Any cat can have cat kidney disease, which commonly arises from:
1. Consumption of poisons like insecticides, cleaning products, human drugs, and hazardous plants.
2. Trauma.
3. A decrease in the kidney’s blood or urine flow.
4. Complicated dental problems.
5. Contaminated conditions like pyelonephritis.
6. Organ malfunction.
7. Cancer (lymphoma).
8. Lyme illness.
9. Elevated blood pressure
10. Urethral obstructions
11. Leptospirosis.
12. Polydipsia and other causes of dehydration
13. Consuming slug pellets.
14. Genetic predispositions because breeds with renal problems are more likely to occur, such as Persians.
15. Dietary elements, such as foods high in phosphorus, can speed up the development of renal disease.
16. Age-related demographic variables. Renal problems are more likely to affect senior cats, those seven years old and older.
It makes sense why some consider it a geriatric disorder.
If you want to know the kidney condition of your cat, it is advised that all seven years of age and older receive a senior evaluation at their yearly checkup.
Can Cat Food Cause Kidney Problems?
Phosphate levels in cat food that exceed the recommended daily allowance can harm healthy cats’ kidneys.
What Foods Cause Kidney Disease in Cats?
High salt (sodium) diets raise blood pressure, and diabetes and hypertension are two conditions that can easily be made worse by hypertension. Diets created for animals with kidney illness are low in sodium because diets heavy in sodium and phosphorus may exacerbate renal impairment in cats with the condition.
Additionally, you want to refrain from giving pets high-salt foods like cheese, bread, deli meat, and many commercial dog and cat treats.
What Happens When Cat Has Kidney Disease?
Usually, kidney damage is irreversible. With proper care, felines with kidney illness can remain stable for a very long time, but eventually, the condition will worsen.
The degree of renal illness will determine the symptoms that appear.
The most typical abnormalities, if not identified through diagnosis, become evident when the damage has already occurred in the cat, particularly at stage 4 of the illness.
Because it gradually impairs the kidney’s functionality, kidney disease has the additional qualifier “chronic” to better describe it.
The kidney illness known as an end-stage renal disease is the one that leads to kidney failure, in which the kidney is no longer able to perform its filtering role.
However, chronic renal failure should not be viewed as a death sentence.
Weight loss, poor hair quality, halitosis (bad breath), and fluctuating hunger that may be linked to mouth ulcers, fatigue, and sadness were the notable symptoms then.
Less frequent symptoms include excessive urination or drinking, anemia, vomiting, and diarrhea.
The ease of controlling the disease will depend partly on how quickly it is discovered.
Depending on the circumstances, your veterinarian might advise fluid treatment, dietary changes, blood pressure medications, dialysis, or a transplant.
What Ingredient in Cat Food Causes Kidney Failure?
Dry cat food consumption throughout a lifetime will eventually cause kidney and urinary tract problems, especially in elderly animals.
Dry kibble can also lead to feline type II diabetes and the development of kidney stones or crystals.
As an experienced cat parent, you may have heard that dry food can harm your cat’s teeth, urinary system, or kidney health.
However, the nutritional value of cat food is far more critical than its dryness or moistness.
The nutritional value, spending limit, and the picky companion’s constantly shifting tastes are all essential considerations.
The proper diet will therefore differ depending on your cat’s unique condition.
Our feline pals require food that is low in carbs and high in animal proteins and fats.
While the amount of carbs in some dry foods is acceptable (and there are hardly any items made from vegetables or grains), these frequently have labels that call attention to them.
Since cats are obligate carnivores, so they require fatty acids and proteins from meat.
But make the protein in your cat’s diet simple to digest. Obesity and diabetes can result from eating too many carbohydrates.
While your cat will require a small number of carbohydrates, consuming an excessive number of them can have adverse health effects.
Many dry feeds include rice, cornmeal, and other grains, which increases carbs (on the other hand, wet food contains less of these).
Some cat meals contain vegetable protein rather than meat, which is not ideal for your meat-loving cat.
The secret is to pay attention to the nutrients in your pet’s food and ensure they meet your furry friend’s nutritional needs.
Generally, canned diets are frequently suggested due to their higher moisture content.
No matter what your cat eats, it’s crucial to ensure that they eat and do not lose weight. Call your veterinarian if your cat stops eating or loses interest in food.
How Cat Kidney Disease Diagnosed?
Urinalysis and urine cultures, blood pressure readings, chemical blood profiles, complete blood counts, radiography, and ultrasounds are a few methods used to assess cat kidney illness.
The following phase is staging using the International Renal Interest Society’s system. As there are several phases of renal disorders, this is done to determine the degree of kidney damage in cats.
The disease’s stage typically dictates the type of treatment to be used and the expected results of that treatment.
• Blood tests: can provide information about the kidney’s filtration capacity. However, asserting that the kidney is in perfect health or free from a disease may not be accurate because significant damage must have already been done to have trouble filtering blood and ultimately cause a drop in blood levels.
The blood count and chemical makeup of the blood are helpful indicators for determining a cat’s kidney health.
• Blood Pressure Check: Kidney illness frequently co-occurs with other disorders, such as high blood pressure, as is common in people.
