Conference misery::feline_v1

    I think I've seen a note somewhere in here about this - I think it
    is a sign of kidney problems. Try using the keyword search thing - 
    there's a note on that too!
    
    
    
    Lisa plus P&P.
    
    

    Cats get diabetes just as easy as humans.  One of the first signs
    is ecxessiffe drinking and frequent urination.  I would make sure
    the vet checks for that.

    About a year ago, Gonezo also started to drink a lot of water.  I
    questioned the vet on this and was told the same as you... to watch
    him.  Gonezo is a large cat - 20lbs, and the possibility of diabetes is
    increased because of his weight.  Increase thirst for water is a sign
    to watch for, but so is loss of appetite and weight loss.  Gonezo has
    neither of these last 2 symptoms, so the vet thinks he just developed a
    thirst for Poland Springs water.  (The only time Gonezo drinks tap
    water is when we brush our teeth together and he likes his own glass of
    cold water.)
    
    From my own exprience with Gonezo, I would not be overly concerned
    (although I must admit I was at first).  I've gotten to the point I'm
    happy he drinks a lot of water because it's good for him.
    
    Mary
    

    If you have changed him to dry food from moist, that could account
    for the extra water drinking.  However, kidney disease is also a
    possibility (did the vet rule that out?  I couldn't tell from your
    note.)  and if not properly treated by a change to a special diet
    will get worse until it is fatal.
    

    All the above replies are right on the money,  also do you feed him
    the moist packaged foods, like Tender Vittles?  Some cats can't
    tolerate the salt in those types of foods, it will make them thirsty.
    
                                Denise

    I took Hector to the vet last night.  He has acute kidney disease,
    and is now being treated with antibiotics and anabolic steroids.
    The vet thinks this has a good chance of clearing it up.  If not,
    then we have to look at further treatment.
    
    I asked about putting him on to a prescription diet, but the vet
    feels it isn't necessary at this stage.  Hector is usually fed on
    tinned food (Whiskas and Kattomeat), with some dried in the evening.
    For the time being, he can continue being fed as normal.
    
    By the way, Hector is quite a sick cat, but the only obvious symptom
    he showed was excessive thirst.  He did not look sick in any way;
    he was perhaps quieter than usual, but as all my cats sleep 23 hours
    out of 24 at this time of year, that would be easy to miss.  I could
    easily not have taken him to the vet until he was worse, so I suppose
    I'm saying that it's well worth having anything odd checked out
    (though I know you all would anyway).
    
    If anyone can point me to any notes on kidney disease, or has any
    experience of it, I would be very grateful.
    
    Thank you
    
    Helen.

    Have you tried using to keyword search? There is a note on how to do it
    that was added recently. Note 3201 is the one.
    
    I hope Hector gets better soon! Keep us posted on his progress.
    
    Lisa plus Percy and Pookie.
    

    Lisa, have tried using keywords, and found one note on kidney problems.
    If anyone has any further information (particularly about diet and
    so on) ...
    
    Helen.

Helen,

I found another note on kidney problems (289) and keyworded it as
well, but it's about kidney stones.  You should find information on
kidney problems under the keyword AGING, since it's a common problem
with older cats and you should also try searching through the FUS
and CYSTITIS notes.

If I were at work today I would do a more comprehensive search for 
you, since I suspect the links from the UK arean't real fast and I'd
like to help.  But I don't expect to be at work today.

Hope this helps,
Pam

    The only thing that I know about kidney disease and food  is that
    Science Diet makes a special prescription food called K/D, just
    for cats with kidney disease.  Since it is a prescription diet,
    it must be purchased from the vet.
    
    Jo

    I thought that diet was very important in treating kidney
    disease, but perhaps that's when the damage is chronic.  Perhaps
    your puss has some different form.  My friend's cat had to stay on the
    special diet all the rest of his life.  Please let us know how things
    are going for your cat.  As I recollect, Casey didn't show any
    symptoms except drinking a lot of water initially.  In his case,
    the disease was chronic and severe, unfortunately, but he did survive 
    a number of months after it was diagnosed.
    

    Hector seems better in himself now, much livelier, and purring even
    more loudly than usual, but he is still drinking a lot of water.
    Still, he has only been treated for two days so far.
    
