As ordinary treats often contain a lot of phosphorus and low-quality proteins, they are not suitable for cats with kidney problems. You can give your cat with kidney problems a portion of its daily ration of special diet food as a treat. The Kattovit Kidney/Renal range has many different tasty food products for cats with kidney disease, so you can also offer your cat variety and enjoyment with special food.

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

A cat should consume 50 to 60 ml of liquid per kilogramme of body weight per day - an average of around 250 to 300 ml. The fluid intake can be partly via the wet food or via special vitality drinks, but fresh water should also always be available.

If you notice that your cats are drinking too little, you should reconsider how and what you offer them. Animals cover a large part of their fluid requirements through their food. You should therefore favour wet food and add a few tablespoons of water if necessary. Cats also don't like it if the drinking bowl is too close to the food bowl. Therefore, try to clearly separate eating and drinking and place several drinking options around the home. Also try out different drinking containers and choose bowls that are as shallow and odourless as possible. Make sure that there is always plenty of fresh water available and, if necessary, make the water more attractive with a drinking fountain. You can make the liquid itself more palatable by switching from tap water to bottled water, adding ice cubes and adding unsalted broth or tuna water. Drinks specially developed for cats with small pieces of meat also ensure that your velvet paw's desire to drink is stimulated.

The fact that cats drink too little often only manifests itself in noticeable symptoms when the animals are severely dehydrated. As cats need very little fluid due to their evolution, cover a large part of their needs through their food and it is unclear where and how often they drink in the case of outdoor cats, it is even more difficult to detect a lack of fluids. If you suspect that your cat is drinking too little, you should observe it closely and carry out a test if necessary. If you squeeze the skin on your cat's back with your fingers for several seconds, the wrinkle should disappear quickly. However, if the fold of skin remains for a noticeably long time and only smoothes out again slowly, this is a clear sign of dehydration. Ideally, your pet's gums should also be pink and moist - if they feel sticky and dry instead, attention is also required. If your tiger is also tired and listless, has cold paws, sunken eyes and strong-smelling urine, you should definitely visit a vet and try to encourage your cat to drink more.