Additionally, cats with renal problems frequently experience elevated blood pressure.
Damage to the kidneys causes unfavorable circumstances in other crucial organs, particularly the heart. A damaged kidney then triggers high bold pressures.
• Urine tests: are quicker and more reliable in determining a cat’s kidney health because they can detect renal illness early on.
Long before the blood tests are abnormal, the ability to produce concentrated urine will decline.
Urine tests are crucial to rule out bacterial infections and can detect if there is a protein in the urine.
• Ultrasound – An ultrasound examination of the kidneys helps look for any indications of renal disease. Additionally, it can help with conditions like cancer.
• X-rays are a diagnostic tool that provides imaging that can assist in determining whether the sick cat’s bladder contains stones or other unanticipated things. Ureter or the kidney.
Your veterinarian may combine two or more approaches to make an accurate assessment because the outcome of each diagnostic dictates the next step.
A urinalysis, blood urea nitrogen and the novel kidney biomarker IDEXX SDMA produce a reliable result when done simultaneously.
The sensitive indicator IDEXX SDMA has made it easier and earlier to identify feline renal disease.
With the help of this new signal, early diagnosis makes it simpler to cure the ill cat.
Why Is Kidney Disease Common in Cats?
Amazingly, renal disease affects over 30% of elderly cats. Younger animals are no better, and most cats are still diagnosed with renal issues.
A factor that exposes kitties to renal issues more than other canines is that, compared to other animals like dogs, they are born with fewer nephrons in each kidney.
For instance, a typical cat’s kidney nephron volume is roughly half that of a dog’s.
Lower nephron volume inevitably indicates that compared to other pets with average nephron counts of 400,000 or more, filtration and removal of wastes and excess substances from the blood have defaulted.
Each cat kidney has about 200,000 fewer nephrons, which reduces the amount of fluid and mineral regulation/absorption in the circulation.
Cat kidney illnesses are caused by the typical medicines, chemicals, and toxins in human environments.
Most people are unaware of the necessity of keeping drugs, cleaning products, and painkillers out of cats’ reach.
Additionally, any area where cats are habituated should be free of all lily plant varieties, tulips, and daffodils.
These drugs and plants are detrimental to the cat’s health and reduce blood flow to the kidneys.
Renal problems in feline companions can also be caused by dental bruising and various illnesses that follow.
Age is another aspect. Age-related declines in nephron functionality and subpar filtration in cats lead to increased kidney disease incidence.
Despite being picky feeders, some cats put on excess weight due to their lifestyle choices. Diabetes is frequently brought on by obesity, opening the door to kidney disorders.
Any cat who already has cancer, kidney stones, or hypertension is highly susceptible to renal problems.
Compared to other cat breeds, Persians, Shorthairs, and Himalayans are more prone to kidney problems.
Is Kidney Disease in Cats Contagious?
Sharing space with a patient feline will not spread kidney illness, nor is it contagious. Cat owners like you and your other feline friends cannot get the patient’s sickness.
Diabetes, high blood pressure, and other hereditary problems that may run in the breed are the leading causes of cat kidney disease.
Due to the genetic sharing of cats from the same litter, inbreeding can also be a risk factor.
Even though kidney illness is a non-communicable disease, you should take precautions against infections and accidents that could damage the renal system and cause kidney failure.
If you have a cat with renal failure, keep an eye on other cats with a similar medical history. Kidney disease in cats in the cluster could indicate habit transmission and kidney disease signs, including frequent urination, lethargy, and potential edema.
Prevention of Kidney Disease in Cats
The primary cause of death in cats is kidney illness. Understanding the risk factors and taking the appropriate precautions to prevent a disease like renal failure are the best ways to combat it.
1. To start, ensure your cat eats a natural, moisture-rich diet to prevent renal illness in cats.
The first line of defense against feline renal disease is providing your cat with high-quality, well-balanced food.
Quality and well-balanced meals imply that a plentiful source of easily digestible protein should be a part of your cats’ diet. It is best you also keep a steady supply of clean drinking water.
Utilize a combination of wet and dry food and encourage your cat to drink regularly.
Diets high in dry foods and unclean water frequently increase kidney stress.
Make sure your cat receives the most excellent nourishment possible so you can avoid the worst.
2. Avoid exposing your cat to harmful home products like antifreeze that contain ethylene glycol in favor of propylene glycol.
3. Recognize which breeds are more likely to contract particular diseases. For instance, there is a history of renal disease in Persian and Abyssinian strains.
You can manage your cat breeds properly if you know their genetic susceptibility to kidney disease.
4. The improper medication used by a vet can make them more prone to disease. Humans are also susceptible to this.
Keeping all pharmaceuticals away is advisable to prevent your cats from developing a preventable kidney condition.
5. Arranging routine veterinary appointments is another suggestion for preventing renal illness. At least twice a year, all cats should be examined, especially elderly cats.
Early detection can save your cat’s life, and learning about your cat’s general health is always advantageous to your pet’s long-term well-being.
A thorough physical examination of your cats, bloodwork, and urinalysis should all be part of routine exams.