    Karen, if the damage is chronic, he will have to have a special
    diet only available from the vet; the protein levels in the special
    diet are different (lower?) to those in ordinary cat food.  However,
    the vet thinks that so far this is an acute infection, which has
    a good chance of being cured by drugs, without need for a special
    diet.
    
    I'm watching Hector very closely, and if I'm not happy at all, I'll
    take him straight back to the vet.  If he is not drinking much less
    when the drug treatment is finished, I'll make sure he has blood
    tests and so on so we know exactly what is going on.
    
    One of the things I'm curious about is that everything I've read
    about kidney disease says it affects older cats: Hector is only
    five.  He was about nine months to a year old when we got him, and
    was a stray cat.  Could lack of proper care and a good diet when
    a kitten (he was very thin when we got him, and obviously wasn't
    used to regular meals - he went crazy at the sight of food) be
    affecting his health now?  Or is this too far fetched?
    
    Thank you for all your replies; I'll keep you updated.
    
    Helen.

    Both Doobie (15) and Peaches (14) have a kidney problem and both eat
    only Science Diet K/D (except, of course, when they can lure Cassandra
    away from her food. We nearly always feed Cassandra on the counter as
    Doobie NEVER gets on the counter and Peaches only tries to
    occasionally.
    
    Chuck
    

    For whatever it's worth, Casey was certainly elderly when he got
    kidney disease.  He was over 16, anyway, as that's how long he
    had been in his current home.  I don't know about early
    neglect causing this problem -- all three of my cats were strays,
    and Sweetie had obviously suffered terribly, but he is over 8
    years now and shows no signs of kidney disease.
    

    I'm right in the middle of the same problem with my 5yr old taby.
    A blood test is critical your cat may need an IV drip if the blood
    values are to high. There's no telling what stage of the disease
    he is in without monitoring the blood values. Did you say he goes
    out, mine may have some type of poisoning which brought on an accute
    episode or it could be organic function is bad (he's been on C/D
    for the last 2 yrs but K/D from now on.) Don't put to much faith
    in treatments since there isn't much they can do if the kidney doesn't
    respond to initial drugs.

    Hector has been back to the vet - the antibiotics made no difference
    at all.  He is now on a different drug, not sure of the name, which
    is excreted through the kidneys, and is also still on the steroids.
    If he shows no improvement in 72 hours (Thursday) he is going back
    to the vet for blood tests.
    
    I have been told not to feed him any red meat; only fish and chicken
    based cat foods.    
    
    Re. .15, yes, he does go out, and catches mice, birds, etc.; the
    possibility of some kind of slow acting poison had occurred to me.
    
    I am now really worried about him; any optimistic stories would
    be very welcome.  He is still eating well, and does not appear to
    be losing weight, but he is lethargic.
    
    Helen.

    I CAN'T UNDERSTAND WHY THE VET ISN'T DOING THE BLOOD TEST FIRST
    SINCE THAT WOULD GIVE STRONGER INDICATION OF TREATMENT NEEDED, 
    DEXTROSE IN AN IV DRIP HAS A MORE IMMEDIATE EFFECT IF THE KIDNEYS
    WILL RESPOND IT WOULD SHOW UP IN 1 OR 2 DAYS. 
    THERE'S A KIDNEY SPECIALIST IN PEMBROKE (I DON'T HAVE THE # IN
    FRONT OF ME BUT IF YOU WANT TO GET A SECOND OPINION HE SHOULD
    BE ABLE TO HELP GIVE YOU INFORMATION IF YOU WERE WILLING TO BRING
    THE CAT TO HIM. 

    Hector had a blood test this morning - I will have the results next
    week.  He also had a vitamin and steroid injection.
    
    Apparently the blood test will show whether this is an acute infection,
    which can be treated with drugs and will get better (although we
    have already tried antibiotics, and they didn't work), or whether
    it is chronic degenerative kidney disease, which cannot be treated,
    only somewhat controlled by diet and steroids.  However, as the
    vet pointed out, he is a "fine figure of a cat", and is not showing
    signs of loosing weight.  He is still eating normally. 
    
    Re .17.  Thank you for your replies.  I'd love to take Hector to
    a kidney specialist, but I think Pembroke is a bit too far from
    Reading, U.K.!  Seriously, if anyone knows of vets specialising
    in this kind of thing in England .....
    
    Helen