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Renal insufficiency in cats

Kidney failure is a common and serious disease in cats that can become dangerous if left untreated. Find out here how to recognize kidney failure, what causes it and how you can treat your cat effectively.
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Kidney failure in cats is one of the most common illnesses in four-legged friends. If undetected, the disease can be dangerous, which is why you should act quickly at the first signs. But what exactly is kidney failure and how does it manifest itself in cats? Find out here how you can recognize kidney disease in your cat, what causes kidney failure and how you can treat your furry friend.

What is renal failure in cats?

Renal insufficiency in cats is also colloquially known as renal weakness and means a restricted function of the kidneys . Like humans, cats have two kidneys each, which are located on either side of the spine. The kidneys are responsible for purifying the blood and detoxifying the body . They filter the blood and dispose of metabolic waste products and toxins via the urine. In addition, the kidneys keep the cat's fluid and electrolyte levels in balance and produce hormones to produce new blood and regulate blood pressure. The kidneys consist of numerous small units of renal corpuscles and renal tubules. The blood is filtered within the renal corpuscles and toxins are released into the urine via the tubules. Together, the renal corpuscles and renal tubules form what are known as nephrons .

In the case of kidney failure, not all nephrons function as normal, which means that the remaining nephrons have to take over the work of the diseased tissue. In the long term, this leads to an overload of the kidneys and increasingly larger parts of the organ fail. For this reason, if left untreated, kidney failure gets steadily worse and is generally considered incurable . However, with special food and a suitable kidney diet, your cat's kidneys can be relieved and the progression of the kidney disease can be slowed down.

Chronic and acute renal failure

Acute renal failure occurs primarily when the kidneys are acutely affected by external influences , for example by poisoning the cat. If acute renal failure is recognized and treated immediately, the kidneys can recover completely.

Chronic renal failure (CRF) , on the other hand, has usually already been present for at least two months or longer when it is diagnosed. Recovery of the diseased kidney tissue is usually no longer possible. As kidney function increasingly decreases, doctors also speak of shrunken kidneys in this context. As a result of renal failure, so-called urinary substances such as uric acid, urea and creatinine are no longer excreted in the urine and poison the body. Renal failure can trigger high blood pressure and diseases of other organs such as the heart or brain. If left untreated, chronic renal failure ultimately results in complete kidney failure and is life-threatening for cats. As the condition of the kidneys steadily worsens as the disease progresses, renal failure often occurs in older cats . The symptoms and warning signs of declining kidney function should therefore by no means be dismissed as typical signs of aging.

Symptoms of renal failure in cats

Unfortunately, kidney failure in cats is very difficult to detect . The first symptoms often do not appear until two thirds of the cat's kidney tissue has already been destroyed. In addition, not all symptoms are immediately apparent. You should therefore keep a close eye on your cat's behavior, even if it is in the best of health.

The following symptoms may indicate kidney disease in your cat:

  • Weakness, fatigue, apathy
  • Increased drinking and frequent urination
  • Weight loss
  • Loss of appetite
  • Bad smelling breath
  • Scaly skin and dull coat
  • Urine changes in color and smell
  • Blood or pus in the urine
  • High sensitivity to pain
  • Vomit
  • Tooth and gum diseases
  • Stiff gait
  • Sudden blindness (as a result of high blood pressure)

If your cat drinks a lot , urinates frequently and loses weight at the same time, you should pay attention. Since the kidneys normally regulate the cat's fluid balance and concentrate the urine, cats with kidney disease often excrete large amounts of water and are at risk of dehydration . Reduced appetite and the associated weight loss can also be an alarm signal in cats. If your cat is vomiting and does indeed have kidney disease, the kidney function is already almost completely exhausted and the toxins and urea collected in the body are increasingly poisoning the cat. If you suspect that your cat has kidney disease, you should definitely not waste any time and see a vet immediately.

A Bengal cat in side profile.

Diagnosis of renal failure

Because the symptoms appear late and are not clear, diagnosing renal insufficiency in cats is often difficult. If you want to be on the safe side or if you have the feeling that something is wrong with your cat, you can keep a weight diary and weigh your cat regularly. Steady weight loss can be one of the first noticeable signs of kidney disease. If you notice that your cat is behaving unusually, losing weight and some of the symptoms mentioned above apply, a visit to the vet is necessary. Even if the suspicion of renal insufficiency turns out to be incorrect, early detection and clarification of the symptoms by a vet is vital. From the age of seven, it is also recommended that the cat be taken to the vet for a check-up at least once a year .