These tests can help you get advice on changing your cat’s food and keep you alert while giving him the best care possible.
6. Watch out for poisonous plants like lilies in your garden’s floral arrangement. Your cat’s kidney health may be negatively impacted by the flower in all of its components.
7. Keep insecticides and rodenticides out of your cat’s reach because ingestion of these compounds could adversely affect your cat’s essential organs.
8. Keeping your eyes open is the final advice for preventing cat renal problems. Learn the symptoms of potential renal illness and discuss them with your veterinarian.
Many cat owners offer their cats a lot of freedom, which makes it simple to go days without seeing your cat, especially if you’re busy and your cat frequently goes outside.
Keep an eye out for potential symptoms, and give your cat as much attention as possible. Cats typically don’t exhibit illness symptoms until their renal function has decreased by 75%.
Although they might be feisty and play hard-to-get games, cat parents must look out for and care for them.
Can a Cat Live a Long Time with Kidney Disease?
Cat kidney disease does not suddenly become chronic; instead, the condition deteriorates over time and may go undetected if a prompt diagnosis or thorough observation is not made.
Therefore, if the illness progresses to renal failure over time, you might not notice it.
The disease can already be advanced and incurable by the time symptoms appear.
However, with the proper care, some older cats with chronic renal failure can still lead fulfilling lives.
The ability of the kidneys to recover is sadly minimal once they have been hurt. With the proper care, your cat could have an active, healthy life for many more years.
Depending on the extent of the kidney damage, many cats with renal disease can lead relatively pain-free lives with regular monitoring, the right medicine, and treatment.
Unfortunately, the situation will get worse over time.
Even while a cat with damaged kidneys can lead a fulfilling life with treatment, the likelihood of total recovery is low for a cat with renal failure.
Although animals with renal illness will eventually pass away from their condition, new therapeutic methods allow them to enjoy longer and happier lives.
Best Natural Food for Cats with Kidney Disease
Although cats must consume meat, you can serve them several types because they have different nutritional values.
As with humans, nutrition plays a crucial role in a cat’s overall health, especially for older cats (those seven years of age and older), who are more susceptible to kidney problems than younger cats.
Therefore, reducing phosphorus in the diet can significantly improve the prognosis for cats with kidney diseases.
Kidney disease is prevalent in cats of that age, so the goal is to reduce the strain on the crucial organ. Additionally, diets low in phosphorus lessen the impact of secondary renal hyperparathyroidism.
Dietary advice is more crucial than medication advice for cats with renal failure since the meals given to the cat can have a significant impact.
Diets prescribed for patients are designed mainly to fulfill their unique nutritional requirements.
Before making any nutritional modifications for your sick cat, discuss it with a veterinarian because felines with renal problems need foods that lessen their kidney workload. With such meals, a cat with renal problems can live twice as long as other renal patients without attention to kidney workloads.
To sustain the health of the sick cat, the cat parent must accept the necessity for a modification in the cat’s nutritional requirements, precisely the type of protein.
Cats with renal disease are frequently prescribed low-protein diets.
Although a high-protein diet does not cause kidney illness, it can worsen the situation for a cat with kidney issues.
Most beef proteins contain high amounts of calcium and phosphorus, which can further harm the kidneys.
Proteins that are simple to digest, like chicken and turkey. The meat must be cooked because serving it raw is also undesirable. Due to their lower phosphorus-to-protein ratio, boiled eggs are a good source of high-quality protein.
Low-sodium diets are necessary for cats with kidney illness since excessive salt (sodium) diets can raise blood pressure and exacerbate kidney damage.
Also, avoid giving your pet high-salt goodies like cheese, bread, deli, and packaged meat.
Fresh foods with low phosphorus content, such as melons, apples, bananas, green beans, carrots, broccoli, zucchini, and blueberries, are also beneficial for cats with kidney illnesses.
While a small amount of cooked, unseasoned rice is acceptable, stay away from large servings of cereal grains in your diet.
The following changes make kidney diets unique:
a. Meals with low phosphorus but actual food content.
b. Less high-quality but simple-to-digest grains and proteins.
c. Foods high in vitamins B and D, such as beans and almonds.
d. Omega 3 fatty acids derived from fish oil protect renal tissue from developing inflammatory chemicals that cause oxidative stress.
e. Foods high in vitamins C and E, like spinach and carrots, are natural antioxidants.
By being informed, you’ll be much more likely to adhere to the recommended dietary guidelines and medical protocols, improving your pet’s prognosis.
What Meat is Best for Cats with Kidney Disease
Cats need easily digestible proteins that are species-appropriate for carnivores like them. For cats with kidney disorders, safe protein options include chicken and turkey.
Nutritional therapy is the most divisive component of chronic renal disease therapy, despite being the most widely used strategy for the mid-to long-term management of feline kidney patients.
These diets are designed to lower blood pressure, prevent toxins accumulation, and are low in protein and sodium.
Unfortunately, these diets’ unappealing approach to protein reduction makes it difficult to encourage a nauseated cat to eat. Because they are carnivores, our cats love the protein-rich meats they eat.