kan Kill Them
Dr Jules Wilson MRCVS of the Maunu Rd branch of the Northland Veterinary Group HAS THIS SAY...
As we all know, the organ that gives up in an aged cat is the kidneys. Most of us have a pair & usually they work well but when they don’t we soon suffer from the effects of a faulty waste-processing system.
Cats originally lived in the desert & consequently have developed kidneys that work very well on a small intake of water & produce small volumes of concentrated urine. Unfortunately this makes them more vulnerable to damage and disease especially in later life.
Sadly we are only able to recognise kidney problems when 66% of the kidney function is lost. This is because these hard-working organs compensate for damage & disease by working harder & harder before finally deciding that they can cope no longer.
In most cases of KAT KIDNEY KATASTROPHE it is only when 75% of the kidney function is lost that you the owner & we the vets get to see these little furry felines. That is why looking after a cat with kidney failure is always a challenge to us.
BUT there is a lot we can do to help our little cutie cats to cope with kidney problems:
1. DIET: Special kidney supporting diets from the vet really helps take the load off the hard-working but failing kidneys. Sadly most cats are addicted to high salt & high protein diets (both high salt & high protein being bad for kidneys). Of course the special diets are LOW salt & LOWer protein & not surprisingly it takes a little while for the cat & lots of effort from the owner to persuade the kitty cat to accept the new diet. (It is like a person reducing the amount of sugar they have in coffee or tea, the best way is to reduce the amount slowly in order to gain long term benefits). In the end these cats end up preferring the low salt/low protein diets, just as people end up preferring their coffee without sugar. So diet is the primary key to managing our cats with failing kidneys.
2. DRUGS: there are a variety of drugs that we can use to help a cat cope with kidney failure. The vet will probably need to have blood & urine samples in order to tailor the treatment to the individual cat. The variety of treatments often helps the affected cats to live a lot longer & with a better quality of life than would be possible otherwise.
3. FLUIDS: Sometimes these need to be given into the vein, sometimes under the skin - it all depends on the cat, the vet & the owner. To a dehydrated cat fluids is such a lovely gift, it often takes away the nagging headache and nausea we often see in our sick kidney cats.
4. Other stuff: as each year goes on there is more & more stuff to help these sick cats, your vet will keep up to date with current knowledge & be able to sift through the useful products that become available.
5. Kidney transplants are now done for cats (in the USA mostly) this is still an area of great worry & controversy & so we will speak of it no more.
SO: Look after your cats, feed them a good + healthy diet from an early age. After they reach 7 years old (middle age) keep a keen eye on their drinking habits, ask the vet to check their urine & maybe their bloods from time to time. (Do not forget that a visit to the vet once a year with your cat is the same as you visiting your doctor just once every 7 years, a lot can change in that time). Remember also that bad teeth are a major cause of bad kidneys (all the polluting bacteria & waste products that get from the mouth into the bloodstream & then have to be filtered out by those little kidneys).
Clean teeth, good food and clean water are the recipe for a long & healthy feline life.
Remember these basic facts & you will be able to have your cuddly cat for many years longer & enjoy their company so much more.
With all this rain & cold keep a special eye on those tubby neutered male cats in this bad weather. They tend to put off going out for a pee. They end up with large volumes of sludgy stale urine in their bladders & this causes blockages in their very small diameter urethras. A cat with a blocked urinary tract will soon die an agonizing death, so if your cat is licking his private parts more often that usual & spends time on his litter tray or out in the garden straining to pee, then PHONE THE VET AT ONCE!!!!!
Issue Apr 2007
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