The veterinarian can determine kidney failure through the cat's blood values . If the concentration of substances that are excreted in the urine, such as creatinine , is increased in the blood, it is most likely that the cat has a kidney disease.

Treatment of renal insufficiency

If your cat has kidney disease, the vet can prescribe medication depending on the stage of the disease and adjust it to your cat's individual needs. If your cat suffers from high blood pressure as a result of the kidney disease, you should also protect your cat's circulation. In addition to medicine, your pet's diet is very important: cats with kidney disease dehydrate quickly and can no longer filter the blood properly. As a result, sick cats excrete proteins that are difficult to digest and put a strain on the kidneys in their urine, and substances such as sodium, magnesium and phosphorus build up in the body. Since parts of the kidneys are already irreparably damaged, the remaining parts should not be unnecessarily burdened by difficult-to-digest food.

Cat food for renal insufficiency

To help your cat and relieve the strain on its kidneys, you should always provide it with plenty of fresh water and special diet food for animals with kidney disease . Ideally, you should offer your cat food in several small meals throughout the day. Wet food is also recommended to counteract the large amount of fluid lost by sick cats. When changing food, you should be patient and use a high-quality diet replacement for the usual food. Kattovit's Kidney/Renal diet food is low in sodium and phosphorus and contains a reduced but high-quality protein content. The food is also enriched with potassium citrate , which makes the urine less acidic and thus prevents the formation of kidney stones .

To encourage your cat to drink, you should change its water regularly and think about attractive offers such as a drinking fountain in the house. Special drinks can be added to the water to encourage drinking and also contain important nutrients for your cat with kidney disease.

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Your questions - our answers!

frequently asked Questions

Kidney failure in cats only becomes apparent at a very late stage of the disease. Possible symptoms include tiredness, apathy, increased thirst, frequent urination, weight loss, loss of appetite, bad-smelling breath, dull fur, high sensitivity to pain and urine that has changed color and smell. You should be particularly vigilant if your cat is losing a lot of weight, urinating frequently and has a great need to drink, and have the symptoms checked by a vet. The sooner you discover the kidney failure, the better your cat can be helped.

How long a cat with kidney failure can live depends on when the disease is diagnosed. In the early stages of the disease, the progression can be slowed and the cat's quality of life improved with special food and medication. If diagnosed early and the cat's diet is changed, your cat can live and grow old for many years. However, if kidney failure is diagnosed at a very late stage, when the kidneys have almost completely lost their function, it is very difficult to prevent complete kidney failure. However, each individual case is different and only a veterinarian can make an accurate prognosis. In severe cases, it may be best to put the suffering animal down, while other cats with kidney disease can live for a long time with the right medicine and food.

If your cat has kidney failure, it is important to choose the right food for it. Ordinary cat food is usually difficult to digest and contains large amounts of protein and substances such as sodium, potassium, magnesium and phosphorus, which the kidneys filter out of the blood. Since cats with kidney disease cannot filter the blood to the normal extent and the kidneys are heavily burdened by a high concentration of these substances, you should feed your cat with kidney disease special food.

Food for cats with renal insufficiency should meet and contain the following:

  • Reduced protein content
  • Selected, high-quality proteins
  • Low in sodium and phosphorus
  • Lots of nutrients
  • Easily digestible
  • Potassium citrate to prevent kidney stones
  • Sufficiently liquid

Da gewöhnliche Leckerlis häufig viel Phosphor und minderwertige Proteine enthalten, eignen sie sich nicht für Katzen mit Nierenbeschwerden. Ihrer nierenkranken Katze können Sie einen Teil Ihrer täglichen Ration des speziellen Diätfutters als Leckerli geben. Die Kattovit Niere/Renal-Reihe verfügt über viele verschiedene schmackhafte Futter-Produkte für nierenkranke Katzen, sodass Sie Ihrer Katze auch mit Spezialfutter Abwechslung und Genuss bieten können.

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